ATT data share plans - interesting news

Phew!

For us to switch to a data share plan would be at least a $30 price increase and will give us less than what we have now.

 

In my case, I am the only one with the need for a data plan, so I guess I shouldn't bother reading the details.


Sent From My iPhone 5 Using Tapatalk

 

Oh, and in my case there's only one user who ever needs to use the phone as a hotspot and there's no extra charge for that either

 

We currently have 2 iPhones and an Android, plus a feature phone. The kid routinely gets close to 1.5-2GBs used, with me ranging somewhere between 500 & 1GB and my wife using about 250MB; the feature phone uses nothing. So 2GB is not realistic for us. 4GB is where it'd cost us $30+ (I'm comparing the current total with taxes to the pre-tax total of a mobile share plan). We're currently paying 2x3GB plus 300MB.

 

With these new plans, you have to do your homework in terms of usage and cost. Verizon started this craziness with the share plans... Even USCellular launched their version of it, identical in price, from what I've seen.

In my case, as an existing Verizon user, I am definitely better served by staying there... Even if I take a tiered, non share plan.

Sent from the Blanco Beast, SCH-i605

 

My apologies, looks like I forgot that we get a FAN discount, the total disparity will probably be less.
Current, without discount or taxes.
Line 1: $60 (FamilyTalk 700) + $20 (Messaging) + $30 (Data 3GB) +
Line 2: $10 (Line) + $20 (Data 300MB)
Line 3: $10 (Line)
Line 4: $10 (Line) + $30 (Data 3GB)
Total: $190

Mobile share 4GB: $70 + $40 + $40 + $30 + $40 = $220
Mobile share 6GB: $90 + $35 + $35 + $30 + $35 = $225

Noting that if we were to drop the feature phone we'd have $180 vs $190 vs $195 -- a lot closer, so in your case of unlimited messaging for $30 I can see it making total sense (unless you're currently on the lower than 700 plan).

 

I don't think you are. For us it's the basic phone that makes the switch totally unreasonable (extra $20 for it on a shared data plan), which is something you don't have.

 

I decided to do the calls just for the heck of it:

Current, without discount or taxes.
Line 1: $60 (FamilyTalk 700) + $20 (Messaging) + $30 (Data 3GB) +
Line 2: $10 (Line) + $5(200 messages)
Line 3: $10 (Line)

Total: $135

Without Line 3
Total: $125

Mobile share 4GB: $70 + $40 + $30 +$30 = $170
Without Line 3 = $140.

Not sure if I got the right numbers for the basic phone and the wannabe Smartphone.

Interestingly if I drop Line 3 and go to the 2GB plan,
$50+$45 + $30 = $125 exact same as what it is now.

 

Just out of curiosity, does your discount apply off the data plan only (on the Share plans)? I know that on Verizon Share everything plan, the discount is applied on the data fee and not the phone line fees (ie $40 or $30 per line fee). This is one reason why an individual line user wouldn't switch Mobile share plan.

 

When I had a single line of service, the discount applied to all services (voice, data, etc.) With a family plan it looks like the discount only applies to voice. Go figure.

 

When I had the old 2 GB data plan, the discount applied to that as well.

Now it only applies to the voice plan. I don't believe any of the now data plans qualify for the discount.


Sent From My iPhone 5 Using Tapatalk

 

Slight OT question:

Why don't you use the FAN discount, it's a nice deduction and pretty painless to obtain.

Just curious.




Sent From My iPhone 5 Using Tapatalk

 

You know, this thing just annoys me to no end. It's such a shameless money grab, since you don't have unlimited data. It doesn't affect me since I'm running pure Android, but I still feel bad for people AT&T is ripping off. I heard that iTether (if you managed to get your hands on it) is still working on iOS 7, but I think it's USB-only tethering.

To clarify: the no pay on Mobile Share plans doesn't annoy me, the pay on current family plans does.

 

Yeah, those FAN deals differ a lot. I got mine when I was at Cisco (and to the best of my knowledge once you're in, you stay in -- nobody has asked me to verify employment since then). And Cisco didn't care what phone I had -- I just gave AT&T my Cisco email, they sent a token to it, I verified that I received it and that was it. Other companies may have their own rules, including requiring particular phones.

 

Thanks vf.

I am kind of wondering if you and I are talking about the same thing. I have had my FAN discount for at least 5 or 6 years, through all kinds of different phones, including unlocked and grey market ones. All I needed to do was send an email from my work, so AT&T could verify employment and what employee discount has been negotiated by the company.

It is still a personal plan and not a corporate plan and the phone doesn't have to be approved by the company. In fact one deals directly with the provider only.

Quint is yours a similar process?




Sent From My iPhone 5 Using Tapatalk

 

My discount is on a employee liable plan... It isn't connected to a corporate account. Verizon just requires a work email or a pay stub. I get devices and accessories on my dime. Some perks include waived activation fees and accessory discounts.

So, yes, similar to the above scenario.

Sent from the Blanco Beast, SCH-i605

 

The $59.99 includes the first two lines on the FamilyTalk plan, You pay $9.99 for each additional telephone after the first two. You are only permitted up to three lines on the plan you have. Higher plans allow up to five lines. The quoted prices still cover the first two lines.
Family Plans & Family Cell Phone Plans from AT&T

 

Are you sure about that? Our Family 700 plan costs $69.99, but if I look at the bill details it shows $60.00 for the plan and then $9.99 for each additional line (3x9.99). It was the same back when my wife had a 3-line $59.99 plan, it was billed as $50.00 + $9.99x2. My recollection has been that AT&T's family plans have always been priced as the cost of two lines.

 

Ah, I missed the 850 minutes bit. So your plan is a really old one, which explains it. The last incarnation of the $59.99 had 550 minutes, uncapped rollover.

 

I believe the 850 min plan is actually $69.95, the $59.95 is the 700 min plan.

So when your 850 min plan shows up as $59.95 for one and each additional line is extra it is the same as $69.95 for the family plan for two.

Mine is identical to dmapr's

Here is a SS of today's available plans. It's just AT&T's way of making things more complicated than it needs to be.