AT&T Introduces New Data Plans Without Overage Charges

[ecschwarz]

I'm curious about the underlined part. When I've ordered iPhones or called customer service, I've been routed through Business Customer Care. I think this is due to my corporate discount. This "should" mean my access charge will be $15/device instead of $20.

http://about.att.com/story/att_introduces_mobile_share_advantage.html

If anything is like how it was in the past, that applies to "CRU" (corporate responsibility user) lines that a company pays, while anyone with a business discount who pays the bill themselves is considered an "IRU" (individual responsibility user) and probably will have a device access charge of $20. This is a lot like the prior instances for CRU business accounts paying $35 instead of $40 for devices still under contract, but with newer plans.

I'll still be curious to see as I have a IRU account for myself personally with a business discount and manage the CRU accounts for work. Hopefully these new plans will benefit one or the other.

 

[Agilis]

How is a business making their higher end offerings more appealing translate to being shady or being a scam? Isn't that basically part of business basics that petty much all business strive for?

Here is how I'm looking at it. The plans have to do with how much data you get per month. By making the higher-end tiers slightly less expensive, AT&T is driving their customers to these higher-end offerings. The problem is, the majority of their customers that choose one of the higher-end tiers, will be essentially paying AT&T for data they'll never end up using. If AT&T would lower the prices of their lower-end offerings, which have data limits more reasonable for the average customer, then I would not see AT&T as running a shady business model.

Look, most companies do what AT&T do. But the up-sell usually benefits the customer. How does subscribing to more data than the average customer could ever use, benefit the customer? In my opinion, AT&T is taking advantage of their customers who are not intelligent enough or verse enough to realize they are buying too much. AT&T is making it seem like the higher-end tiers, though more expensive than the lower-end tiers, is the better choice when it's really not for the average customer.

 

[theonekcrow]

I got in on the "Double Your Data" promotion they did a couple of years ago, so we are paying $130/mo for 30 GB of data on our base plan. We have 7 phones and 1 tablet on our plan. I was interested at first because for $5 more per month, we would be getting the same amount of data with no threat of overage charges. I was ok with that.

Then I read the fine print that would raise each phone line on our plan to $20 per month. So now it's $40 per month extra... not so attractive now. I'll take my chances with possible overages. (Though this is really no issue as we average 10-15 GB per month of rollover data.)
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Currently, I have a 30GB Mobile Share Value (Promo 2x Data for free) for 130. Each smart phone on my plan is $15, that's 6 of them. So 130 + (15*6) = $220. Now, the new plan. 30GB for 135 + 20*6 = $255. Even with the headache of the kids using up the data, I am saving $35 a month and $420 a year, I won't be switching. Thanks AT&T, but no thanks. Just give us the UNLIMITED PLANS for the family and throttle us when we use up 10GB or more per line in a month. Throw away the whole rollover crap and let us tether with unlimited too. Wonder how the plan works on a 2 year plan deal?

I know that when they first launched the Mobile Share Value Plans, they gave current customers "Amnesty" of sorts. They canceled any 2 year contracts on lines you brought into the plan without penalty (at least that's the way it looked to me when we switched). I don't know if they still do that though...

 

[Rayfire]

Wow so much has changed since then, I'm glad I kept holding on to my grandfathered unlimited data plan and also their legacy $30 voice plan; comes to about $65/mo which includes UDP and unlimited text after my FAN discount. Whoever started that thread months ago which talked about the legacy plan and asked me to switch to - Thank you!

 

[mmomega]

I'll pass on this one also. The $15 per line access fee is already $20.22 per line with the taxes and fee's they add.
And with 80GB and 10 lines, the new line access fee will easily be $260 alone and I haven't seen the pricing for the higher data tiers yet but 80GB will probably be more than $300.

Current 80GB and 10 lines I'm just barely over $500.

Kids and their data usage. I'm the 2%'er
And strange, the last phone isn't listed on the pie chart but it has been unused the past two months.

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The issue is that overage fees are sneaky: you use 1 byte above your limit, you pay the full fee. And of course AT&T doesn't give you an alert: "you have reached your limit, do you want to pay extra?" With AT & T I often experienced going just a little over the limit, and then paying double for my data. One reason I changed to T-Mobile.

The best way would be that once you reach the limit, you pay per extra byte. But that would be too honest.

My plan sends alerts starting at 75% and then 85%, 90, then 95%.
I'll get texts from the big "offenders" if they are about to get their data turned off. I can individually turn data on or off to each phone in the plan and I've threatened to do it a few times but we've never gone over.......YET.

