new at&t unlimited plan

[Tiggeroo]

I currently have myself, dh and two young adult sons on my cell phone plan. The two sons are data hogs. Our cell phone bill is very high. We divide up the regular bill and they pay if they have overages. Oh and we are on at&t and I have an old grandfathered unlimited data. Dh had to upgrade and was forced in to the next plan. I had them review out bill and it would drop dramatically if I went into the new family unlimited data plan. I love saving money but am hesitating. One, the primary people who will benefit are my sons and they could leave my plan at any time. I hate to give up my old unlimited data plan. This will tie my unlimited data to my dtv subscription. Also my old plan is protected and can't be dropped. Any info or advice here?

 

[wenrob]

If it were me and my grown kids were always going over I'd have them get their own plans. They could get a family plan together and work it amongst themselves to save a little. I personally would not tie my plan to my TV plan. Something tells me you'd have heck of a time getting out of it if you wanted to. The old, "it's cheaper this way, it will cost you more to drop it." And no doubt it will. How much data do you actually use? Do you need the unlimited?

 

[Kellydelly]

I personally would cut the sons off your plan and do what works best for you.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I don't really care about the sons. They pay their bill every month. If it doesn't hurt me or saves me a little I would switch though. When we got dh the new phone we complained about being forced into the att next plan and we're told that this group unlimited data plan was their new way to save money and that phone discounts are gone. I have stubbornly hung on to my unlimited data for maybe 10 years. Whenever they offer me something new refuse it. And yes, I need a large data plan.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

DH and I used to have the grandfathered data plans as well. We saved more money getting rid of those plans than we did keeping them so decided to ditch them.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Apparently AT&T's old unlimited data isn't really unlimited if you are having overages. We are grandfathered in on Sprints unlimited data and it is unlimited. I can stream 24/7 for a month and pay the same bill every time. When we upgrade our phones they try to convince us the new plans are better. Wrong, when I contacted a rep she told me to never get rid of our plan because it will never be offered again. I think we started this plan back in '04.

I'd do whatever saves you the most money.

 

[DawnM]

Why do they need so much data? Aren't they in wifi most of the time? How much are they using?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't really care about the sons. They pay their bill every month. If it doesn't hurt me or saves me a little I would switch though. When we got dh the new phone we complained about being forced into the att next plan and we're told that this group unlimited data plan was their new way to save money and that phone discounts are gone. I have stubbornly hung on to my unlimited data for maybe 10 years. Whenever they offer me something new refuse it. And yes, I need a large data plan.

Switch carriers. Verizon and Sprint have very attractive offers in response to ATTs garbage plans.

 

[Patch'sD]

Got to understand your kids Data Usage. Att no longer offers upgrades once you switch to one of their new plans, you get up to a $ 25 per month discount on each phone attached to your plan. If you do an upgrade, you lose that discount. I have the 15 Gb plan and have rarely gone over it in about a year. The Next phone plan sucks as you pay full price for upgrades. It's my poison as I have been with them for 20 years.

 

[Tiggeroo]

There are no discounts, no matter what now. As of January 11, 2016 ATT discontinued all discounts. The only way to buy a phone is to pay full, very large price or go on ATT Next. At 20. per month for 30 months you still pay that huge amount for a phone. Don't really care about why my kids use so much data. I've offered them tips to save and for part of the year they do a great job. Other times when work or travel is involved it goes back up. They are adults. They pay for it. I think it's a waste of money but not mine. My dh is very obsessive about his data useage to the point of paranoia. Therefore he does not really enjoy his smart phone. This plan would mean he would stop worrying. If many companies are going to continue to offer unlimited data then hanging on to my plan won't matter. I don't stream movies. My main reason for high usage is music. I use my phone on Pandora in the gym and in the car.

 

[Tiggeroo]

And the main reason I wasn't switching is my unlimited phone. If I get rid of that when it's time to upgrade I will look at all carriers. Sprint and tmobile have bad coverage in my area though.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

And the main reason I wasn't switching is my unlimited phone. If I get rid of that when it's time to upgrade I will look at all carriers. Sprint and tmobile have bad coverage in my area though.

