AT&T offers double data on some datashare plans

My wife is a service rep at AT&T. She informed me that AT&T is offering double data on Datashare plans 15GB or over.

So instead of 15GB of data, you'd get 30GB for the same price.

On the datashare plans, all users/devices on the plan share the data from one pool (no limit per phone).

The price and data are good until you change the plan. You have to sign up by October 31, 2014.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html#fbid=F4T6xfvgpnW (scroll to the middle under "Mobile Share Value Pricing").

A family of four would pay $130 for the 15GB plan (which jumps to 30) plus $15 for each non-contract phone or $40 for a contract phone. Data-enabled devices are $10 (e.g. tablets with 4g).

E.g. Four brand new contract phones would be $250. If you decided to split it equally, that's 7 1/4 GB per phone. You don't have to split it so if you are a heavy user and the others aren't, you could use it all without suffering an overage.

 

Is this just for a promotion or let us say I swap to 30 gigs.. will they drop it back down to 15 gigs after a year or so?

 

No, it doesn't expire. It's as long as you keep the plan. If you modify the data amount at a later date, it will be the price at that date. The only reason you'd want to modify it is if there was something better.

Here's the offer details:
Mobile Share Value Promotional Plans: Limited time offer. Must request to sign up for or change to the promotional Mobile Share Value plan by Oct. 31, 2014. If you have ordered a new device and have not received it, you may not be able to switch to this promotional plan until you receive and activate the device.

Activate on the new promotional Mobile Share Value 30GB to 100GB plans to receive an allotment of shared data that is double the size of the standard Mobile Share Value plan data allotments (15GB will increase to 30GB and so on). Existing customers must switch to promotional plan in order to receive the double allotment. Customers may remain on their promotional Mobile Share Value plan after expiration of offer. Changes: After offer period ends, if change your data amount, you will lose the promotional double shared data and standard Mobile Share Value data allotments and pricing will apply. Restrictions apply.

 

The other advantage of going to a mobile share plan is you can use the AT&T Next plan to buy your next phone.

With AT&T Next, you pay a monthly fee for the phone (because you're buying it). It's not considered a contract phone so your per line charge stays at $15/month. Next plans are 24 months but they have different categories (12/18). Depending on which Next Plan you sign up for (12 months or 18 months) you can trade in your existing phone for a new one after the period you chose (12/18). The 12 month is a little more per month than the 18 month.

There's also no $35 activation fee when you use the Next Plan (contract phones are charged $35 to activate and $40 per line monthly).

Plus there's no cash layout for the new phone. So for instance, buying the iPhone 6 on the 18 month trade-in plan is about $27/month. There's no $199 down payment and no $35 activation fee. After the trade in, the remaining months of the 24 month obligation are waived (12 months for the 12 month plan or 6 months for the 18 month plan).

That puts it about $2 more per month than buying it on contract but there's no up front cost and no activation fee. Depending on your state, you may see increased sales tax cost. Since you're buying it, the sales tax will be on the full retail price of the phone. In California, it doesn't matter because you pay that anyway. But my understanding is some states only charge tax on the upfront portion.

 

I really wish AT&T would explain to me why I pay $150ish for 2 lines, 700 minutes and 2 gigs of data and that is with a 27% discount.. and they plaster 4 lines, 10 gigs for $160 a month all over the website and store.. it's mind boggling.

 

You're paying it because you haven't switched it. You can switch plans at any time. Those are separate contracts on a family plan correct? The datashare plans include unlimited talk and text. Just call them up and switch. The older style family plans aren't available any more. They won't automatically switch you. You have to do it.

Even if you switched to the same data amount, you'd probably save money or at least have more minutes.

A 4GB datashare plan is $70/month plus $25 for each phone (out of contract, under 10GB) would be $120/month with unlimited talk and text. If you phones were "in contract", it'd be $150 with unlimited talk/text.

Changing plans doesn't affect how long you are "In contract".

 

That's a really good deal if you're fine with contracts (most everybody).

