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AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

bushido said:
r u paying for incoming text in the us? o_O
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It's similar with the "big three" in Canada... (Rogers, Telus, Bell)

If you don't have any texting add-on at all, then texts are charged on a pay-per-use basis, and you pay for every single SMS that passes through your phone in either direction.

If you subscribe to any of the big three's texting bundles ($X per month for Y messages), then all incoming texts are free, and only outgoing texts count against your monthly quota.

Things change when you're dealing with one of the so-called discount carriers, such as Virgin Mobile (mini Bell), Koodo (mini Telus), or Fido (mini Rogers). With those carriers, for the most part, incoming texts are always free for both prepaid and postpaid customers. For the most part, at least 50 outgoing text messages per month are automatically built into the base price of every postpaid plan offered by the discount carriers (but zero outgoing texts are built into the baseline prepaid services), and you can upgrade from there with add-ons.

Personally, I am with one of the "discount" carriers right now. I've never come close to exceeding 50 outgoing texts per month, so I don't need to subscribe to any premium texting plan. And I don't need to worry about the effect of my dumb friends sending superfluous texts to me 'cause I don't pay for them.
 
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Text messaging costs are the reason I hardly use Text messaging, and mostly message through Facebook. I get the push notification, anyway. Most of the time, it seems you get more information between you, for lesser cost, by talking on the phone anyway. Yep. They charge insanely high for texts, for such low cost to them.
 
I've been on iPhone Messaging Unlimited since the original iPhone came out, however I've been using iMessage now since iOS 5 Beta 1 and see myself using a lot less AT&T Text Messages when this rolls out to the public.

Having said that, I don't want to pay an extra $10/month when I can easily get by with Messaging 1000 + iMessage, as most of my friends/family I text anyway will be using iMessage on iOS 5.

I spoke with @ATTCustomerCare yesterday and was able to get Messaging 1000 future dated to Nov 4, 2011 (meaning my iPhone Messaging Unlimited will end Nov 4 and the Messaging 1000 will start Nov 4).

If anyone is interested in future dating the Messaging 1000 plan, sent a tweet to @ATTCustomerCare BEFORE AUG 21 and ask them to give you a ring, as you want to discuss future dating the plan. This gives you a messaging cushion and you won't have to worry about possible overages before iOS rolls out.

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... or you can go the iPhone 4 Go Phone Unlimited + $15 dollar data package way (which enables unlimited data) lulz.
 
I feel so sorry for you Yanks. I pay £10 ($16) a month for unlimited data (properly unlimited, no fair use), unlimited texts, and 250 minutes on my iPhone 4. And it goes without saying I've never paid for an incoming call in my entire life.
 
0dev said:
I feel so sorry for you Yanks. I pay £10 ($16) a month for unlimited data (properly unlimited, no fair use), unlimited texts, and 250 minutes on my iPhone 4.
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Same here, we're really lucky but then nearly everything else here is more expensive so it's only fair.
 
Certinfy said:
Same here, we're really lucky but then nearly everything else here is more expensive so it's only fair.
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True that American import stuff is more expensive here than it is there, and we have higher sales tax (VAT), but hey, it's nice that at least we don't get ripped off by our phone networks :D
 
derickdub said:
I myself use about 4k a month, really depends. I am not a very popular person and don't have people texting me constantly though.
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I don't know...... 4K a month? Way more than me, and i'm not a recluse. :cool:


past month (billing is up in 8 days) - 216
 
karlwig said:
I'm not American, but I have a general impression that you guys more often than not have markets with a lot of healthy competition, forcing efficency and low prices for end users.

It makes it all the more baffeling, then, to witness how you get completely screwed over on phone contracts. I guess it's the fault of the monopolistic situation you have, with some few, very big companies in control, like others mentioned.

$20 just for texts? That's insane. Here in Norway I pay about $30 for everything - unlimited calls and texts + 500 MB included every month. And Norway is very, very expensive.
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Yes, anti-trust regulation doesn't seem to work in regards to cell phone companies.

The same goes with internet providers. Cost is more than twice here compared to Europe for less speed. Cable companies are among the most disliked businesses here. And I don't think anyone cares a lot for their cell phone providers, either. Verizon, the company I am with, provides good service, but is grossly overpricing these services.
 
The worst part of this debacle isn't obvious to most. Everyone is too busy arguing about the present... the big catch is upcoming.

Yes, you'll get to keep your $5/200 plan or your $10/1000 plan after Aug 21st... but just wait until you go to order your new iPhone 5. You'll be forced to migrate to the $20/UNL plan or the Pay-Per-Use plan to make your purchase.

They did this last time with the iPhone 4. Those that had "special" text plans like TMS4, etc. had to migrate to one of the current plans at the time to order the device on Apple's website.

