Disclosure: At the time of writing, I have a financial relationship with AT&T. However, I don’t believe I receive commissions on prepaid service plans.
AT&T recently began offering its prepaid plan with 8GB of data, unlimited minutes, and unlimited texts for only $300 ($25 per month) for those who are willing to purchase 360 days of service upfront. According to AT&T, this promotion is a limited time offer that’s set to end on October 21, 2019.
If you’re willing to purchase nearly a year of service all at once, this is an awfully good deal for a large data allotment on AT&T’s network. My own experience with AT&T’s prepaid service when I trialed it a few months ago was positive.
The $300 base price may not be the final price of 360 days of service. If you need to order a SIM card, that comes with an additional charge. When I went through the checkout process and indicated that I needed a SIM card shipped to Boulder, CO, my final price came to $305.43:
- $300 for service
- $4.99 for a SIM card
- $0.44 in sales tax
In the grand scheme of things, the final price was awfully close to the base price. With a lot of carriers, I’d expect to see more extensive taxes and fees beyond the base price of service.
Additional details about the AT&T plan:
- Mobile hotspot access is included. Hotspot use draws from regular data allowances.
- Rollover data is included (only one month of unused data will rollover).
- AT&T’s Sponsored Data deal is offered. Certain types of data use won’t count against monthly data allotments.
Comparison with Mint Mobile’s pricing
At $25 per month, a year of AT&T prepaid service with 8GB of data is competitive with the cost of a year of Mint Mobile’s 8GB service. Mint Mobile currently charges $20 per month on annual 8GB plans. Taking advantage of a current promotion, customers can get six months of Mint Mobile service for only $60.
While Mint Mobile continues to offer a lower monthly price, it may make sense for many people to spend a few extra dollars each month to access AT&T’s network. At the national level, AT&T’s network offers more extensive coverage than Mint Mobile’s service over T-Mobile’s network.
If I am understanding this plan is offered to new customers only. I’ve been a pre paid customer of AT&T since 2008 and have NEVER been offered ANY special rate on a plan, not a new phone!! Come on AT&T, recognize your loyal customers!