AT&T and T-Mobile are updating their data packages amid steep competition to bring in—and keep—subscribers. Among the changes, AT&T has slashed the price of a 2 GB sharing plan and T-Mobile has doubled its $50 per month plan to 1 GB
The price war between wireless carriers continues, with AT&T and T-Mobile both making adjustments to their respective plans.
AT&T has slashed the price of its 2 GB shared data plan by $15 per month, and eliminated its 1 GB offering. So for a two-year plan with 2 GB of shared data, subscribers will pay $80 per month for one line, plus $40 per month for each additional smartphone. With AT&T Next, which lets you trade up to a new phone once per year, the base cost is $65 per month, plus $25 for each additional line, but you also have to pay monthly installments on the phone instead of paying a subsidized price rate up-front. (For a 16 GB iPhone 5S, you’ll pay $32.50 per month extra, but no money down.)
The price change may help convince AT&T subscribers to switch over from their old plans to shared data plans, which include unlimited talk and text and mobile hotspot use at no extra charge.
T-Mobile’s price changes are a mix of good and bad news. The carrier’s $50 per month plan is getting bumped from 500 MB to 1 GB, and the $60 per month plan is jumping from 2.5 GB to 3 GB. T-Mobile is also adding unlimited texting from the United States to over 120 countries (something that AT&T now offers as well).
On the downside, the $70 per month unlimited data plan is being replaced by a 5 GB offering. If you want unlimited data, you’ll have to pay $80 per month instead. As with before, these plans also require you to pay for your phone in monthly installments, running $27 extra per month for a 16 GB iPhone 5s.
If you need help figuring out which wireless plan is cheapest, we’ve updated our massive comparison chart for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.