AT&T follows T-Mobile with new 'Rollover Data' offering
Mega-carrier AT&T is the latest U.S. wireless provider to turn to mobile data as a market differentiator, introducing a new "Rollover Data" program that allows subscribers to stockpile unused megabytes much like older plans that included rollover calling minutes.
AT&T will enable rollover data for all new and current Mobile Share Value customers beginning on Jan. 25. Each of those subscribers will be automatically enrolled, and the service will not come with an additional fee.
"Rollover Data is an added benefit of being an AT&T Mobile Share Value customer and it's just another way that we're saying thanks to our more than 50 million plus Mobile Share Value subscribers," AT&T Mobility chief Glenn Lurie said in a release. "We're providing even more value and flexibility, and the best part is it's simple, shareable and easy to track for our customers. All Mobile Share Value customers get this automatically."
Rollover data can be shared with any other subscriber in the same Mobile Share Value plan. It is worth noting that rollover data will not be allowed to accrue for multiple months --?any extra data not used in the following month will be lost.
AT&T's announcement comes less than one month after smaller rival T-Mobile unveiled its own "Data Stash" initiative, which comes with a few key differences. Notably, each Data Stash-eligible plan will come with 10 gigabytes of free data, and T-Mobile will allow customers to accrue an unlimited amount of data over a 12-month period.
AT&T will enable rollover data for all new and current Mobile Share Value customers beginning on Jan. 25. Each of those subscribers will be automatically enrolled, and the service will not come with an additional fee.
"Rollover Data is an added benefit of being an AT&T Mobile Share Value customer and it's just another way that we're saying thanks to our more than 50 million plus Mobile Share Value subscribers," AT&T Mobility chief Glenn Lurie said in a release. "We're providing even more value and flexibility, and the best part is it's simple, shareable and easy to track for our customers. All Mobile Share Value customers get this automatically."
Rollover data can be shared with any other subscriber in the same Mobile Share Value plan. It is worth noting that rollover data will not be allowed to accrue for multiple months --?any extra data not used in the following month will be lost.
AT&T's announcement comes less than one month after smaller rival T-Mobile unveiled its own "Data Stash" initiative, which comes with a few key differences. Notably, each Data Stash-eligible plan will come with 10 gigabytes of free data, and T-Mobile will allow customers to accrue an unlimited amount of data over a 12-month period.
Comments
From the ATT website:
Lame but unsurprising.
Wait, so you can only roll it over for one month and it gets used last so if you don't end up using it you lose it? What a joke. I'm sorry but I pay for this data. I should either get a refund for what I don't use or it should carry over and not for just one month.
Wait, so you can only roll it over for one month and it gets used last so if you don't end up using it you lose it? What a joke. I'm sorry but I pay for this data. I should either get a refund for what I don't use or it should carry over and not for just one month.
That's what I'm talking about...ATT is a joke. They try to fight back to T-Mo with the less attractive plan...lol. I'm still in the contract for another 10 months and will fckk them good bye to T-Mo. One thing I appreciated ATT that they gave me a free MicroCell when there's zero bar in my area...well after I threatened to cancel my 3 ATT lines which I had for over 5 years.
And yes, having rollover data expire after a month IS BS, but from my experience with rollover minutes (in a family of 4 at the time), we never dipped far into the pool. I have a 15GB plan between 5 right now and we barely go over 8 each month on average. I wouldn't mind having the additional padding of rolled over data in case i need it, but unless something substantial happens one month (like an ISP outage at home, extensive travel etc) then I would imagine that the rollover pool at some point would end up like the minutes pool I once had.
While i don't really like Sprint, their unlimited voice and data plan is what everyone should offer. I'd be happy paying a couple extra bucks to not deal with the hassle of tracking data usage.
You should call att and lower your data after the 25th to save money
Yeah have fun with T-Mobile:
https://www.publicknowledge.org/news-blog/blogs/t-mobile-disguising-throttling-with-new-speed-test-data-cap-exemptions
You can throw the microcell away now there is voip calling
You should call att and lower your data after the 25th to save money
Only the newest phones offer the voice over wi-fi and I don't thing AT&T has enabled it yet. The micro-cell works beautifully in my weak-signal home.
Once additional carriers allow roll-overs longer than 1 month AT&T will likely follow suit.
Competition is good.
2) AT&T is following T-Mobile here. If Sprint gets absorb AT&T could be the weakest national MNO in the US in short order. My guess is that T-Mobile even beat Verizon with new activations this past quarter.
That happens when you reach your data cap with capped plans. Would you rather have your internet turned off completely, or rather that they charge you an excessive per MiB charge for going over your cap? No reasonable person would like you're Montgomery Brewster, which makes T-Mobile's methods much more user friendly than any other national MNO in the US.
It appears AT&T's offering will help someone like me to possibly avoid an overage charge in the unlikely event I accidentally or intentionally exceed my allowance. I have a 3GB plan. I average 0.3GB each month. My peak was 0.7GB. Assuming 2.7GB rolls over, I'll have 5.7GB to use each month. It's not as "good" as T-Mobile's offering, but it's more than what I knowingly and willingly signed up for, which did not include any data rollover at the time. It's hard to complain about getting more than what you originally agreed to pay for.
If this really bothered me, I'm free to switch to T-Mobile at any time. However, I'd be shooting myself in the foot since their coverage is terrible in my area where AT&T's is best. Surely, the ability to actually make calls and transfer data have some value! What good would rollover or unlimited everything do for me if I couldn't actually use it? Think about that.
Back before the dinosaurs, and we had limited calling plans, I used to be able to temporarily upgrade my plan if I was going to go over my minutes, and avoid overages. I don't know if any of the carriers allow that for the limited data plans.
AT&T's rollover data falls off after a month? :???:
I know Verizon allow you do to that. You can change your plan any time. They even let you choose to automatically switch the plan now or when your next cycle start. I usually do it from the app or website when going on vacations.