 

[unplugme71]

What if we are on the double-your-data plan? Does that mean if I have a 15GB plan offering 30GB, I can save the $20 price decrease and keep double my data!!!? Probably not

lol....... 128 kbps sounds a lot like my freaking AT&T DSL speed

Seriously.

 

[vikingjunior]

I wonder if AT&T/Direct TV will offer the unlimited plan for people on their upcoming standalone TV streaming service?

 

[C DM]

What if we are on the double-your-data plan? Does that mean if I have a 15GB plan offering 30GB, I can save the $20 price decrease and keep double my data!!!? Probably not



Seriously.

You don't have to switch plans.

 

[ftaok]

What is wrong with using any device on my SIM card? Other than recognizing a different device is being used for billing purposes only, the carrier does not jump thru' any hoops to "allow" the SIM card to function!

I like T-Mobile's BYOD that does not penalize, especially if there is a SIM card with the consumer from T-Mobile that needs no further charges.

I think you're missing my point. I was saying that I feel it's fair for the carriers to charge a monthly fee for every active SIM card. If they didn't, I would put a SIM card in every device I have even though I would never need it, but just in case. It's more overhead for the carriers.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't be prevented from moving your SIM card from one device to another whenever you want.

 

[starkreality]

All I wish ATT would do is institute a TRUE rollover plan like T-Mobile does and I'd be happy with ATT.

As of now, you NEVER get two months in a row with any rollover data.

Cause if you use ANY of your rollover data (even 1MB) OVER your plan, then you don't get any rollover data the next month.

At least T-mobile lets you roll over up to a year's unused data.

ATT's is the weakest rollover plan there is.

 

[kappaz]

This helps in my situation to get a free gig at the same price. Currently paying $50 for the 5GB plan, plus 25+25 for two lines. This would be $60+20+20.

 

[BJMRamage]

All I wish ATT would do is institute a TRUE rollover plan like T-Mobile does and I'd be happy with ATT.

As of now, you NEVER get two months in a row with any rollover data.

Cause if you use ANY of your rollover data (even 1MB) OVER your plan, then you don't get any rollover data the next month.

At least T-mobile lets you roll over up to a year's unused data.

ATT's is the weakest rollover plan there is.

I hate the ATT rollover. I had to complain once because I said you rollover but tacking it to the end means I cannot gain extra rollover each month. It is a sham. Rollover and let me use that first. After complaining a while and saying I was hoping to have the extra data for a vacation they bumped me up 1gb no price increase. I'd like to do that again soon to get some more data

 

[ecschwarz]

All I wish ATT would do is institute a TRUE rollover plan like T-Mobile does and I'd be happy with ATT.
[...]
At least T-mobile lets you roll over up to a year's unused data.

ATT's is the weakest rollover plan there is.

It's not great, but it's better than nothing - AT&T did implement this shortly after T-Mobile did theirs, but it wasn't until much later that Verizon added their "Carryover Data" and it seems Sprint only offers "Rolling Data" on prepaid plans. I think when T-Mobile did it, it was mostly out of necessity as yet another thing to make their offerings stand out against some of the other carriers. While I agree that AT&T did about the bare minimum, it was in place years before the last two large carriers implemented something and was mostly marketed as an emergency buffer if you went over your cap.

I am a bit concerned, as the "T-Mobile offers this..." Or "T-Mobile does that.." argument is going to lose some power for , due to their new plans. Comparing their T-Mobile One plan with a reasonable amount of data on a Mobile Share Advantage plan, I think I'd go with AT&T. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would've been all about T-Mobile's choices and features.

 

[omegis83]

Just switched from the 15 GB plan to the 16 GB plan with 2 lines. Costs me an extra $2.50/month before tax but I get an extra GB and I don't have to worry about going over my data.

 

[ecschwarz]

Just switched from the 15 GB plan to the 16 GB plan with 2 lines. Costs me an extra $2.50/month before tax but I get an extra GB and I don't have to worry about going over my data.

I have two friends that plan on switching today:

One is by himself and going from 2GB to 3GB and has a 10% discount on the data portion. The prior cost was $52 and now he'll be paying $56 (so for an extra $4, he gets an extra gigabyte and no worry about going over).

The other friend is on a plan with her dad, sharing 5GB for $95 before taxes (also 10% work discount). The new plan will give them 6GB and no overage charges for $94 before taxes (with the 10% discount).

Unlike switching from what I have, for some these will be a better deal.

