Carrier AT&T’s Unlimited 5G Plans: Should I Be OK Giving up Stuff to get 5G?

[blairh]

My iPhone 12 Pro is on its way, so as an AT&T customer on a Mobile Share plan, I started looking into their 5G plans (the “Unlimited” series). It seems to me there are alot of compromises AT&T is making customers accept to get 5G.

For example, in my home, we have 5 lines: three iPhones, an iPad, and an Apple Watch. If I’m reading the language correctly, there is no Unlimited plan that allows me to stream HD onto my iPad...all the plans specify 480p streaming. Is that really correct, and if so, why would I be OK with that on a 12.9” iPad Pro with this amazing screen and video processing?

Am I misunderstanding? I hope so.

You don’t need a 5G plan now. Honestly. Poor coverage still. I’m keeping my current plan and getting the 12 Pro Max. I’ll switch to a 5G plan some day. No rush. Plus all the 5G plans are worse than what I currently have. And AT&T gave me a discount when I called the loyalty department last month. That will go away whenever I switch plans.

 

[maverick22]

Currently AT&T's 5G service is SLOWER than their 4G service. In the future that should change, but as of right now, 5G is nothing on AT&T

AT&T’s current 5G is slower than 4G in nearly every city tested by PCMag

AT&T phones often get just 5MHz of 5G spectrum, slowing them down in speed tests.

arstechnica.com

How is 5g in Dallas? Particularly South Dallas? I visited the ATT Legacy store, and the rep there kept going on and on about how 5g is already great here. I have an 8+ so I have no idea.

 

[zinacef]

Agreed. I was very sad to give up my mobile share plan. But where I am located there is theoretically decent 5G and I want to have it

Same here...disappointed to give up my shared plan but I just called them and they give me the discount for being a healthcare worker, and applied it to the new unlimited plan.

 

[Complex757]

Yep, and I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it for just my one line. I‘m not a heavy data user but I guess it’s a better deal compared to the other unlmited plans with the discount.. and that if I wanted to switch back to my 9GB Mobile Share I can’t, as it’s not available anymore.

That is my dilemma. I have the same 9 gig and I get a corporate discount and don't use that much data.

The plus is it includes free HBO Max which I pay for now.

I have three weeks to decide I guess.

 

[heyyitssusan]

That is my dilemma. I have the same 9 gig and I get a corporate discount and don't use that much data.

The plus is it includes free HBO Max which I pay for now.

I have three weeks to decide I guess.

Yeah, it‘s a tough decision cause if we lose this plan we can’t switch back to it. Several others have said AT&T’s 5G is slower than their 5Ge.. idk if I do end up getting the 12, may just do iUP or buy outright.

 

[Paco II]

Yeah, it‘s a tough decision cause if we lose this plan we can’t switch back to it. Several others have said AT&T’s 5G is slower than their 5Ge.. idk if I do end up getting the 12, may just do iUP or buy outright.

Something for all of us to keep in mind is that we aren't locked into a contract. AT&T changes plans all the time, and it's valuable to periodically check in and see if there is a better deal and switch to it. I never upgraded to the previous round of plans because I don't think any of them could be used with a FAN discount. With this latest batch, one of them can so it made it more palatable to change to it.

 

[heyyitssusan]

Something for all of us to keep in mind is that we aren't locked into a contract. AT&T changes plans all the time, and it's valuable to periodically check in and see if there is a better deal and switch to it. I never upgraded to the previous round of plans because I don't think any of them could be used with a FAN discount. With this latest batch, one of them can so it made it more palatable to change to it.

I agree. If they made the Extra with the FAN discount I’d be on it without second thoughts. But for now, will probably stick with my mobile share.

 

[Paco II]

a bit OT, but to what degree will the iPhone 12 launch result in increased HBO Max subscribers (via people moving to the Unlimited Elite plan)? Netflix is going to have to figure something out for the iPhone 13 launch. 😁

 

[heyyitssusan]

a bit OT, but to what degree will the iPhone 12 launch result in increased HBO Max subscribers (via people moving to the Unlimited Elite plan)? Netflix is going to have to figure something out for the iPhone 13 launch. 😁

Haha, I’m sure a ton!

 

[donawalt]

Maybe a silly question, but I have not changed plans on my own with AT&T for years. Is there anything I need to warn the family about, I assume this is all behind the scenes and in usage no one should see a difference between being on say Mobile hare and one of the Unlimited plans? I understand there are some things different in features (SD video download, slower speed in congestion) that they may or may not experience, I am thinking about hiccups, unavailability of service while the plans are switched, etc.! Thanks!

