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Carrier New ATT Plans Feb 2, 2014

aneftp said:
If doesn't make a difference after 24 months. In dec 2013. ATT was already offering those on mobile share who became off contract $15 off each month per line.

http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/12/att-gives-15-per-month-discounts-to-off-contract-customers/
Click to expand...

I'm not comparing those two plans, I'm comparing the National 700 with rollover family plan to the new Shared data value plan at 10GB or higher.

I'm happy that they're finally moving away from the subsidized model.
I switched:
- my wife from Verizon who was spending $80 a month
- myself from the 450 minute plan with texting and 2GB of data for $70
- my parents and grandmother who had 3 lines for $120 (2 iPhones and a dumbphone, none of which get upgraded regularly)

I had a 25% FAN discount on my plan, which now applies to my $100 data charge. I have 5 lines at $15 each. Overall we went from spending $270 a month to $150. It was a pretty simple decision for us.

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aneftp said:
So 4 lines in the new mobile share is about the break even point.
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For 3 lines the new plan is $90 less every 2 years($5400 for the family plan vs $5310 for the shared data value plan). It'll be even more if you don't HAVE TO upgrade every 2 years.
 
T5BRICK said:
I'm not comparing those two plans, I'm comparing the National 700 with rollover family plan to the new Shared data value plan at 10GB or higher.

I'm happy that they're finally moving away from the subsidized model.
I switched:
- my wife from Verizon who was spending $80 a month
- myself from the 450 minute plan with texting and 2GB of data for $70
- my parents and grandmother who had 3 lines for $120 (2 iPhones and a dumbphone, none of which get upgraded regularly)

I had a 25% FAN discount on my plan, which now applies to my $100 data charge. I have 5 lines at $15 each. Overall we went from spending $270 a month to $150. It was a pretty simple decision for us.

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For 3 lines the new plan is $90 less every 2 years($5400 for the family plan vs $5310 for the shared data value plan). It'll be even more if you don't HAVE TO upgrade every 2 years.
Click to expand...

No one says you have to keep your phones when you upgrade. You can easily resell the phones for profit.

But the way smartphones work (and get abused) by the common person along with battery wear. Own a phone for 2 years and most will want or need to upgrade.

My wife made it October 2012-Jan 30th 2013 before her iPhone 5 crapped out. Receiver stopped working. Barely could hear anything after cleaning it out.

Took it to apple store. They said receiver was damaged. Either I replace front for $150 or replace entire phone for $269. I opted to pay the $269 for refurb iPhone 5 32gb. Thank god for Amex extended warranty which will reimburse me.

But the point I wanted to make is smartphones go through a lot in 2 years. Most are ready for new phones by than.
 
aneftp said:
Just wait till they find out when they have to buy new iPhones in the future. They are gojng to pay full price or most will spread the payments out. Considering ATT charges around $32/iPhone/month on the payment plans.

Their $170/month will go right back to $270 or more each month when their monthly payments are added right back.

Gotta love ATT.

Like I said. The bean counters have done their math.

This is a back door way to look like they are giving value. But what they accomplish is to reduce the subsidy and people don't even realize it.

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How?

Explain. Remember. Throw out your current iPhone which was subsidized. All iPhone from now on are full price.

Like I said. The subsidy is around $18/month/line.

Edit. I see u pay $230/4 iPhones.

So it's $230-$18(4). So around $230-72. About $160. So it's a wash for you. In your case the new plans are ok. But not a real savings.
Click to expand...

But in most cases there are short term savings (save the money to put towards your next phone?!) and even when the price per month approaches previously levels because of an upgrade, most of us are still getting a lot more data for that money.
 
aneftp said:
No one says you have to keep your phones when you upgrade. You can easily resell the phones for profit.
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I'd prefer not to be stuck in a contract with an ETF. I've been buying my phones fully unlocked for quite a while now because I travel out of the country.

But the way smartphones work (and get abused) by the common person along with battery wear. Own a phone for 2 years and most will want or need to upgrade.

My wife made it October 2012-Jan 30th 2013 before her iPhone 5 crapped out. Receiver stopped working. Barely could hear anything after cleaning it out.

Took it to apple store. They said receiver was damaged. Either I replace front for $150 or replace entire phone for $269. I opted to pay the $269 for refurb iPhone 5 32gb. Thank god for Amex extended warranty which will reimburse me.

