Unless you have a special fan account it is for service only.
----------
If you do not switch to a mobile share family plan then you do not receive any discount by using next.
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.
How is AT&T Next a Good Deal? You End Up Paying More
- Thread starter VideoNewbie
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Unless you have a special fan account it is for service only.
----------
If you do not switch to a mobile share family plan then you do not receive any discount by using next.
This is correct. I only receive the discount on the service I believe.
----------
What is the difference between mobile share family and regular family? LOL I am not even sure which family plan I'm on!
The mobile share plans are the plans that come with unlimited talk and text and a set amount of data for all lines to share.
If you are paying for multiple data plans you are not on a mobile share plan.
The Mobile Family Share Value plan is the one with a lower monthly fee. Example (you know the commercial with 4 lines with 10gb to share for $160 per mo.) The other plan is $40 per line with your choice of data package where you can do a two year contract upgrade every two years. Here is a link I am posting again that explains it all. http://www.cnet.com/news/contract-or-no-contract-for-iphone-6-which-is-the-better-deal/
Last edited:
Ok, I just checked and I am not on a mobile shared plan. It is cheaper for me to stay on the regular family talk plan, at least that is what the popup screen stated.
You are paying total $3,999 for 3 lines for 2 years now. (7% sales tax, for example)
($135x24 + $199x3 line + $42 upfront sales tax + $40x3 line upgrade fee)
If you switch to AT&T Next and 4GB mobile share plan, you have to pay total $5,561.
($27x24x3 line + $137 upfront sales tax + $25x24x3 line + $70x24)
If you switch to AT&T Next and 10GB mobile share plan, you have to pay total $5,561.
($27x24x3 line + $137 upfront sales tax + $15x24x3 line + $100x24)
ok, can someone answer this question for me.
if you transfer your current Fam Talk Plan ( all three lines which are still in 2 year contracts) to the Mobile Share 10gb plan is the fee per phone $15?
i understand NEXT and the calculators and all that jazz, but this is not clearly stated. i dont want to switch if the fee per phone stays at $40 per because they are still in contract.
much thanks.
if you transfer your current Fam Talk Plan ( all three lines which are still in 2 year contracts) to the Mobile Share 10gb plan is the fee per phone $15?
i understand NEXT and the calculators and all that jazz, but this is not clearly stated. i dont want to switch if the fee per phone stays at $40 per because they are still in contract.
much thanks.
Another NEXT Question
I didn't want to start a new thread so I'll ask in this one.
Simple question. I know Next is just a 'device' only contract and has nothing to do with your service contract. But why do I still get subsidized prices on the device if I'm using Next?
For instance - the 16GB iPhone 6. These
$649 - Today, outright price
$449 - One year into service contract
$199 - After 2 year service contract is done
The only thing I can think of is because you are agreeing to pay for the device over 12 or 18 months thus you will still keep your service open regardless if you are in "contract" or not.
I didn't want to start a new thread so I'll ask in this one.
Simple question. I know Next is just a 'device' only contract and has nothing to do with your service contract. But why do I still get subsidized prices on the device if I'm using Next?
For instance - the 16GB iPhone 6. These
$649 - Today, outright price
$449 - One year into service contract
$199 - After 2 year service contract is done
The only thing I can think of is because you are agreeing to pay for the device over 12 or 18 months thus you will still keep your service open regardless if you are in "contract" or not.
Next only gives you the option to pay monthly with 0 down, 0 interest. Contract your are still on is changed to no contract. 12=20mo's and 18=24 mo's. You get the discounted monthly plan.
The other options you show are if you are going to subsidize for a two yr contract and not choose to be on the value plan. They give you the option to choose the one you want
Last edited:
its always in the fine print.
For plans 10GB or higher, customers with smartphones on 2-yr wireless agreements prior to 2/2/14 are eligible for the $15/mo. access charge. For plans 2GB to 6GB, customers with smartphones on 2-yr agreements wireless prior to 3/9/14 are eligible for the $25/mo. access charge.
so thats a yes for me. much thanks.
Oh wow, did not realize that. So no matter which point into my contract I decide to use Next. I will always be paying the full price for the phone in monthly installments?
I keep seeing so many people saying "dont give up your unlimited data plan." Maybe for some this may be true, but I think for many, if you really look at your data useage and how much you are paying and compare your plan to the newer mobile share plans, you could save a lot.
Keep in mind these things about our "unlimited data." First of all, it is not unlimited, as we all know. Over 5 GB on a line in a month and you get throttled to almost unusable speeds, at least it happens to me pretty often. Then, you also cannot "legally" tether devices with this plan, like you can with mobile share. So in some instances, it is really not all that worth it. I would almost rather have a set limit each month and know I am going to get fast speeds for its entirety, than deal with the throttle speeds that happen at the end of each billing cycle.
As to the phone costs with Next, don't confuse that with your data/phone line costs as they are separate things.
Keep in mind these things about our "unlimited data." First of all, it is not unlimited, as we all know. Over 5 GB on a line in a month and you get throttled to almost unusable speeds, at least it happens to me pretty often. Then, you also cannot "legally" tether devices with this plan, like you can with mobile share. So in some instances, it is really not all that worth it. I would almost rather have a set limit each month and know I am going to get fast speeds for its entirety, than deal with the throttle speeds that happen at the end of each billing cycle.
