To no one’s surprise, AT&T will offer a new unlimited data plan for all of its customers starting tomorrow. The move comes approximately 30 seconds after Verizon made a similar move. The only difference: AT&T’s offering is spendy as hell.
The new plan will cover talk, text, and data on four lines for the wallet-busting price of $180 a month. Well, it’s only $180 a month with a “$40 credit for 4th smartphone line.” If you’re using fewer than that it’s $220 a month. Based on AT&T’s press release, it’s unclear if there’s an option for just one or two lines.
Update 02.17.2017 – The day after releasing a press release announcing the $180 plan, an AT&T representative contacted me to say that the company will be offering options for one or two lines as well. Here’s the breakdown per AT&T:
1 line – $100
2 lines – $140
3 lines – $180
4 lines – $180 (4th line is free, via a $40 monthly bill credit)
Since Verizon is now offering a similar unlimited data plan for $80 a month per line, the proposition is slightly more complicated. If you live your mobile data life alone, the Verizon offering is at least hundred dollars cheaper for a single line. If you’re a lucky family plan sort of sucker and plan to use four lines, AT&T’s new offering is definitely cheaper.
Also, according to its press release, AT&T “may slow speeds during periods of network congestion” after you use 22 GBs of data.
What you decide to do is up to you. T-Mobile also offers four lines for $40 a piece—though it’s not necessarily “unlimited”—which is a slightly better deal than AT&T’s new plan. However, it’s honestly refreshing to see some good old fashioned capitalism bring new options to mobile customers. God knows we need it.
[AT&T]