Ah.

What I did was just bought a lesser phone outright. My phone broke last month.

My last phone was on the NEXT plan and it is a huge rip off.

 

[nkereina]

When you have the grandfathered data plan and the time comes when you need to upgrade your phone, you will probably be given three options:

1. Pay an additional $30 per month for each line (it was $30-$40, can't remember exactly), as the line fee has increased, but you can stay on your current plan.
2. Convert to the Next program where you will lose your grandfathered plan, but your bill will be about the same each month and you won't have to lay out money for the new phone that day.
3. Buy your new phone outright and don't change anything on your plan, keeping the unlimited data plan.

This is what we were told last summer, and all 3 options obviously had pros and cons. We ended up switching to Verizon since they had a lot of incentives for new customers at the time and their data plans differed slightly. We ended up losing the unlimited data but have the 12gb plan on Verizon which has been more than enough.

I'm not familiar with AT&T's new unlimited offering, but if it's cheaper and will let you keep unlimited data, I don't see the downside. Sprint also has a true unlimited data plan and offers incentives for anyone willing to switch.

 

[DawnM]

When you have the grandfathered data plan and the time comes when you need to upgrade your phone, you will probably be given three options:

1. Pay an additional $30 per month for each line (it was $30-$40, can't remember exactly), as the line fee has increased, but you can stay on your current plan.
2. Convert to the Next program where you will lose your grandfathered plan, but your bill will be about the same each month and you won't have to lay out money for the new phone that day.
3. Buy your new phone outright and don't change anything on your plan, keeping the unlimited data plan.

This is what we were told last summer, and all 3 options obviously had pros and cons. We ended up switching to Verizon since they had a lot of incentives for new customers at the time and their data plans differed slightly. We ended up losing the unlimited data but have the 12gb plan on Verizon which has been more than enough.

I'm not familiar with AT&T's new unlimited offering, but if it's cheaper and will let you keep unlimited data, I don't see the downside. Sprint also has a true unlimited data plan and offers incentives for anyone willing to switch.

I am guessing she needs far more than 12gb per month.

OP, how many gigs do you need? What is the average your kids use?

 

[nkereina]

I am guessing she needs far more than 12gb per month.

OP, how many gigs do you need? What is the average your kids use?

I was just stating what we opted to do, not necessarily suggesting she move to Verizon's 12gb plan. I would think it would make the most sense for them to either go to AT&T's new unlimited plan, just pay outright for the phones when upgrade time comes, or look into Sprint that has a true unlimited data plan and will likely buy out the OP's DH's Next plan balance.

 

[DawnM]

I was just stating what we opted to do, not necessarily suggesting she move to Verizon's 12gb plan. I would think it would make the most sense for them to either go to AT&T's new unlimited plan, just pay outright for the phones when upgrade time comes, or look into Sprint that has a true unlimited data plan and will likely buy out the OP's DH's Next plan balance.

I see.

How much is the new unlimited ATT data plan?

 

[Tiggeroo]

I am guessing she needs far more than 12gb per month.

OP, how many gigs do you need? What is the average your kids use?

no 12 would likely cover it. I am not going to switch carriers until maybe only two phones are left in the contract. If I do at all.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I see.

How much is the new unlimited ATT data plan?

For 4 lines it is 225. for the 1st 2 months and then drops to 180. This covers everything unless you add insurance or are paying on phones. It is a good deal. I am hesitating because of lack of trust with carriers and an unwillingness to give up my one phone with grandfathered unlimited. To get this deal you must have either ATT UVerse or DTV.

 

[Tiggeroo]

And then, like I said, due to the fact that my sons are adults and all it would take is one life changing event, like marriage for them to quickly leave my plan, I'm not basing my decision on them. Although I will take it into consideration. For two phones the plan would be 140. per month. Not as big a savings because the 4th line is free.

 

[DawnM]

no 12 would likely cover it. I am not going to switch carriers until maybe only two phones are left in the contract. If I do at all.

Really? The Next plan is $160 for 4 lines for 15gb per month. That doesn't give you phones but if you pay $225 now, that should cover the phone costs as needed.