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Agreed, my contract is up on the 9th. I'll go month to month for a few until I see what the next iPhone is all about. However I might just get the phone unlocked and sign up for a year of Straight Talk. It comes to like $33 a month

ST is definitely the way to go if you're just on an individual plan. I'm saving about $30/month after I switched from VZW.
 
I wonder why anyone would choose to add a laptop or tablet at 10-30 a pop when you can just use your phone and create a hotspot and allow either to connect for free.

I guess there COULD be times you don't have your phone with you. But seems silly as a pay-for-another-device option

You're making a valid point. But just think of that as a convenience fee. Imagine, you're outside with your WiFi only iPad and there's no WiFi around you. You have to reach out for your iPhone/smartphone and turn on the tethering to be able to access online. And when you're done, you'd better remember to turn it off again or else your phone's battery will die even before you get back home.

I'd gladly pay $10 extra just for that shear convenience.
 
We have 4 iPhones on our plan; 3 are unlimited data the other has 250mb. Unlimited text and 700 mins (we've never used all the minutes). We have a 20% discount through my job.

We currently pay about $205/mo after discounts... Here's what we would pay for each new level of service after discounts but without taxes:

1GB Data - $212
4GB Data - $216
6GB Data - $212
10GB Data - $216
15GB Data - $248
18GB Data - $308
20GB Data - $280

The closest comparison to the amount of data we currently can use would be the 10GB Data (3 unlimited = 9GB + 250mb on last iPhone). So we would be paying $10 more (plus taxes) so roughly $30 more for 750mb... not worth it!
 
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If you are allowed to tether or hotspot off your iphone or smartphone on this new plan, does it make sense to spend the extra $10/month for a tablet when you can just tether off your phone to connect the tablet if i'm understanding this correctly? Thank you

no, it doesn't make sense and it just adds to the ridiculousness that at&t is charging an access fee per device.

the only upside to the $10/month for tablet is that you don't need to tether. the tablet connects to at&t's network directly, so you are paying for the convenience
 
I switched to an AT&T Family Plan w/ 2 phones last year and it is a total screw-job (It doesn't save us any money over having 2 separate lines). We'd have been better off with two separate accounts and this "Mobile Share" malarky does nothing to help the situation.

Once my AT&T contract is up this fall I'm switching to Straight-Talk pre-paid and buying unlocked iPhones from here on out ($45/month unlimited voice, text and data). The money I'll save per line more than pays for a new phone every other year.
 
AT&T is raping the FAN discount for multi-smartphone families. That was one of the only reasons their prices ended up better than Verizon's.
 
AT&T, basically just mobile Comcrap. Feel bad for anyone shelling out money to that lot. :rolleyes:
 
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ATT is offering this an an OPTION.....unlike Verizon which is forcing their more expensive Shared Data Plan down the throats of their customers.

I don't know how many times I have to say this...
Verizon. Is. NOT. Forcing. Shared. Data.

See attachment.
 

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Thanks but not what I was wondering about. I know its off topic but how do you apply the FAN now on my AT&T bill. I don't think they have it on we don't get any discounts at all like when we sign up on business premier

With the new shared plan, your FAN discount will only be applied to the data portion, and not to the devices you add. I'm not too sure about the current/old AT&T plans though..

----------

I don't know how many times I have to say this...
Verizon. Is. NOT. Forcing. Shared. Data.

See attachment.

LOL. Well said.
 
We currently have 4 iPhones on our Family account ($60 talk/rollover, $30 unlimited messaging we use a TON of texts); 3 have "unlimited" data ($30/ea) and 1 has 200MB ($15). We use a total of about 4GB/month, I'm usually the big user and have got up to 3GB before. I have been thinking of getting a Hotspot upgrade for my phone so I can use my WiFi iPad, which would up our total monthly bill of $225 to $245 (but I lose my "unlimited" data).

If I go with the 6GB option it would be $230; really not too bad of a deal to add tethering for $10. Just not sure if I'm looking at this correctly.
 
Thanks but not what I was wondering about. I know its off topic but how do you apply the FAN now on my AT&T bill. I don't think they have it on we don't get any discounts at all like when we sign up on business premier

If you call at&t business, they should be able to sort it out for you.
the discount applies to all data and the primary phone line of services.

So, phone 1 gets the discount on Data, and phone shared plan
no discount on texting
Phones 2 and 3 get the discount on data only (but they are 9.99 add on phones).

Hope this helps.
WE will not be switching, in fact if I have to (for LTE) I may just buy 2 phones at full price, and not subsidize the upgrade I am eligible for.
I am not fixing what's not broke.
 
We currently have 4 iPhones on our Family account ($60 talk/rollover, $30 unlimited messaging we use a TON of texts); 3 have "unlimited" data ($30/ea) and 1 has 200MB ($15). We use a total of about 4GB/month, I'm usually the big user and have got up to 3GB before. I have been thinking of getting a Hotspot upgrade for my phone so I can use my WiFi iPad, which would up our total monthly bill of $225 to $245 (but I lose my "unlimited" data).

If I go with the 6GB option it would be $230; really not too bad of a deal to add tethering for $10. Just not sure if I'm looking at this correctly.

Don't forget to find the amount on your current bill for fees/taxes and add that to the new total to get a more realistic total.
 
ATT has clearly stated they are not killing the old plans and some people have already posted they will SAVE money with the new plans. So, what's your point?

