AT&T has one of the best wireless networks out there. The carrier is neck-and-neck with Verizon in annual network reliability and data performance reports conducted by RootMetrics. And AT&T far outpaces T-Mobile and Sprint in network tests at the state and metro-area level. AT&T’s cell phone plans aren’t always the best deal out there, though, in terms of price and features.
At a Glance
- Plans start at $45 for 300MB of data
- Strengths: Strong network, rollover data
- Weaknesses: Lack of plan features, data overage charges
AT&T cell phone plans
AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plans come as small as 300MB and as large as 50GB. AT&T also offers an unlimited data plan, but only for select customers. All AT&T plans include unlimited minutes and text messages, and data overage is $15 per gigabyte. Mobile Share Value plans also include rollover data and free text messaging from the U.S. to more than 120 countries. AT&T’s current plans include:
- Mobile Share Value 300MB: $45
- Mobile Share Value 2GB: $55
- Mobile Share Value 5GB: $75
- Mobile Share Value 15GB*: $115
- Mobile Share Value 20GB: $155
- Mobile Share Value 25GB: $190
- AT&T Unlimited Plan**: $100
Prices on AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plans include a charge for the data package, plus a monthly access charge for each line on the plan. The access charge is $25 per month for plans with 5GB or less of data, and $15 per month for plans with 15GB or more. So the $45 charge for the 300MB plan includes a $20 charge for the data package and a $25 monthly access charge for one line. Taxes, fees and monthly device payments are an additional charge. You can make any AT&T plan into a family plan. Mobile Share Value plans can have up to 10 lines, while AT&T’s unlimited plan is capped at four lines. Additional lines on the unlimited plan are $40 per line, per month.
*The 15GB Mobile Share Value plan is a promotion. Without the promotion, the plan is 10GB for $115.
**AT&T’s Unlimited Plan is available only to customers who have existing service or activate new service with DirecTV or U-verse TV
AT&T GoPhone
AT&T’s prepaid GoPhone plans have monthly and pay-as-you-go options. The monthly options function much like AT&T’s traditional plans, but they don’t require a credit check. GoPhone plans also cannot be shared as a family plan. You can save an additional $5 per month on the 2GB and 5GB GoPhone plans by signing up for automatic payments. Those plans also include rollover minutes.
If you want to pay as you go, the GoPhone daily plan is one of the best prepaid plans out there. The $2 fee includes unlimited calls and texts for that day, but only applies if you place or receive a call or send a text message. You pay nothing when you don’t use your phone.
- GoPhone, talk and text only: $30 per month
- GoPhone 3GB: $45 per month
- GoPhone 6GB: $60 per month
- GoPhone daily plan: $2 per day of use
- GoPhone pay-as-you-go plan: 25 cents per minute, 20 cents per text message
» MORE: 3 steps to finding a cheap cell phone plan
Current AT&T deals
AT&T promotions typically require customers to activate a new phone or upgrade their current one. Existing customers may not be eligible for promotions and may have to switch plans to take advantage of an offer. AT&T’s current deals include:
- 15GB of data for the price of 10GB on AT&T’s Mobile Share Value plan
- Add three lines to AT&T’s Unlimited Plan and get the fourth line free
- Up to $650 in credits per line for new customers who trade in their phones and purchase new ones using one of the AT&T Next device payment plans
How AT&T compares on price
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB or less | $45 (300MB) | $40 (1GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 2-3GB | $55 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) | $50 (2GB) | $55 (2GB) |
| 4-6GB | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) | $70 (4GB) |
| 8-10GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | $90 (8GB) |
| 12-15GB | $115 (15GB, during promotion) | $80 (12GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 16-20GB | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A | $110 (16GB) |
| 22-25GB | $190 (25GB) | $100 (24GB) | N/A | $130 (24GB) |
| Unlimited | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $75 | $95 | N/A |
How AT&T compares on features
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited 2G data | Yes | Yes | Optional | |
| Unlimited video streaming | Yes | Yes | ||
| Unlimited music streaming | Yes | |||
| Rollover data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited 2G data: If you exceed your monthly data limit with any of the major carriers, you’ll pay for it in one of two ways: overage charges or slower speeds. AT&T customers pay $15 per 1GB of data used beyond their selected plan. And the carrier rounds up, so you’ll pay for a full gigabyte even if you only go over by 300MB. Sprint and T-Mobile customers are bumped from 4G to 2G speeds if they max out their data package. The difference in speeds means uploading 30 pictures would take more than 20 minutes, instead of about one minute. So while Sprint and T-Mobile don’t charge for data overage, they do bring your speeds down to a crawl if you exceed your allotted amount.
Video streaming: When you stream video on your AT&T phone, you use your data package. And streaming five hours of video over the course of a month will eat up around 1GB of data if it’s standard definition, and nearly 4.5GB if the video is in high definition. Some apps default to HD viewing, so it’s best to check your settings before streaming video. T-Mobile, however, lets customers on select plans stream unlimited video from dozens of apps without touching their data. Verizon also offers unlimited video streaming, but only via the carrier’s Go90 app.
Music streaming: Listening to tunes on your AT&T phone will also count against your data plan, unless you’re connected to Wi-Fi or the music is already downloaded to your phone. The same is true with Verizon and Sprint. T-Mobile is the only major carrier with unlimited music streaming. Customers on T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plans can stream music via Spotify, Google Music, Pandora and a handful of other services without using their data package. This can make a big difference for music fans, since streaming 60 minutes of music a day can eat up as much as 2GB of data for the month, depending on the app you’re using.
Rollover data: All AT&T plans include rollover data, which means customers can hold onto their unused gigabytes for an extra billing cycle. After that, the data carried over expires. T-Mobile also offers rollover data, but only with certain plans. Unlike AT&T, T-Mobile lets customers stash unused data for up to 12 months. With both carriers, you use your plan data first, then dip into any rolled-over data if necessary.
The bottom line
AT&T is on the pricier side, especially when compared with T-Mobile and Sprint, but AT&T does have one of the strongest networks out there. And an extra $10 per month may be worth it if AT&T has better coverage where you need it.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
This article was updated July 7, 2016. It was originally published March 1, 2016.
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