So this will force someone who texts maybe 30-50 per month, to pay an extra $5 per month for more texts they will never use. Way to get more money AT&T.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AT&T Simplifying Texting Plans, Enlisting Best Buy in Battle Against Verizon iPhone
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Look, no one is saying texting should be "free". However, I believe if you have a phone plan and a data plan, one of those plans should cover it.
A text is very much like an IM and the latter is covered by the data plan.
On the other hand, the text is delivered like a phone call. Another poster described it as a mini phone call and I can agree with this because if you are in an area with phone service but the data isn't good enough to IM or check email, you can still text. But the phone plan is already in place so this this should cover it.
Either way you look at it, subscribing to both phone and data plans should cover texting. There is no reason for a third box plan.
Make the text message use up data in the data plan or minutes in the phone plan but stop the nickel-and-diming.
A text is very much like an IM and the latter is covered by the data plan.
On the other hand, the text is delivered like a phone call. Another poster described it as a mini phone call and I can agree with this because if you are in an area with phone service but the data isn't good enough to IM or check email, you can still text. But the phone plan is already in place so this this should cover it.
Either way you look at it, subscribing to both phone and data plans should cover texting. There is no reason for a third box plan.
Make the text message use up data in the data plan or minutes in the phone plan but stop the nickel-and-diming.
I realize this. It is not a good move going forward against Verizon. People who don't text much are likely to consider this as a negative mark against AT&T.
Hey, if that's what they want to do, it's a free market. If customers are willing to pay 5 bucks for 200 messages or 20 bucks for unlimited text, let them! I don't text and all friends know it.
After a couple of years of AT&T monthly plans I just unlocked my phone and got T-mobile pre-paid a few months ago. Now instead of 60 bucks getting sucked out every month, I average to about $8.33 a month.
100 bucks for 1000 mins, 10 cents to send texts, 5 cents to receive. Good for a year. No data, but it works for me since I'm either at work (university where campus has free wireless) home (wireless) or out with friends with smartphones.
After a couple of years of AT&T monthly plans I just unlocked my phone and got T-mobile pre-paid a few months ago. Now instead of 60 bucks getting sucked out every month, I average to about $8.33 a month.
100 bucks for 1000 mins, 10 cents to send texts, 5 cents to receive. Good for a year. No data, but it works for me since I'm either at work (university where campus has free wireless) home (wireless) or out with friends with smartphones.
come back and let us know how it sucks once it's gone.
I couldn't agree more
Last edited by a moderator:
Better yet, this is pushing me to Verizon. I currently only pay for two $5 plans on AT&T for myself and my wife. I'm assuming we'll be grandfathered in but if we weren't or we were looking to go to AT&T this just jacked the price of my plan up by $10 a month. It wouldn't save me anything or give me anything spectacular I didn't already have.
Fail AT&T.
I can't wait to hear the plan rates with Verizon.
Fail AT&T.
I can't wait to hear the plan rates with Verizon.
AT&T better offer free personal hotspot and lower price for the data plan, or else, I'll switch with countless current AT&T customers 
Nope, just Americans. ...and they clamped down on that a few years ago.
But yeah, our Doctors are great. When money is no object, people will come here and to Europe & Japan to see truly exceptional specialists.
Unfortunately, for most of the seven billion people in this world, money is indeed an object. Luckily, they usually have some other less glamorous system to fall back on. Here, we fall back on Tijuana doctors.
AT&T just cemented that I won't be getting a text message plan, thanks to this price increase for me since I would only require a few texts usage each month. I just don't text, sorry.
I wish they had a TMo option of 50 texts each month for free as a customer loyalty reward.
Would be interested how these plans would all get ironed out if TMo and Sprint was in the fight. It would benefit the consumer greatly.
I use such a few amount of texts, that I am considering just doing a pay per text plan, since it will probably work out cheaper.
.
.
Text messaging is a rip off
There should be criminal repercussions for cell phone companies charging what they do for text messaging. The only reason that they (major carriers) do charge for text messaging is because there is a monopoly (where the carriers informally coordinate together to charge for a service without a realized cost) for that charge. Being that if there was a major carrier like Verizon that came out and didn't charge for it (since there is minimal impact in costs associated with sending/receiving messages for the carriers) the other carriers would eventually follow suit. I guarantee you that the cost versus revenue of sending text message via a carrier is .01% cost and 99.99% revenue.
Now if there was a realized cost associated for text messaging that was substantial, lets say 40% cost 60% revenue, then the individualized charge would stay because it wouldn't be cost effective to group that into the base monthly charge.
This is just another ploy by phone companies to make large revenue streams (especially if someone goes out of their planned text amount).