I love how some people are so self centered that they declare that if the plan doesn't benefit them, or if it doesn't match the 'perfect' non-US plans, it's a sham.:rolleyes:

The only circumstances that you would actually save money is if you had purchased tethering previously on multiple lines. What is that? Like 1% of customers?
 
I wonder how this will effect any of us grandfathered into the 'unlimited data' plan for $30 a month via AT&T. My guess is that the change in the plan may remove unlimited data for users that still have it... It would be nice if it didn't. But my guess is this may be a chance for AT&T to try and purge some of its unlimited data customers.

Look at the rates just above your post. None of them have unlimited data.
 
no, it doesn't make sense and it just adds to the ridiculousness that at&t is charging an access fee per device.

the only upside to the $10/month for tablet is that you don't need to tether. the tablet connects to at&t's network directly, so you are paying for the convenience

Cool thanks. Figured that. Verizon does same ****. Now the big question is if Verizon will FINALLY have talk and surf, etc like att has had since inception on a LTE iphone 5 since Verizon's 3g has major limitations, call waiting issues, etc. If so, may switch
 
For new customers, yes they are.

No...

On Verizon's site, try this:

Shop->Smartphones->SGSIII 16GB->Add to cart->New Customer->Zip Code->With Wireless Service->Individual->SGSIII [no idea why you need to do that twice, but from the checkout seems they only charge you for one]->Yes->Next->No->Individual->choose a plan->OH LOOK! 2GB for $30!
 
i pay $45/mo for unlimited talk/text/data (unspoken 2GB cap on data).

Good god, i love Straight Talk.

No matter which way you look at it, the big two are raping you and your families. So glad to be rid of AT&T. I will never have a contract again.

The only way to show your disapproval of the new "charging for capped data" business model as a consumer is to stop paying them. This business model is just one in about a dozen other borderline-criminal models that the US wireless industry crams up your rear ends. Subsidized phones, SIM LOCKED PHONES (which only exist to create/support the subsidization business model), $320+ ETF fees, 2 year contracts, i could go on and on. Its just horrible. When I worked at AT&T we were told to sell the **** out of data packages because thats what the wireless companies made the most money from (and would pay us out the most commission on). And now all of a sudden they're crying poverty when it comes to data? lol nothing has changed, if anything the data has become cheaper to transfer. This is all a ruse to get deeper into your pockets.

You dont need them. They need you.
 
I switched to Straight Talk from AT&T about 6 weeks ago and haven't looked back. (Still waiting to get my ETF bill in the mail, though. :( Maybe they'll forget...? ;))

Also: you don't have to get the phone unlocked to switch to Straight Talk. Since Straight Talk is an AT&T MVNO (reseller), their SIM cards work just fine in AT&T-locked phones. But since your contract is almost up, you might as well, since it will probably increase the resale value down the road.

I was seriously considering them but I ran across this site and now have lots of doubts. I have an old 3gs I was thinking of activating for my son.

http://www.prepaidreviews.com/straighttalk.html
 
ITT: People who don't understand AT&T's plans.

Here is a handy guide to make things more simple:

------------------------------
Question 1:
Does this plan give you features you want at a price that you feel comfortable paying?

If your answer is "No", then DON'T SIGN UP FOR THE PLAN.
------------------------------

There. Simple. Is that really so hard? Do we need 10 pages of "omg this sux" every time a shared data plan thread is started?

Guess what - some people actually benefit or even pay less with the new plan.

I went over this plan over and over, and I can basically sum up the entire thing for my situation:

* There are three people on my Family plan.
* I have an iPhone, my wife and daughter do not.
* My wife and daughter both want an iPhone.

Now, here is the best part:
For the cost of adding ONE more iPhone to my account (going with the old plan), I get this on the new plan:
- We ALL get iPhones (three on the plan).
- I get MORE data for myself.
- Without jailbreaking, we get TETHERING on all the iPhones.
- Only $10 more to enable 3G on my iPad 2.

So for me, this is a big improvement. This is a great plan. And yet, I still pages of "wah wah, I don't understand this. This plan costs too much. Boo hoo."
 
No...

On Verizon's site, try this:

Shop->Smartphones->SGSIII 16GB->Add to cart->New Customer->Zip Code->With Wireless Service->Individual->SGSIII [no idea why you need to do that twice, but from the checkout seems they only charge you for one]->Yes->Next->No->Individual->choose a plan->OH LOOK! 2GB for $30!

This does not work for me - I'm asked to enter a zip code before I can even get to Smartphones page. So when I enter it, I do not get the question for a zip code after New Customer, and do not see any of those options. Instead, it automatically sends me to the plan page, but for shared data.

EDIT:

Okay, now I am seeing this on Firefox. I was using Chrome before and it didn't work. Interestingly, I tried this using an iPhone and I do not get to this page. Looks like with an iPhone you are automatically funneled to a different page.
 
ST is definitely the way to go if you're just on an individual plan. I'm saving about $30/month after I switched from VZW.

Should have my straight talk sim by Wednesday and will be going that route once it arrives.
 
Should have my straight talk sim by Wednesday and will be going that route once it arrives.

Works fine, tried that for 30 days, ran data 24/7 almost (as a test to see if warn me or close me, ran sirius xm app) and never got a warning cause heard horror stories that they close your account without warning and if you port can loose your longtime number, not the case with me. Worked just like att, had the fake 4g etc as well. Just too freaked to port a 15 year old number so for now overpaying att but straight talk was pretty ok for 1/2 the $
 
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