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Someone told me AT&T now charges 20 cents for SMS

M

Michael CM1

macrumors 603
Original poster
Is this frickin true? I got hosed out the bum by not knowing that sentient beings would use SMS like air last year, and this was at 15 cents a pop. I don't use the 200 I have each month, so I don't notice the prices. But a friend told me they're now 20 cents each. I'm curious if anybody else knows of a bigger ripoff (not counting those 99 cent apps that say "I'm a Republican" or "I'm a Democrat").

20 cents for a text message. Wish I would've started that racket.
 
I think she was talking about SMS without any sort of texting plan. A la carte. I know they were 15 cents each last year like this. I just couldn't believe they had the nerve to increase the price. That takes juevos grandes!
 
Yes, AT&T charges 20 cents per text in the absence of a messaging plan. That's pretty standard now..AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon all charge 20 cents, and T-Mobile bumps up to 20 cents at the end of August.
 
Michael CM1 said:
Is this frickin true? I got hosed out the bum by not knowing that sentient beings would use SMS like air last year, and this was at 15 cents a pop. I don't use the 200 I have each month, so I don't notice the prices. But a friend told me they're now 20 cents each. I'm curious if anybody else knows of a bigger ripoff (not counting those 99 cent apps that say "I'm a Republican" or "I'm a Democrat").

20 cents for a text message. Wish I would've started that racket.
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Where have you been. ATT increased their pay per use SMS to 20 cents in late Q1 of 2007. We are in Q3 of 2008. Did you read the insert in your ATT bill last year. Maybe you've signed up for paperless billing and these things get missed easily.
 
My first cell phone was a voicestream prepaid in 2001. I could text message anywhere in the works for free. SMS technology is working backwards, instead of getting cheaper it is getting more expensive. Baffles the mind.
 
eplchamps0304 said:
My first cell phone was a voicestream prepaid in 2001. I could text message anywhere in the works for free. SMS technology is working backwards, instead of getting cheaper it is getting more expensive. Baffles the mind.
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I agree. I think voicestream used to only charge me 10 cents while roaming in switzerland to text to my free. Sure beats paying $2 a minute to talk to someone. However, the carriers have gotten to a point where they cannot generate anymore revenue via voice plans and data and text is where all the growth is in the wireless industry.

That's why they are essentially pushing Text messaging plans down people's throats by making pay per use SMS charges so high that you are basically forced to at least sign up for the basic SMS package of $5 for most carriers.
 
Well, first off I'd suggest getting the "200 messages for $5" plan AT&T offers. You'll hit $5 at 25 messages if you don't, so I consider that a good bet.

But, you can help SAVE those 200 messages for incoming texts by using AIM on the iPhone to send messages.

Add "+1" to a phone number and add it as a buddy. So, for example, add +15556445102 as a buddy. Send an AIM message to it and it will be converted to a SMS message and send without charging you one of your 200 texts.
 
AT&T has a MediaNET Unlimited which is $35 for regular phones (non PDA, not sure where iPhone falls in) which has unlimited internet and unlimited texting. I wish they had this for the iPhone. $35 is a good price for both. Right now if iPhone internet costs $30, unlimited texting costs $15, so $45/month for both is pushing it a bit, but I might bite the bullet.
 
Small White Car said:
Well, first off I'd suggest getting the "200 messages for $5" plan AT&T offers. You'll hit $5 at 25 messages if you don't, so I consider that a good bet.

But, you can help SAVE those 200 messages for incoming texts by using AIM on the iPhone to send messages.

Add "+1" to a phone number and add it as a buddy. So, for example, add +15556445102 as a buddy. Send an AIM message to it and it will be converted to a SMS message and send without charging you one of your 200 texts.
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are you sure this doesnt eat up text messages?
 
So anyone can choose the "20 cents per text" plan instead of the $5/200 texts/month plan?

According to this page http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp it says that if you are on an Individual plan, then the cheapest texting plan is $5/month. Only if you have a FamilyTalk plan can you choose the "20 cents per text" plan.

I'm on an individual plan, but I don't send text messages that often, so the 20 cent plan might actually be cheaper for me. If it's true that I can do that, then I might cancel my $5/month plan.
 
I have individual voice plan with no text (so I pay the 0.20 per). I read that bit that you linked too, I think they just wrote the chart poorly - the pay per use is for both Family and Individual.
sue
 
This is why I had text messaging completely removed from my account, so I don't have to pay when someone sends me an unsolicited text message.
 
Just realized I was 20 texts over my limit. Will try the AIM solution, although I have to admit keep track of who exactly it is when I get the text will be a bit more of a pain.