There should be criminal repercussions for cell phone companies charging what they do for text messaging. The only reason that they (major carriers) do charge for text messaging is because there is a monopoly (where the carriers informally coordinate together to charge for a service without a realized cost) for that charge. Being that if there was a major carrier like Verizon that came out and didn't charge for it (since there is minimal impact in costs associated with sending/receiving messages for the carriers) the other carriers would eventually follow suit. I guarantee you that the cost versus revenue of sending text message via a carrier is .01% cost and 99.99% revenue.
Now if there was a realized cost associated for text messaging that was substantial, lets say 40% cost 60% revenue, then the individualized charge would stay because it wouldn't be cost effective to group that into the base monthly charge.
This is just another ploy by phone companies to make large revenue streams (especially if someone goes out of their planned text amount).
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
That's ********. I barely break 50 texts most months. Thank god for grandfathering.
That's ********. I barely break 50 texts most months. Thank god for grandfathering.
Go to Hell, AT&T
Go to Hell, AT&T. You're acting desperate now, but even in your desperation, your greediness is still blatantly present.
I'm no Verizon fan--far from it, actually--but it is great to see any carrier taking sales away from AT&T. I hope that every carrier in the U.S. gets the iPhone in order to take sales away from AT&T.
Go to Hell, AT&T. You're acting desperate now, but even in your desperation, your greediness is still blatantly present.
I'm no Verizon fan--far from it, actually--but it is great to see any carrier taking sales away from AT&T. I hope that every carrier in the U.S. gets the iPhone in order to take sales away from AT&T.
We just pay per text, my wife an I combined send about 10 texts per month. Text-ing should be included in the data plan, it is the biggest scam. Of course their charging because teenagers will make sure their parents will pay for it.
When my kids have cell phones if texting isn't free, each text will come out of their allowance.
When my kids have cell phones if texting isn't free, each text will come out of their allowance.
I pay $30 per month for unlimited data. Would somebody please explain to me how a text message isn't data?
Just pop for Navigon or TomTom GPS app with built in maps instead of using Internet-based mapping apps. I paid $20 for Navigon. Frankly, the true GPS apps work much better than using Google Maps or MapQuest for turn-by-turn directions. Navigon has a local database of points-of-interest as well.
Plans for adults???
I'm in a two-person plan. We use less than 200 texts a month between us - mostly between each other when we can't use the phone and with my sister who doesn't do well with e-mail - and yet we have to pay a minimum of $5 for each phone a month. I'm wondering why a company doesn't come up with something for casual text users and small families. I already pay far too much to AT&T as it is. I was hoping we'd see reductions when Verizon came online, instead they're increasing their minimums for new users. Disgusting!
I'm in a two-person plan. We use less than 200 texts a month between us - mostly between each other when we can't use the phone and with my sister who doesn't do well with e-mail - and yet we have to pay a minimum of $5 for each phone a month. I'm wondering why a company doesn't come up with something for casual text users and small families. I already pay far too much to AT&T as it is. I was hoping we'd see reductions when Verizon came online, instead they're increasing their minimums for new users. Disgusting!
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8C148)
What they need to do is bring back unlimited data, now that would be news worth publishing.
What they need to do is bring back unlimited data, now that would be news worth publishing.
The crew over at one of the local VZ stores have gotten coaching on the LTE network. Simultaneous voice & data will be available only in the LTE covered areas. To answer the question, no. Verizon's new LTE will not be "limited."
You say that now. But wait, just wait, you'll fall in line with the rest of them.
Am I the only one that thinks "Texting" plans in the US are a total sham. It's exactly backwards.
Texting should be free. HOW much bandwidth does a tiny 2k file use in the big scheme of data? Practically zero.
BUT, we have these all you can eat voice plans, but you have to pay $10 or more a month for the privilege of sending a 2k file. Idiotic.
Voice data takes up WAYYYYYY more bandwidth.
Texting should be free. HOW much bandwidth does a tiny 2k file use in the big scheme of data? Practically zero.
BUT, we have these all you can eat voice plans, but you have to pay $10 or more a month for the privilege of sending a 2k file. Idiotic.
Voice data takes up WAYYYYYY more bandwidth.
Yes, Android most certainly is a viable competitor. Each obviously has their strengths and weaknesses. Android is more feature packed, iOS is more polished, etc. And by the way you can play the music, just drag and drop the music to an SD card.
Back to the topic:
I really don't know why people still pay for texting. Just use Google Voice. You have to use a different number, but once people have it, it's transparent to the other person due to contacts. They may accidentally send it to you at the wrong number, but just text them back on Google Voice. Problem solved.