Verizon recently brought back an unlimited data option, and T-Mobile made its ONE plan less awful in response. Now it's Sprint's turn to roll out a new unlimited plan with included HD video. Pricing starts at $50 per month, but it sounds like this is only available to new customers. Feeling bummed yet? It gets worse. The cheap price is only offered through next March, then your bill goes up.
According to Sprint, anyone who switches to Sprint starting this Friday will have the option of signing up for the new unlimited plan. It includes 10GB of hotspot data, unlimited on-device LTE, and video will stream in HD. The pricing is tiered and starts at $50 per month for one line. That's not bad. Two lines will run you $90, and it's the same for a third and fourth line. That works out to $22.50 per line if you have four of them. That's the number Sprint is pushing. All these numbers assume a $5 discount for autopay.
So, the above deal might sound alright. Here's where it gets bad. The data is still throttled, just not as badly. HD video streams at up to 1080p, music at up to 1.5Mbps, and gaming streams at up to 8Mbps. Sprint also has a nasty habit of hiking its prices after you sign up, and that's the case here. The above pricing is only valid through March of 2018. At that point, customers on this promo will pay $60 for the first line, $40 for the second, and $30 for lines three and four. That works out to $160 per month instead of $90. Again, this includes the autopay discount.
This seems like a good deal in the short term, but that price hike is substantial. It's also really sketchy that Sprint hid the promo period in the fine print. It seems like all Sprint really cares about is adding subscribers ASAP, and it'll figure out how to keep them later.
PRESS RELEASE
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), February 16, 2017 - Starting Friday, customers who switch to Sprint (NYSE: S) will get the nation’s best price for Unlimited, which includes HD-quality streaming video and 10GB of mobile hotspot per month. At $22.50 per line for four lines1, that’s 50 percent less than Verizon’s newly announced plan. Customers save even more compared to AT&T’s current unlimited plans, which require a DirectTV or U-verse contract.
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Customers sign up for Unlimited Talk, Text and Data with Sprint AutoPay and get the first line for $50/month.
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Get two lines for $90/month.
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Need 3 or 4 lines? We’ll include those as well for $90/month.
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A family of four pays just $22.50 a line per month.
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Automatically get a free upgrade to HD-quality video plus 10GB mobile hotspot per line.
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Go to sprint.com/unlimited, visit your local Sprint store, or call 1-800-SPRINT-1 for more information.
As part of this incredible offer, customers who switch to Sprint can lease the iconic iPhone 7 for 18 months for $0 monthly payments with a qualifying device trade-in2.
“Only Sprint can offer the best price for unlimited – 50 percent off Verizon and AT&T unlimited plans – and a network that can handle the data demands to meet customers’ needs,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint president and CEO. “Our unmatched spectrum position gives us a clear competitive advantage in a high-capacity unlimited world.”
The Highest Capacity Network
Some customers are worried whether their carrier can handle the explosive growth in data consumption as consumers use more and more data to stream, post and tweet. No worries with Sprint. With more than 160MHz of 2.5GHz spectrum in the top 100 U.S. markets, Sprint has more spectrum than any other carrier across the nation. This is a tremendous advantage, allowing Sprint to keep adding the capacity and speed needed to serve its customers’ increasing demand for unlimited data.
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 59.5 million connections as of Dec. 31, 2016, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
1Savings until March 31, 2018; then $60/mo. for line 1, $40.mo for line 2 and $30/mo. lines 3-4. HD video streams at up to 1080p, music at up to 1.5Mbps, gaming streams at up to 8Mbps. Data deprioritization during congestion. Pricing shown with $5/mo./line AutoPay discount applied within two invoices. Requires eBill and new account activation. Taxes, surcharges and restrictions apply.
2 After $27.09 (iPhone 7 32GB) monthly service credit with 18-mo lease for well-qualified customer with port and new-line activation upgrade and trade-in of: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, Samsung GS7, GS7 edge, GS6, GS6 edge, Note 5, LG V20, G5, Moto Droid 2. Credit applied within two invoices after trade-in received. Early termination of lease/service results in full balance due. Offer not available everywhere.
Source: Sprint