As to the phone costs with Next, don't confuse that with your data/phone line costs as they are separate things.
So here's my current plan with UDP vs the 10GB mobile share plan. If I purchase a phone using AT&T Next and switch to the 10GB mobile share plan It would bring my total to $115 per month ($100 plan + $40 access charge - $25 savings) I hope I have my calculations correct.
So when deciding if I want to drop my UDP, I have to figure out if the following is worth an extra ~$25 per month.
-Unthrottled 10GB of data
-Mobile Hot Spot
-Unlimited Talk
Part of the problem is that AT&T isn't always good about explaining it. I spent two hours in chat with agents last week trying to get them to sell me on Next. We have a 10GB Mobile Share Value plan with two iPhones and two iPads. The problem is, they would never explain to me that once we upgrade the phones with a new contract, our discount goes away. It was ridiculous! I don't know if they were hiding that the discount for the phones being off-contract would go away or if they didn't understand it, but it was excruciating, and I felt like an idiot for not understanding.
Once they show that yes, your bill will go up with new phones anyway if you sign a contract, Next becomes a lot more palatable. I'm paying an extra $12/month total on my bill for two new iPhone 6s with Next, and I didn't have to shell out $600 plus tax up front.
Once they show that yes, your bill will go up with new phones anyway if you sign a contract, Next becomes a lot more palatable. I'm paying an extra $12/month total on my bill for two new iPhone 6s with Next, and I didn't have to shell out $600 plus tax up front.
Pretty good breakout for him with once exception: what about texts? The mobile share plan you outlined provides unlimited text and yet he never broke out the costs for texting in his current plan. OP, are you not using texting at all? I know on my old plan, I was paying $30/mo for unlimited group texting and that certainly factors into the argument for one plan vs. another.
For sure in your case, probably not worth it, especially if you are comparing plans for an individual phone line. I am on a family plan and pay 179$ per month. For my 2 lines on a family talk plan with unlimited data on both lines and unlimited family text plan. I can get the 10 GB data plan for both lines at 130$ per month. Savings of 50$ per month!!! That is significant. It is costing me 600$ per year to hang onto my unlimited data plans.
You're right, you will pay more... if you're not already on a Mobile Share plan. I've been going back and forth on this for a week now, trying to make sense of it. We currently have two iPhone 5cs on a Family Talk 550 plan, with 3gb data on mine and 2gb data on my wife's.
Here are the stats:
FamilyTalk 550 on two iPhone 5cs with 3gb and 2gb: $115/month
Mobile Share 4gb on 32gb iPhone 5c and 64gb iPhone 6, both on Next: $170/month
That's $55 more per month. If you're already on Mobile Share, you probably make out just fine - but you're also already paying more than I am per month right now.
Last edited:
Same here. I have two 5's on a shared 700 min a month plan, unlimited text and each phone has 2 gig data. Total a month $132.20. More than one rep, on line and in the store told me it is cheaper to keep my plan. i have over 7000 roll over minutes. I will pay for my two phones Friday. $399 each and $200 each for my 5's $446 out the door. In 20 months, that is $22.50 a month.
I'll stay with my plan.
You could get more for those 5s's if you sell them yourself.
Not were I live. I can go to the AT&T store Friday, knowing I will get the phone I want. People here will not pay $$$ on an iPhone. If it can not be bought at Wal-Mart, it's not happening. I walked into the store at 3PM on the 5 roll out and had my pick.
If I sell outright, like I did my iMac and Tag watch, I have to meet someone half way from here to Pittsburgh or Columbus. I'll take the $200 a phone, no hassle right now.
Reread your post. I have two iPhone 5's. No S. Two years old
Last edited:
You could get more for those 5s's if you sell them yourself.
While he may be able to get more, selling stuff on ebay ain't nearly what it used to be. Ebay takes 10%. Then you have Paypal fees on top of that, and you gotta ship. Suddenly your 400$ is down to almost 300$. Instead you gotta do stuff like Craig's list and that takes time. Swappa.com is really the best way to go nowadays, but you may not get as much of a sale price on there. I used to love selling my iPhone used, but it just isn't as worth it as much anymore.
Yes, sorry, overlooked the apostrophe in your post and thought it said 5s.. Enjoy your new phones
It really depends on what you like more, if you are not the person that upgrade the phone every year, then I would say probably contract would be a better option.
But if you upgrade every year, ATT NEXT has the 12 months option you can check out, I am not sure how it work. Do the math and figure it out. Carriers are fighting hard for the new iPhones.My plan is to buy the phone with full retail price with no contract, get it unlocked, then pick the best plan for it. If I want to sell it, I can sell it.
But if you upgrade every year, ATT NEXT has the 12 months option you can check out, I am not sure how it work. Do the math and figure it out. Carriers are fighting hard for the new iPhones.My plan is to buy the phone with full retail price with no contract, get it unlocked, then pick the best plan for it. If I want to sell it, I can sell it.