But the point I wanted to make is smartphones go through a lot in 2 years. Most are ready for new phones by than.
Click to expand...

I just recently sold my 3 1/2 year old iPhone 3Gs for $100. It still worked fine and had the original battery(which admittedly didn't have full capacity, but it did last all day). Both my and my wifes 4s were sold for $350 and 280 respectively. Hers had some dings and scratches but worked fine otherwise. My father has been using the same iPhone 4 since launch and my sister just upgraded from her iPhone 4 to a used iPhone 5 she picked up on CL. She sold her iPhone 4 for $150. My grandmother has had the same hand-me-down flip phone since 2008. I've offered to get her a smartphone, but she doesn't want one.

It comes down to different preferences. I'd rather have unlocked, un-subsidized phones and just pay for cellular service. You'd rather have subsidized phones and use that to spread the cost of your upgrades over several years.
 
T5BRICK said:
I'd prefer not to be stuck in a contract with an ETF. I've been buying my phones fully unlocked for quite a while now because I travel out of the country.



I just recently sold my 3 1/2 year old iPhone 3Gs for $100. It still worked fine and had the original battery(which admittedly didn't have full capacity, but it did last all day). Both my and my wifes 4s were sold for $350 and 280 respectively. Hers had some dings and scratches but worked fine otherwise. My father has been using the same iPhone 4 since launch and my sister just upgraded from her iPhone 4 to a used iPhone 5 she picked up on CL. She sold her iPhone 4 for $150. My grandmother has had the same hand-me-down flip phone since 2008. I've offered to get her a smartphone, but she doesn't want one.

It comes down to different preferences. I'd rather have unlocked, un-subsidized phones and just pay for cellular service. You'd rather have subsidized phones and use that to spread the cost of your upgrades over several years.
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True and I agree.

I am in a slightly different situation since our $30 iPhone data plans all have unlimited data (throttled after 5-6gb, weird sometimes my wife hits 7gb without throttled) and we also get 24% off the $30 data plan in addition to the voice plan and a $20 family text unlimited plan along with 10 landlines we can call. Essentially unlimited minutes. I also have option of not carrying data for the flip lines. My mom couldn't care less about smartphones. She likes her iPad. But a phone is a phone to her.

But these new mobile share are attractive for those with 3-4 lines.
 
aneftp said:
True and I agree.

I am in a slightly different situation since our $30 iPhone data plans all have unlimited data (throttled after 5-6gb, weird sometimes my wife hits 7gb without throttled) and we also get 24% off the $30 data plan in addition to the voice plan and a $20 family text unlimited plan along with 10 landlines we can call. Essentially unlimited minutes. I also have option of not carrying data for the flip lines. My mom couldn't care less about smartphones. She likes her iPad. But a phone is a phone to her.

But these new mobile share are attractive for those with 3-4 lines.
Click to expand...

This plan is attractive except if one is grandfathered into unlimited data plans with heavy discounts. Im paying less than the lowest cost plan from any of the four carriers with 4 lines.
 
jokemjokester said:
I just came back from AT&T to switch my plan to the new mobile share plan. I went from $320 (5 smartphone with 2gb each) to $200 (5 smartphone's and 15gb). It's like AT&T give's me $120 credit and 5gb for free! I understand that it will go up $20 for each line I upgrade but I rather pay a lower monthly plan than stay in contract. THANK YOU AT&T FOR KEEPING ME AS A CUSTOMER!
Click to expand...

I still don't quite get it, so for one iPhone/line how much are you paying now? And if one wanted an upgrade to perhaps say the iPhone 6 what would it cost you for this line (given you pay for it subsidized with an agreement)?
 
The AT&T bean counters have indeed done their math...!

I was on the 10GB plan before, with 5 iPhones - total cost $120+(5x$30) = $270. New cost = $100+ (5x$15) = $175. $95 savings per month, or $2,280 over two years. Yay!
HOWEVER no more subsidized phones. I have 5 lines. Subsidy is $450 every two years - 5x$450 = $2,250. I'm losing out on $2,250 in subsidies under the new plan.

Overall then, I am saving $30 over two years with the new plan, if I upgrade all 5 phones every two years.

I'm still happy the service and device charges have been decoupled though. Now I can save money if I upgrade later than 2 years, and I can upgrade every year on some lines if I want.
 