 

[Malibu31]

Here are the new RETENTION plans that some of you may be interested in, available Monday, August 22nd:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?p=16707714

My post on Reddit:
http://reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/4yv68g/new_mobile_share_advantage_retention_plans_are/

If the links don't work, it's as follows:

$30/2GB
$40/6GB
$60/12GB
$80/20GB
$90/32GB
$110/50GB
$135/60GB

Additional info:
The line access fee on these plans is $20.
Your FAN discount will still apply to the data portion.
This includes Mexico AND Canada LTE Roaming.

You get to Retentions by calling 611 and when prompted, say "cancel." When the rep comes on then line, explain your situation. **Threatening to cancel isn't required.** You can say that your bill is too high or if you could get more data for what you pay. Be polite and they'll come through for you. Didn't work out? *Try again.*

I have a reliable source on this, so let's hope this is true.

Edit 8/22: These new retention plans are not live yet. Will update when it is!

 

[BJMRamage]

I was able to get 6GB of data to replace my 4gb...but no other discounts, like the $20 per line activation fee.
The woman did see my FAN discount was not activated. not sure how long I haven't been getting the discount.

 

[jbachandouris]

I had a 20GB plan and was barely using any of it (my wife and I are almost always on wifi, so about 2GB/month). I had planned on dropping down to the 6GB plan, but the 10GB plan, with my work discount, turned out to be a better deal.

At 10GB, that leaves me breathing room for the errant month that I use 10GB.

I really need to start streaming...

 

[zhenya]

I had a 20GB plan and was barely using any of it (my wife and I are almost always on wifi, so about 2GB/month). I had planned on dropping down to the 6GB plan, but the 10GB plan, with my work discount, turned out to be a better deal.

At 10GB, that leaves me breathing room for the errant month that I use 10GB.

I really need to start streaming...

If you rarely use that much data it will be much cheaper to pay overages once or twice or even three or four times a year than paying an extra $10-20/month for data you never use. $10/month is $120/year. That buys quite a bit of overage data.

 

[jbachandouris]

If you rarely use that much data it will be much cheaper to pay overages once or twice or even three or four times a year than paying an extra $10-20/month for data you never use. $10/month is $120/year. That buys quite a bit of overage data.

Agreed, but since I have an iPad Pro LTE and 2 iPhones on this account, I'd rather have the flexibility.

 

[BJMRamage]

Oh and we currently pay $25 and $40 per phone line (mine is the $40 for a contract price - OFF that next month) and she said she couldn't do anything about those. I wonder if when I am off the Contract and it bumps to $25 if I can contact them again and see about the reduction to $20 per line.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

I currently have the 15gb plan. I'm considering switching to the Unlimited plan because my parents have Direct TV, billed to my address.

I was speaking with an AT&T rep via chat today, and she stated that the only requirement is the billing address be the same. AT&T's page states that:

DIRECTV SUBSCRIPTION: New DIRECTV customers must activate service with 24-month agreement. ETF of $250. Subject to: (i) Customer must present proof of subscription to both DIRECTV and AT&T, and (ii) both accounts must be billable with the same customer name and billing address. (My italics.)

Since we share the same last name, does that count? Or would I have to have them transfer the Direct TV account to my name?

 

[oberman]

I went to change my plan and noticed two details:

1.) The hotspot rules changed from not noted limit to 5 device limit

2.) This "fun" disclaimer about the overage data: Audio and video streaming, picture and video messaging, and other data types, such as sponsored data, will not work.

I'm ok with slow speed. But blocked audio, video and pictures is bad...

 

[omegis83]

"May not be fully functional". It's not defined as it "will not work".

I'm sure iMessage will still work.

"Audio and video streaming, picture and video messaging, select apps and other services, as well as other usage, including sponsored data, will be impacted and may not be fully functional."

 

[Rayfire]

Here are the new RETENTION plans that some of you may be interested in, available Monday, August 22nd:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?p=16707714

My post on Reddit:
http://reddit.com/r/ATT/comments/4yv68g/new_mobile_share_advantage_retention_plans_are/

If the links don't work, it's as follows:

$30/2GB
$40/6GB
$60/12GB
$80/20GB
$90/32GB
$110/50GB
$135/60GB

Additional info:
The line access fee on these plans is $20.
Your FAN discount will still apply to the data portion.
This includes Mexico AND Canada LTE Roaming.

You get to Retentions by calling 611 and when prompted, say "cancel." When the rep comes on then line, explain your situation. **Threatening to cancel isn't required.** You can say that your bill is too high or if you could get more data for what you pay. Be polite and they'll come through for you. Didn't work out? *Try again.*

I have a reliable source on this, so let's hope this is true.

Edit 8/22: These new retention plans are not live yet. Will update when it is!

Can you update us if it works?