 

[Paco II]

Maybe a silly question, but I have not changed plans on my own with AT&T for years. Is there anything I need to warn the family about, I assume this is all behind the scenes and in usage no one should see a difference between being on say Mobile hare and one of the Unlimited plans? I understand there are some things different in features (SD video download, slower speed in congestion) that they may or may not experience, I am thinking about hiccups, unavailability of service while the plans are switched, etc.! Thanks!

My one suggestion is that if you call to make the change, if you have any doubt about the person helping you, hang up and call back and speak to someone else. Their customer service runs the gamut of really knowledgeable to really not. Get the wrong person and it can result in things getting messed up.

 

[donawalt]

thanks @Paco II, I was planning on doing it online as I have walked through 90% of the process and it looks pretty straightforward - picking the plan for each family member (do they have a 3 TB/8K video data plan for teen agers? 😎). Bad idea?

 

[turbocamel]

Currently on a 50gb mobile share plan. 3 lines, 1 line has 11pro max installment plan on ATT
150+Taxes fees + $48 installment plan comes out to $219 that I now pay under my FAN discount

If i was to switch right now to all Unlimited Extra it would be $173 for me total under the physician discount.

Question is, This HD vs SD streaming, how noticeable is it on a 11 Pro Max, soon to be 12 pro max.
Id rather not upgrade to the elite if i can avoid it to save $10 a month, i don't want to pay att a dime extra.

Can i still stream HD , netflix, hulu, hbo etc on the Extra plan?

 

[JUCJ85]

When I worked for AT&T I got to be involved in some of the backdoor shenanigans that go on between regulators, local municipalities and AT&T execs, and I was actually surprised at some of the things that happen.

For example, local towns wouldn't let us bring internet or tv into their town unless they received a "bribe" like paying for a park or resurfacing streets. One town had us be the platinum sponsor for a bike race. You'd think the town would want more competition for their residents, but no. So it wasn't always AT&T that was the evil entity. The whole system is rigged against consumers, but I don't trust any sort of federal law would fix it. It would probably make things worse. My regional bosses didn't even care about net neutrality regulation, they were more concerned about local regulations.

I'm no fan of AT&T and criticize them frequently, but I found the truth to be far different when viewing from the inside.

I have no proof, but in my town, we only have Spectrum internet, and Verizon DSL, no UVerse, or FiOS, it's quite obvious that the town gets a kickback from Spectrum, even when they were Time Warner Cable, they even said we didn't want FiOS, which is a complete lie, as they said they sent questioners out, but I know several people, including myself that never received one. Fishy and Shady IMO.

 

[ScottC7]

Let me clarify my comment: with the new Unlimited plan choices, only Elite can be used with a corporate discount.

I got two lines. With FAN. Bill is going up about $20/month. I didn't really need HBO Max but it softens the blow of the increase.

This is good to hear. I’m currently on a Mobile Share Plan and called AT&T today to discuss the transition to Unlimited. The rep told me that none of the Unlimited plans (including Elite) are eligible for the Corporate/FAN discount. I asked several different times, in a couple ways, to be sure I was hearing correctly, and in all cases she authoritatively told me the same thing.

I still plan to transition to the Unlimited plan in the next few days, and am glad to hear that the rep was mistaken.

 

[Paco II]

This is good to hear. I’m currently on a Mobile Share Plan and called AT&T today to discuss the transition to Unlimited. The rep told me that none of the Unlimited plans (including Elite) are eligible for the Corporate/FAN discount. I asked several different times, in a couple ways, to be sure I was hearing correctly, and in all cases she authoritatively told me the same thing.

I still plan to transition to the Unlimited plan in the next few days, and am glad to hear that the rep was mistaken.

Check the AT&T web site. It states that the Elite plan is eligible. I'd call back and get another customer service agent.

 

[iFan]

Maybe a silly question, but I have not changed plans on my own with AT&T for years. Is there anything I need to warn the family about, I assume this is all behind the scenes and in usage no one should see a difference between being on say Mobile hare and one of the Unlimited plans? I understand there are some things different in features (SD video download, slower speed in congestion) that they may or may not experience, I am thinking about hiccups, unavailability of service while the plans are switched, etc.! Thanks!

You'll be fine doing it online. No one's service will be interrupted. I'd recommend having them turn their phones off and on after you make the change but they won't be without service. They will also get text messages on each of the lines depending on which plan you choose for the line. For ex: if Elite, they'll be told that stream saver was enabled but you can go into the online account and turn it off for each line to receive HD streaming. Or that they now can receive free HBO Max.

Added via edit: Oh also, their bill estimate "CSS" customer service summary will be completely wrong. It won't take into account your discounts etc and it calculates the proration incorrectly. But do be aware that if you're changing your plan mid-cycle your next bill will look a bit funny.

