AT&T does away with per-device data plans for new customers
AT&T does away with per-device data plans for new customers
By Shane Cole
In a nod to the increasing number of consumers who have more than one data-imbibing mobile device, AT&T on Thursday announced that it will no longer offer traditional capped-per-device data plans to new customers, instead steering them toward one of the company's Mobile Share plans.
Rather than choosing individual voice or data plans for each device on a customer's account, Mobile Share offers consumers unlimited voice calling and text messaging alongside a pooled data allowance that applies to up to ten devices. AT&T introduced Mobile Share last year and says that they have quickly become the plan chosen most often by new customers, with more than 13 million connected devices.
Mobile Share plans are offered in 11 tiers ranging from 300 megabytes to 50 gigabytes for between $20 and $500 per month, and each connected device requires a separate monthly fee. Smartphones can be added to the plans for between $30 and $50 per month, while tablets, wireless home phones, laptops, and basic "dumb phones" are an additional $10, $20, $20, and $30 per month, respectively.
The carrier says that "the way customers use their phones and other devices has changed — a lot," and as a result, Mobile Share offers more amenities for the same or better price as discrete plans in 95 percent of new customer cases. The new plans can be a boon for iPhone and iPad owners, who are known to consume significantly more data than other smartphone users.
Existing customers will be grandfathered in and will not be required to change to a Mobile Share plan, even if they upgrade their device. While Mobile Share may shave a small percentage off of a customer's monthly bill, those with years-old unlimited data plans are often reluctant to trade them in for less costly metered plans.
Comments
It's AT&T. There's only "expensive" options and "more expensive" options.
Exactly. Well said.
I switched to Sprint, not because it was that much better than ATT, but I was fed up with the gouging ATT. Ugh!
I had the original iPhone with grandfathered in unlimited data...but when I was looking into tethering my iPad...ATT said not only would I have to an additional $40/mo., but I would also lose my unlimited plan, I switched to Sprint the next day!
It's amazing that so many people use the word grandfathered incorrectly. There is absolutely no requirement for AT&T to give you unlimited data for life. They can drop your plan, your contract, and you any time they wish, just as you can drop them as you wish. The only difference is if they alter the plan you are not required to pay the ETF fee since it was them who broke the contact. So why do they continue to let you use an unlimited data plan? Because it's currently in their best interest. I bet you don't even know how much data you use per month.
It's amazing that so many people use the word grandfathered incorrectly. There is absolutely no requirement for AT&T to give you unlimited data for life. They can drop your plan, your contract, and you any time they wish, just as you can drop them as you wish. The only difference is if they alter the plan you are not required to pay the ETF fee since it was them who broke the contact. So why do they continue to let you use an unlimited data plan? Because it's currently in their best interest. I bet you don't even know how much data you use per month.
I bet the vast majority of commenters on AI know pretty well how much data they use each month.
So what is the deal with AT&T's new Unlimited Voice offering -- I have not seen it mentioned anywhere else, but it was an option when buying the iPhone 5s via the Apple Store app -- wonder if it has anything to do with those who have an Unlimited Data plan already?!
Our problem is that our family uses so few voice minutes and relatively little data use (100 min/3Gb between the 3 of us) that AT&T doesn't offer a shared data plan that makes any sense at all for us. I take the lion's share, using 2/3 of that data.)
We have 2 unlimited and 1 2Gb plans and we pay ~$160/mo. (before corp discount.)
Any changes we make immediately take us up to almost $200.
Insane.
AT&T. All the Time Tinkering (on how to extort more money from our clients)
I'm not sure why they make these plans so tough to figure out. I might be better off with a shared plan, but I can't really tell easily. I currently have 5 lines, a shared 700 minutes + a ridiculous amount of rollover minutes, unlimited texting, and a range of data plans from low end 200MB ($15/month) to 3GB and unlimited ($30/month). My total is about $265/month.
By my math, the best I could do with the shared plans is $270/month to get a shared 10GB for all 5 phones. That's probably enough data for our usage, but it's still more expensive and then it means worrying about if one of my kids is going to use up the entire family's shared data in a YouTube binge. Sure, they could possibly do that now -- but with the current system, at least I can point to the bill and say "cough up another $30 to pay for that".
For new customers, this might be great -- but for people with grandfathered plans (we have 4 grandfathered data plans on our phones), this doesn't sound nearly as good.
At t-mobile, I'd be paying $50 $30 $10 10 = $100/mo if I bring my own devices. Each line gets 500MB at 4G/LTE speeds and then steps down to unlimited 2G speeds%u2026 or for $10 extra, 2GB at high speed.
At AT&T I'm looking at $20 $50 $50 $50 $50 just for the base 300MB *shared* plan. WTF kind of sense does this make.
I can tell you my call quality and no-drop rates have improved since moving to TMO. Still have no idea why anyone puts up with the constantly anti-consumer AT&T anymore. My wife would have 3-4 months every year where she went over her meagre 250MB allotment at AT&T and got charged an additional $15 for that month.
Overages are now billed at $15 per GB ($20 per GB on the low-end 300 MB plan). Unbelievable!!!!!
Enjoy, T-Mobile, you're going to see a lot of new customers!
I don't know nor do I care as long as I use it, at my will, and don't get charged an extra penny. And yes I am grandfathered into AT&T- when I renewed from my iPhone 4S (3G) to an iPhone 5s (LTE), it kept the same terms- UNLIMITED. If T decides to end it- I will end them.
That's not grandfathered, that just your plan being carried over to a new device. Again, they have no legal requirement, as you stated, to allow you to continue to have an unlimited plan forever.
BTW, from my anecdotal experience the people that are most stubborn about keeping their unlimited plans tend to only average between 200-500MB per month which means they were paying AT&T extra money than was needed. These low-data using suckers that have no clue of their usage are the ones that carriers love.
This sucks. The mobile share plan is more than my "grandfathered" plan. The rep went through the numbers with me trying to get me to switch to mobile share and when the numbers showed the mobile share was going to be another $40+ she still asked me if I wanted to switch. I guess I am stuck with ATT also. Unfortunately all the cell carriers do (or will be doing) the same crap.
That's exactly why I switched from AT&T to Straight Talk over a year ago. I've been completely happy with the change. I lose visual voice mail and have to settle for 3G data speeds, but considering that my monthly bill was cut in half, I'm OK with that.
I'm definitely not one of them but thanks for the info.
It behooves T not to end their unlimited plans as we are the base that built them. We will leave in droves and they know it. I am not afraid.
We are one.