After years of prodding from T-Mobile and Sprint, Verizon finally started offering unlimited data plans again, which in turn caused AT&T to give up its petty Monopoly game and offer its own unlimited plan to everyone, not just DirecTV customers. But when the dust settled, AT&T was still offering the most expensive unlimited data in the country, and consumer advocates (including this very site) were quick to point out that it was a bad deal. Today the carrier is adjusting its primary data plan with a lower price and included tethered data, and adding a cheaper option for good measure. The new plans will be offered starting this Thursday, March 2nd.
The new standard unlimited plan is what AT&T is calling “Unlimited Plus.” It’s $90 for a single line (assuming you sign up for auto-pay and paperless billing), with full access to high-definition video, and 10GB of non-throttled LTE tethering data. That matches plans from Verizon and T-Mobile, though AT&T is still the most expensive around (even before T-Mo’s tax and fee refunds). Like the previous plan, speeds may be slowed in congested areas when customers pass the 22GB mark.
Multi-line plans on Unlimited Plus start at $145 for two phones, again including auto-pay and paperless billing, with another $20 for each additional line. There are a couple of drawbacks: you’ll only see full HD video if you manually remove the “Stream Saver” option, and that 10GB of tethered data immediately drops to 128Kbps (2G speeds, basically) once you hit the limit. Though AT&T isn’t limiting this plan to DirecTV customers as before, they still get a sweeter deal than everyone else: anyone on the Unlimited Plus plan gets $25 off their DirecTV or DirecTV NOW bill after two cycles. That’s some serious savings, bringing the effective price of the plan down to $65 for one line if you also have DirecTV.
The cheaper option is “Unlimited Choice.” This unlimited data plan starts at just $60 a month (with auto-pay), but the speed is permanently throttled to just 3Mbps. That’s fast enough to do some browsing and basic music streaming, but anyone hoping to watch a good bit of video will be struggling. And that’s just as well, since video is locked to 480p without the option to turn off the limit. There’s no option for tethering, and it has the same 22GB soft throttle as the Unlimited Plus plan. Multi-line plans start at $115 for two phones, plus $20 for each additional phone. The DirecTV discounts are not available on the cheaper plans.
Getting better, Big Blue, getting better. Price hunters will probably still stick with T-Mobile and Sprint, and Verizon’s $80 unlimited plan remains the one to beat among the bigger two carriers, but the DirecTV bill credits might be enough to sway a few new customers and keep present double-dippers in the fold.
Source: AT&TThanks: Michael
PRESS RELEASE
Beginning this Thursday, AT&T1 wireless customers can get premium entertainment at unbelievable prices by selecting the new AT&T Unlimited PlusSM wireless plan. This unlimited data plan allows customers to experience an unlimited amount of entertainment – with unlimited wireless data.
The new AT&T Unlimited Plus plan will provide a truly integrated experience of entertainment and unlimited wireless data on the nation’s best data network2, a combination no other company can offer. Customers on the plan will receive a $25 monthly video credit3 if they also subscribe to an AT&T video service plan – DIRECTV®, DIRECTV NOW or U-verse TV® – making premium DIRECTV available to new DIRECTV customers starting at $25 a month for the DIRECTV SELECTSM All-Included Package after the credit.4Existing DIRECTV customers are also eligible for the $25 credit on their current package. DIRECTV NOW starts at $10 a month after the credit.
Through these incredible integrated offers, an AT&T Unlimited Plus customer will get unlimited data, talk, and text, 10 GB of tethering per smartphone (after 10 GB, max speed 128Kbps), the option to connect a tablet and other devices for $20 a month, and the ability to add premium video through DIRECTV, all starting at a combined price of $115 a month after AutoPay and paperless bill5 wireless discount and $25 video credit. The total monthly cost for an AT&T Unlimited Plus customer who chooses to have DIRECTV NOW will start at $100 a month after these discounts.
“We’re excited to bring our customers the unlimited premium entertainment they want, across all of their screens – at home and on the go,” said David Christopher, Chief Marketing Officer, AT&T Entertainment Group. “With our incredible new unlimited plans and great entertainment options for everyone, we’re able to give customers what they’ve been asking for, on their terms.”
Customers who have both AT&T wireless and an AT&T video service can get Data Free TV. That means any entertainment you watch on your devices through the DIRECTV, DIRECTV NOW or Fullscreen apps won’t be counted as data usage.
Our business customers are also on a journey to transform how, where and when they do business. We’ve tailored our newest unlimited wireless plans to businesses to give them the flexibility to choose. To thank our business customers, we’ve simplified their wireless plan pricing. From the start, our business customers will receive a $10 corporate discount on AT&T Unlimited Plus for Business that is reflected in their wireless plan price. And, when business takes you to Mexico or Canada there’s even more benefits.
If you’re looking for an unlimited data plan for less, then the new AT&T Unlimited ChoiceSM plan is for you. This plan offers unlimited data, with a max speed of 3Mbps. This plan is perfect for surfing the web, keeping up with your friends on social and streaming standard definition (about 480p) video at a max of 1.5Mbps. The plan includes unlimited talk, text and data on 4 smartphone lines for $155 a month, which is less than $40 a line when you have 4 lines. On this plan, a single smartphone starts at $60 a month. Pricing is after an AutoPay and paperless bill wireless discount.
On both plans, after 22 GB of data usage per line, AT&T may slow speeds on that line during times of network congestion.
Additionally, both plans allow consumers and businesses to make unlimited calls from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico and send unlimited texts to over 120 countries. Customers on this plan can also use their plan to talk, text and use data in Canada and Mexico with no roaming charges.6
New AT&T wireless customers can take advantage of the existing offer of up to $650 in credits for switching wireless providers, when they trade-in a smartphone and buy a new one on AT&T Next.7
If you’re interested in learning more about our two AT&T unlimited plans, you can check out att.com, or visit one of our 5,000+ stores or Business Premier online.