 

[ScottC7]

Check the AT&T web site. It states that the Elite plan is eligible. I'd call back and get another customer service agent.

Yep; like I said, I am glad the rep is incorrect. I’ll just do the transition myself, online and avoid the hassle of dealing with their reps.

Question: does anyone know at what point (in the online process of moving to Unlimited Elite) I see the FAN discount applied to my total cost? I’m currently receiving a discount on my MobileShare. I’ve gone through the steps of selecting the plan for each of our lines, and have gone to the “Submit” step of the process. It’s not showing the FAN discount at this point, and I would have expected to see it applied by now.

 

[BrettDS]

Yep; like I said, I am glad the rep is incorrect. I’ll just do the transition myself, online and avoid the hassle of dealing with their reps.

Question: does anyone know at what point (in the online process of moving to Unlimited Elite) I see the FAN discount applied to my total cost? I’m currently receiving a discount on my MobileShare. I’ve gone through the steps of selecting the plan for each of our lines, and have gone to the “Submit” step of the process. It’s not showing the FAN discount at this point, and I would have expected to see it applied by now.

The FAN discount is applied differently to the unlimited elite plan than it was with the older plans. On the older plans your got a certain percentage off, depending on the FAN contract with your company. Now it is a flat $10 off per line. I don’t think you will see the discount applied until after you start getting billed. You can go to this site and put in your work email address to see if you qualify though:

Employer, Organization, and Student Discounts | AT&T

Save $10/month per line with employer, union & student discounts. Plus, get 25% off unlimited plans for military, first responders, teachers, nurses & more.

www.att.com

 

[ScottC7]

The FAN discount is applied differently to the unlimited elite plan than it was with the older plans. On the older plans your got a certain percentage off, depending on the FAN contract with your company. Now it is a flat $10 off per line. I don’t think you will see the discount applied until after you start getting billed. You can go to this site and put in your work email address to see if you qualify though:

Employer, Organization, and Student Discounts | AT&T

Save $10/month per line with employer, union & student discounts. Plus, get 25% off unlimited plans for military, first responders, teachers, nurses & more.

www.att.com

Thanks! That’s good to know. I have been getting the FAN discount for years, but just to be sure, I had already gone to that site and verified my eligibility.

I get concerned when I don’t see the discounts applied as part of the final review of the costs (I think this stems from a healthy and often-justifiable mistrust of these big communications service providers). It’s good to know it’s going to be applied, even if that happens after I start getting billed.

 

[ScottC7]

As an aside, these are the times when I kind of wish I were a lawyer. I attempted to read AT&T’s fine print on Signature Program Service Discounts (bottom of the page) and found myself laughing half-way through it. In reading the three paragraphs that pertain to discounts, what it sounds like to me is that they contradict themselves several times regarding whether or not a discount is applicable to Unlimited Elite...and sometimes they contradict themselves in the same paragraph.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Glad I’m on Tmobile and even grandfathered plans all get 5G for free!

 

[ScottC7]

I have to admit I’m growing weary of trying to interpret AT&T’s nonsensical business practices to determine what’s best for me, as a customer. i took a cursory look at Verizon’s plans yesterday and it did not seem like they make it any easier. Maybe I should look at T-Mo but I’m kind of skeptical of the whole industry.

Speaking of being skeptical, while on my call with the AT&T rep this morning, I had her cancel my iPad line. She claims it will take a few days for the cancellation to take effect (indeed, the iPad line is still showing up as an active line on my att.com account page). Does this sound right? I’m a little concerned about whether she actually cancelled the line.

 

[donawalt]

You'll be fine doing it online. No one's service will be interrupted. I'd recommend having them turn their phones off and on after you make the change but they won't be without service. They will also get text messages on each of the lines depending on which plan you choose for the line. For ex: if Elite, they'll be told that stream saver was enabled but you can go into the online account and turn it off for each line to receive HD streaming. Or that they now can receive free HBO Max.

Added via edit: Oh also, their bill estimate "CSS" customer service summary will be completely wrong. It won't take into account your discounts etc and it calculates the proration incorrectly. But do be aware that if you're changing your plan mid-cycle your next bill will look a bit funny.

Thank you @iFan, those are good recommendations! Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[BrettDS]

She claims it will take a few days for the cancellation to take effect (indeed, the iPad line is still showing up as an active line on my att.com account page). Does this sound right? I’m a little concerned about whether she actually cancelled the line.

This is normal. They will not prorate line cancelations at all, so the line will remain active until the end of your bill cycle. If you really push you can get them to process a line cancelation immediately, but you still will not be given a prorated refund for the rest of the month, so you may as well leave it active and use it for the last little while.