This is singlehandedly the biggest rip off made on consumers today as far as mobile data is concerned. This averages out to almost $700 a megabyte I do believe. Simply insane, and I wish more of a stand was made against this.
 
Small White Car said:
Well, first off I'd suggest getting the "200 messages for $5" plan AT&T offers. You'll hit $5 at 25 messages if you don't, so I consider that a good bet.

But, you can help SAVE those 200 messages for incoming texts by using AIM on the iPhone to send messages.

Add "+1" to a phone number and add it as a buddy. So, for example, add +15556445102 as a buddy. Send an AIM message to it and it will be converted to a SMS message and send without charging you one of your 200 texts.
Click to expand...
I am trying this and my iPhone is blocking it. Either that or it just crashes before it gets sent.

*Anger grows for AT&T*
 
slapple said:
So anyone can choose the "20 cents per text" plan instead of the $5/200 texts/month plan?

According to this page http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp it says that if you are on an Individual plan, then the cheapest texting plan is $5/month. Only if you have a FamilyTalk plan can you choose the "20 cents per text" plan.

I'm on an individual plan, but I don't send text messages that often, so the 20 cent plan might actually be cheaper for me. If it's true that I can do that, then I might cancel my $5/month plan.
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The 20¢ per text rate is probably there by default if you don't sign up for any other plan, sort of like how the telco will be perfectly happy to let you browse wirelessly even if you don't sign up for a data plan, they'll just charge you by the kilobyte.

Yes, that means if you don't sign up for any texting plan at all, you can potentially be involuntarily charged 20¢ for each unsolicited text that somebody sends you. It should be possible to go further though, and instruct the telco to totally block out the ability to receive any texts at all, if you really don't want to pay for them.

In Canada with most of the major telcos, if you sign up for any texting package, all incoming mobile-to-mobile texts are free, and your monthly package allowance only applies to outgoing texts. If you don't sign up for any texting package, then all incoming and outgoing texts are charged at a carrier-determined rate, currently averaging around 15¢ per message. In the latter case, if you receive a "spam" text message, you can contact the telco on a case-by-case basis and arrange to have the charges reversed. That's the case with most major Canadian telcos except Rogers, for whom all incoming mobile-to-mobile texts are always free no matter whether or not you sign up for a plan for outgoing texts.
 
SMS does not use the data channel, since the SMS protocol was deployed well before the existence of data plans. Since SMS is a limited resource, basic economics says the price will go up to keep the limited resource from being overused (and thus clogging up until it's useless, e.g. the messages wouldn't get sent until next week if the signal channel got overloaded enough).
 
Michael CM1 said:
I'm curious if anybody else knows of a bigger ripoff (not counting those 99 cent apps that say "I'm a Republican" or "I'm a Democrat").
Click to expand...

How's Verizon charging a monthly fee for visual voicemail? Or navigation.. or that song recognition nonsense they have.. or any other service that should be part of the phones normal functionality.
 
What bugs me are there aren't any "in-between" text plans. I send/receive about 500 texts per month but have to pay $15 for the 1500 per month plan. Wish there was a 700 text plan for $7--or better yet a flex plan that adjusts once you cross or fall below a threshold. I would have the 200 per month if it weren't for my neices who *only* text and never call! 🙂
 
D-Love said:
I am trying this and my iPhone is blocking it. Either that or it just crashes before it gets sent.

*Anger grows for AT&T*
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You can send a text for free by sending it to (insert phonenumber here)@txt.att.net, however when they reply, it comes back as a text AND an email and I'm sure charges you for a text, but at least sending it is free...
 
firewood said:
SMS does not use the data channel, since the SMS protocol was deployed well before the existence of data plans. Since SMS is a limited resource, basic economics says the price will go up to keep the limited resource from being overused (and thus clogging up until it's useless, e.g. the messages wouldn't get sent until next week if the signal channel got overloaded enough).
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I disagree. Then why do they even have unlimited text plans? The way it's set up, they encourage you to buy text plans, with each text being progressively cheaper the bigger plan you get. If they were really worried about their bandwidth/resources they'd just keep the rate as $0.20 per text and not have any plans. That would discourage too much texting. Right now, their pricing seems to encourage texting UNLESS you don't have a text plan.
 
goosnarrggh said:
Yes, that means if you don't sign up for any texting plan at all, you can potentially be involuntarily charged 20¢ for each unsolicited text that somebody sends you. It should be possible to go further though, and instruct the telco to totally block out the ability to receive any texts at all, if you really don't want to pay for them.
Click to expand...

That is what was happening to me before I got my iPhone. So when I got it, I had AT&T turn off text messaging on my account, so I just don't ever receive them.
 
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