I upgraded my plan today. Joined AT&T back on October 2013 (3 lines on a 10GB data plan) Today I switched to the 3 lines/10GB/$145 plan. Including my 18% discount I'm now gonna save $57 a month. Great score!!!!
 
So confusing. I am really conflicted. I am still on old unlimited. Have 3 other lines with various data limits. Pay around $235 a month. Could easily fit under the 10g limit with all lines. $160 sounds great. My issue is with the subsidies. I upgrade every 2 years and sell phone on gazelle for about $200. 1 line doesn't care about upgrading as long as phone works. The other 2 are wild cards. As long as phones are working they are fine, problem is the phones usually are in bad shape after about 2 years. While $160 sounds awesome, if I upgrade on a 2 year cycle I pay full price minus whatever I get for my phone. Then if anyone else needs an upgrade because of a broken phone, I pretty much just pay full price for a phone and get little to nothing for a broken phone. I guess I could purchase used phones somewhere and not upgrade as often??? Any advice. Seems I should stay put unless phone prices come down too which I doubt will happen any time soon.
 
KeepCalmPeople said:
The AT&T bean counters have indeed done their math...!

I was on the 10GB plan before, with 5 iPhones - total cost $120+(5x$30) = $270. New cost = $100+ (5x$15) = $175. $95 savings per month, or $2,280 over two years. Yay!
HOWEVER no more subsidized phones. I have 5 lines. Subsidy is $450 every two years - 5x$450 = $2,250. I'm losing out on $2,250 in subsidies under the new plan.

Overall then, I am saving $30 over two years with the new plan, if I upgrade all 5 phones every two years.

I'm still happy the service and device charges have been decoupled though. Now I can save money if I upgrade later than 2 years, and I can upgrade every year on some lines if I want.
Click to expand...

You are not taking into account the $200 you pay upfront for each phone
 
How about tablets, if you have 3-5 lines and a couple of tablets it seems like a no brainer to switch as well.
 
KeepCalmPeople said:
The iPhone is $650 off contract, or $200 subsidized. That's a $450 subsidy, right?
Click to expand...

Right, the new plans are better for those who either have more lines or use more data.

For example, let's take a look at two scenarios for 2 lines:

1) 450 shared rollover, 3GB data each, and no texting - $109.99 per month before any discounts.

2) The new plan - $130 per month.

Plan #2 will cost $480.24 over two years, and would require $1,300 up front costs for 2 new iPhones at full retail price.

For those who don't require texting (use whatapps or google voice), have enough rollover minutes accrued (personally, I have 7K), and for whom 3GB data per phone is enough, plan #1 with the $450 subsidy for each iPhone is the better value.

Of course, what is best is predicated on ones usage requirements.
 
A ton of mis-information here. Let me preface this with, I did switch. I also spent a great deal of time yesterday talking with senior sales reps and customer service agents (many of whom were clueless).

My old plan:
$120 for 10GB data = $120
$30 per line (4 iPhones) = $120
TOTAL = $240

New plan:
$100 for 10GB data = $100
$15 per line (4 iPhones) = $60
TOTAL = $160

Yes, this is a significant savings in the short term. However, some facts that need to be cleared up.

YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN SUBSIDIZES PHONES in the future on these new plans! If you do this, any line you subsidized will go to $40 respectively. AT&T actually charges everyone $40 per line but gives a $25 discount if you meet 1 of 3 conditions:
(1) You enroll in NEXT,
(2) Buy your phone outright, or
(3) Switch to the new plan before the promotion ends.

In my example above, if I end up subsidizing my 4 iPhones in the future/long term, I'll pay $40 per line OR $160 + $100 (10GB) = TOTAL of $260. That is $20 more per month than I'm paying on my old plan. Another way to look at it--an additional $240 more per year. Again, after the dust settles, I'll pay AT&T $240 more per year if I don't change my buying/usage habits. This is what AT&T is counting on. They want to get out of the subsidies game.

Additional mis-information. If you enroll in NEXT, you pay $15 per line PLUS the phone rental cost. EXAMPLE: iPhone 32GB @ $750 divided by 20 months of payments = $37.50 (cost of phone) + $15 (AT&T charge for service to that phone) = $52.50 per line using NEXT! This is a FAR cry from $15 per line being advertised.

Obviously, this doesn't take into consideration the cost of flipping phones to purchase new ones, or the taxes applied when using NEXT. Each of us has different upgrade tendencies, etc. so mileage will vary between all of us. But make no mistake, this is not hurting AT&T over the long haul.
 
aneftp said:
Just wait till they find out when they have to buy new iPhones in the future. They are gojng to pay full price or most will spread the payments out. Considering ATT charges around $32/iPhone/month on the payment plans.