Only difference then? You could call AT&T and get your TMS4 plan back. No such luck with the $5/200 and $10/100 plan.

There's going to be a ton of pissed off people come September/October!
 
b_scott said:
I don't know...... 4K a month? Way more than me, and i'm not a recluse. :cool:


past month (billing is up in 8 days) - 216
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It would be considerably cheaper to invest in either a landline or a VOIP solution than pay for unlimited calling and texting for a mobile phone. I am like you and use a few hundred texts (and most could just be quick calls) and I use a few hundred or so minutes a month. I could honestly just buy a dumb phone and be happy.
 
don't get me wrong, I can have heavy months closer to 500. But that's about it. I email/facebook much more than I text. Texting it annoying to me since it's a direct message and almost seems like an interruption.
 
The current iPhone cost of $100+ is a big money maker for the cell phone companies.

Helas, we don't have a functioning competition, or we'd all pay $50 a month for an iPhone with 10Gb data and unlimited texting.

It's more like a cell cartel.
 
Nostromo said:
The current iPhone cost of $100+ is a big money maker for the cell phone companies.

Helas, we don't have a functioning competition, or we'd all pay $50 a month for an iPhone with 10Gb data and unlimited texting.

It's more like a cell cartel.
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^this
 
...and for those of us without any message plan at all, we get jacked every time someone sends a message.

this could really add up...
 
I just went to 'Manage Features' under my account on att.com, and I noticed that I can still change my messinging plan to $10/1000. If this change was supposed to happen yesterday, it appears that the grandfathering-in also lets you change to old plans.

I hope this remains the case, because when iOS 5 comes out I was planning on downgrading from unlimited to $10/1000. When this news came out though I was worried I would lose that option.
 
mms13 said:
I just went to 'Manage Features' under my account on att.com, and I noticed that I can still change my messinging plan to $10/1000. If this change was supposed to happen yesterday, it appears that the grandfathering-in also lets you change to old plans.

I hope this remains the case, because when iOS 5 comes out I was planning on downgrading from unlimited to $10/1000. When this news came out though I was worried I would lose that option.
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Guess I switched a bit too early, was afraid that option would not show after 8/21 anymore.
 
karlwig said:
I'm not American, but I have a general impression that you guys more often than not have markets with a lot of healthy competition, forcing efficency and low prices for end users.

It makes it all the more baffeling, then, to witness how you get completely screwed over on phone contracts. I guess it's the fault of the monopolistic situation you have, with some few, very big companies in control, like others mentioned.

$20 just for texts? That's insane. Here in Norway I pay about $30 for everything - unlimited calls and texts + 500 MB included every month. And Norway is very, very expensive.
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...and very, very small in comparison to the US.
 
JangoFett124 said:
That doesn't work with non-iPhones. Now you can't get a cheap plan combined with that. You either have to pay per-message or get the $20 unlimited. Can they even pretend this isn't an anti-consumer money grab?
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Would it matter if they did?

We know exactly what AT&T and others say when it is plainly obvious that they want to screw consumers as much as humanly possible for a few more bucks per month.

"We are doing this to help consumers"
"We are doing this to better our future"

I mean, simply copy/paste the same garbage and you have their answer everytime.

I really believe AT&T and others have a secret bet with other major corporations to see how many times they can issue these types of responses when they raise rates with little to no actual consumer benefit
 
I'm on a family plan that has unlimited text all throughout so this doesnt' really affect me, however, I know there are going to be a ton of people who hate this.

Personally, if it was me, I'd just get a smartphone and use my Google Voice number as my main and text from that.

The data is minuscule and if you aren't texting like crazy, there's really no need to pay for either plan now.
 
metyhuselaparis said:
Things are getting more expensive these days. Even text messaging through cellular phones has increased. If this is the case, will the buying public not complain about it? I hope there is a way to stop inflation.
Shaw Capital Management Warning
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You're missing the point: it costs virtually NOTHING for them to send a text message. Nothing. The size is in bits, a kb IF that.

That's nothing.

If you read an article on it, you're paying what, is ti 2k or 20k times the cost to send the text?

They're robbing us; but I mean, over in Europe or wherever, you can buy a SIM alone for 35 pounds that gives unlimited everything, and that's true unlimited, not the 2gb cap then throttling you get with Tmobile either.

You simply cannot do that here with a larger carrier. They want us in these ridiculously expensive contracts when there's simply no reason for it. The problem is that the mass amount of consumers have no idea they're being screwed, which is pretty much the problem here in America: ignorance.

People just pay what they're charged and don't make an effort to ever research anything. It's a serious problem and it amazes me how small the group of people who actually DO see it is.
 
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