AT&T cell phone plans are numerous, but unfortunately, the features and terms of service are a little confusing for the consumer - in other words, you and me. What do we know about plans and pricing?
As consumers, we can all pretty much agree on two things about the "big four":
- Pricing is through the roof – the big four often have high price tags associated with them. So we want to prioritize strong talk and LTE network we also want budget-friendly prices.
- Reading the fine print is getting annoying - We want clear-cut and simple-to-digest information that will help us decide who the best carrier is.
COMPARE NOW: Cheap AT&T Cell Phone Plans
We can assure you that we have all the important details here, to help you gauge whether or not AT&T is a worthy contender, with its 133.3 million customer base as of Q3 2016, for your hard-earned dollar.
Table of Contents
Key Considerations When Choosing AT&T
Before diving into the rabbit hole of carriers be sure you know what you want out of a carrier. It will make deciding much easier. Ask yourself:
- Does the AT&T network cover the area you live in?
- How much data do you need each month?
- Will you bring your own phone (BYOP) or will you need one?
- Do you need a single-line plan or a family plan?
- Is there an AT&T MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that will give you a better price? (Don't worry we'll explain later in the article.)
AT&T Pricing: Is it Competitive?
AT&T and Verizon are known for pricier cell phone plans. In fact, let's take a look at how exactly they compare amongst unlimited plans:
| Carrier | Network Coverage | Data Limit | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
Sprint | Sprint 4G LTE | Unlimited* | $60 | $720 |
Verizon | Verizon 4G LTE | Unlimited* | $75 | $900 |
T-Mobile | T-Mobile 4G LTE | Unlimited* | $70 | $840 |
AT&T | AT&T 4G LTE | Unlimited* | $75 | $900 |
As you can see AT&T and Verizon are tied for the most expensive unlimited plan. That's a lot of dough. However, what's crazy is that the average AT&T unlimited plan consumer only uses around 4GB of data per month. Which means they're really overpaying.
Interested in seeing how their other plans compare? Check out our guides to:
Coverage
AT&T's voice and data cover most of the United States. To compare AT&T's coverage with the coverage of other major wireless carriers, please refer to our review of the best cell phone coverage.
Keep Your AT&T Coverage, Pay Less
If you want that great AT&T coverage but can't justify the price you're in luck! You still have plenty of options with AT&T MVNOs.
| Carrier | Network Coverage | Data Limit | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
| AT&T | AT&T 4G LTE | Unlimited* | $75 | $900 |
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T 4G LTE | 5GB | $40 | $480 |
| Saving | $35 | $420 | ||
| * Avg AT&T user on unlimited plan uses less than 4GB data per month | ||||
That's right, with an AT&T MVNO you can enjoy the saver AT&T 4G LTE coverage as every AT&T customer but at a half the price.
MVNOs buy service in bulk from the big four networks and resell it to consumers at a lower cost. They're able to do so because they don't spend the millions of dollars in advertising per year like the big four and they also don't have a lot of brick-and-mortars to run which saves them A LOT of money. In fact, a lot of them operate solely online.
AT&T Phones
With AT&T you get all the same great phone options as the other three major carriers. You can:
- Bring your own phone –AT&T operates on the GSM network so you'll have the best luck bringing your own phone if you're switching from T-Mobile. If you do, you'll just want to change the APN settings (an easy process) and you should make sure your device is unlocked.
- Buy a new phone – AT&T offers a wide selection of phones both in store and online. But don't forget, if you choose to make monthly payments on your device your bill will go up.
- Buy a refurbished phone -You'll save the most money - up to 50% off retail - by shopping for compatible AT&T refurbished phones. Compare prices and features on all your favorite Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy from reputable sellers.
If you choose to BYOP or buy refurbished you can get your AT&T SIM card either online or in store.
Recap
AT&T plans some of the priciest out there. But you can save money multiple ways.
- Don't overpay for data - check out our data usage calculator to see what you should be paying for. Always compare cell phone plans before making a decison.
- Save even more money on your AT&T bill by purchasing a refurbished phone instead of overpaying for a new phone.
- If you choose to buy refurbished, it's well worth selling your old device for cash.
You can check out our AT&T user reviews to see what real customers are feeling about the carriers.
COMPARE NOW: Cheap AT&T Cell Phone Plans