Their $170/month will go right back to $270 or more each month when their monthly payments are added right back.

Gotta love ATT.

Like I said. The bean counters have done their math.

This is a back door way to look like they are giving value. But what they accomplish is to reduce the subsidy and people don't even realize it.
Click to expand...

I agree that AT&T is looking after their own best interest and they've admitted that they want to move away from subsidies. One of their best interests is to keep customers and attract new ones. So maybe we caught a break. Personally I think it's a strategy to get people over to their Next program when they see the sticker shock of a new phone.

With that said, these new plans don't fit everyone and it's easy to build a case against it based on assumptions. Not everyone buys phones whenever one is released. Separating the phone from the plan is a very good thing.

For me the cost of voice and messaging went up by $10. All my phones and iPad went down substantially more than that. For my phone, saving $25 a month over two years is $600. I can buy an unlocked phone for that. Plus, I don't pay $200 for a subsidized phone so there's another $200 in my pocket. Every month I don't buy a new phone is another $25.

Again, these plans don't make sense for everyone but it's better than what I had before.
 
aneftp said:
The way I see if. Your next iPhone won't be $230. It will be $650. U aren't going to get any more subsidies.

U see. ATT has done the math. They are relying on people not doing the real math.

Your next iPhone from now on will be $650. Sure u can resell for $300-350 in 1-2 years.

But the same can be said for staying on subsidies. Reselling the same phones u got for $199 on contract for $300-350 every 2 years.
Click to expand...

You can still use subsidies, but the $15 per line goes up to $40 per line. Under the old shared plans, lines were $30...a $10 per line increase if you subsidize in the future. Granted, data rates went down...but overall AT&T wins.
 
Can somebody please explain this to me. I want to upgrade my wifes basic flip phone to a iPhone 5c under this new Mobile Value Plan and there are 2 options for me:

1. I can pay 99 bucks and agree to a 2-year contract at $40 bucks a month for the line

2. I can go through AT&T Next and would agree I believe to the same 2-year but only pay $25 bucks a month for the line


Why the hell would I NOT go with option 2? I hear lots of people say AT&T Next is a ripoff do we not get to keep the phone after 2-years? What's the catch?
 
bobright said:
Can somebody please explain this to me. I want to upgrade my wifes basic flip phone to a iPhone 5c under this new Mobile Value Plan and there are 2 options for me:

1. I can pay 99 bucks and agree to a 2-year contract at $40 bucks a month for the line

2. I can go through AT&T Next and would agree I believe to the same 2-year but only pay $25 bucks a month for the line


Why the hell would I NOT go with option 2? I hear lots of people say AT&T Next is a ripoff do we not get to keep the phone after 2-years? What's the catch?
Click to expand...

I don't think you're factoring in the monthly device payments on the Next plan... either that or the $25 is the Next payment and it would be an additional $15/month for the line.
 
jomirrivera said:
But you are not forced to buy it from att so that 650 is worst case scenario
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Sure. You can always buy phone off Craigslist eBay for cheaper than the $650 retail. But those phones aren't without risks.

They are same people who could be on installment plans who elect to stop paying their device payments. Than u end up with a zapped dead weight cause ATT will block the used phone from being used on their network.
 
Had 2 smart phones that were on contract and 1 dumb phone on contract. Upgraded to the new plan and switched the dumb phone to an old iPhone we had lying around. More data and more smart phones on my plan for the same price (for now - it'll be different when we upgrade... but I'll figure that out later).
 
nostresshere said:
We have 4 iphones. Total usage about 2-3 gb.



How the HELL can someone go through 7gb?





Guessing there is an easy way to trim that back if you need to.
Click to expand...


What a rubbish statement. Watching one video can eat up 300mb, a 20 min skype call is about 200mb. So yes you can go through 7gb.
 
bobright said:
I still don't quite get it, so for one iPhone/line how much are you paying now? And if one wanted an upgrade to perhaps say the iPhone 6 what would it cost you for this line (given you pay for it subsidized with an agreement)?
Click to expand...

if I were to do the $199 subsidized price, the line in upgraded will now be $35 instead of the $15 per line. I have a small business account so it's $35 per line upgraded.
 
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