 

You don't need to go into a contract. You can bring your own device provided it works on their spectrum and it's unlocked:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB113269&cv=820#fbid=UYRJwzj1j3Z

 

Ended up switching to a new family plan with 10 gigs of data instead of 2, it's cheaper and ended up getting unlimited minutes (had over 14k rollover minutes from cingular) from 700, just a shame they wouldn't try to offer it to me, I literally had to try to find it on their website.

Also this 30 gig deal ends in 4 days, if I was going to have a hotspot or something I would consider it since I've been paying that much anyway.

 

So according to my wife, they just added data for some other plans.

2 gb plans can now have 3 gb for the same price and 4 gb plans can now have 6 gb for the same price. You probably have to call to get the new data. They won't do it automatically. These offers also expire on the 15th of November.

 

Just curious, were you trying to get this done in a store? If so, it might be part of the problem if it was an "Authorized Retailer". Authorized retailers are 3rd party companies that are authorized to sell on AT&T's behalf but they're not actually owned by AT&T. Many times they're not savvy to the current AT&T promotions. My wife gets calls all the time about misquotes from them. If you're going into the store, ensure it's a Corporate store. Authorized retailers outnumber the corporate stores here by about 10-to-1. Their store signs state that they're an authorized retailer.

 

I hardly go to the AT&T store, I mainly do everything online. If I do go it's an authorized AT&T store not one of those accessory crap shops. I was just emphasizing on how I had to try to find it on their website instead of it being readily available.

 

Just to clarify, Authorized Retailers look like AT&T stores (similar colors to a corporate store). They have the AT&T signage on the storefront. They're even listed on the AT&T store locator site at ATT.com. The only way you can tell it's not a corporate store is it says it's an Authorized Retailer on the signage. I believe it's a franchise.

I've not done it online (it's my wife's account). I would imagine you log into your account and do it there. We usually just call AT&T mobility when we need it changed.

 

Changing the plan was easy when I found the option to on the website, it literally took about 2 minutes to select what I wanted and the changes were made the same day within a few minutes. My only gripe is they should have offered to save me money, give me more data and minutes but I guess that's why I don't run a multi-million dollar business, I couldn't screw people out of their hard earned money, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. But it's done and I am a happy camper now.

 

Last month I was able to get AT&T to double my 10gb to 20gb. I had to talk to the retention's dept to get it done.

 

A lot of people don't know about the retention department. Retention is about the only way to get something that's not normally available. Sales Reps don't have the authority or ability to add something like that. They can easily change between plans, offer new services or make some adjustments to your bill but Retention has much more authority to make big changes like restoring introductory rates and such.

Plus, reps can't just send you there unless you specifically ask for retention or say that you're going to disconnect. That gives them the green light to send you to retention.

 

I just learned that I get 15% off because I work for a public school district.

Called AT&T, and sure enough I do and they applied it.

Wish I knew that for the past several years!

I bumped my data down to 2 GB, though. Was paying for 5 and didn't use nearly that much. Bright side is I got an LG G3 and I love it!

 

I'd call them back and ask for the 3 gb at the 2gb price. It went into effect on the 2nd of November and is available until the 15th.

 

I'll have to do that.

At my old house we had 3 mbps DSL (best you could get because it's a rural area) and I'd get 40-50 mbps out of LTE, so I just used that instead. Now I have 50 mbps to my house so I don't need to. Save a lot of data that way.

EDIT: Didn't even have to call them. Logged into myAT&T and hit "Change my plan" and it showed me immediately that 3 GB was the same price. Couple clicks and it's done. I think I bumped my data down in October, so that's probably why the option wasn't there.

 

I changed my att plan a couple months ago. I hate going to the att store due to upsell bs. they'll say they can't waive activation blah blah when it is written in the brochure no activation fee. then they change the story to I must get insurance otherwise they can't get me a sim card blah blah. So I had to go online and cancel the insurance once I walked out the store. I went from 4 lines for $200 to 5 lines 10gb for $160.