{{name | Hey friend}},
On Thursday, March 12th, AT&T launched three new cell phone plans:
If you are like me, you are probably wondering:
What’s new?
How do these new plans stack up against the old ones?
Should I switch to these new plans if I am an existing AT&T customer?
Lucky for you, I have all the answers.
Let’s dive in.
AT&T Value 2.0
AT&T’s new Value 2.0 plan replaces the outgoing Value Plus VL plan and the Unlimited Starter SL plan.
Let’s start with the Value plan comparison:
AT&T Value Plus VL → AT&T Value 2.0
$50.99 → $50.00
Deprioritized → 5GB priority, then unlimited deprioritized
No hotspot → 3GB hotspot
No device trade-in deals → up to $500 off
Overall, solid upgrades.
Better price, a bit of priority data, some usable hotspot, and eligibility for device trade-in deals.
The best part is the price dropped across the board:
Lines | Value Plus VL | Value 2.0 | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | $50.99 | $50.00 | -1.94% |
2 | $101.98 | $90.00 | -11.75% |
3 | $113.97 | $105.00 | -7.87% |
4 | $123.96 | $120.00 | -3.19% |
5 | $154.95 | $150.00 | -3.19% |
AT&T Unlimited Starter SL → AT&T Value 2.0
But how does the new Value 2.0 plan stack up against the outgoing Unlimited Starter SL plan?
Here’s the breakdown:
$65.99 → $50.00
Deprioritized → 5GB priority, then unlimited deprioritized
5GB hotspot → 3GB hotspot
Up to $1,100 off devices → up to $500 off devices
It is a mixed bag here.
On one hand, the price dropped and you now get 5GB of priority data.
On the other hand, the 5GB of hotspot has been decreased to 3GB, and, most importantly, the device trade-in deals have decreased from up to $1,100 off to up to $500 off.
The good news is there is a substantial price drop across the board for 1-5 lines:
Lines | Starter SL | Value 2.0 | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | $65.99 | $50.00 | -24.23% |
2 | $121.98 | $90.00 | -26.22% |
3 | $137.97 | $105.00 | -23.90% |
4 | $143.96 | $120.00 | -16.64% |
5 | $154.95 | $150.00 | -3.19% |
BUT, when you factoring in getting an iPhone 17 Pro Max (the most popular type of iPhone) with AT&T’s trade-in deals, you can see it this is actually a price increase.
Lines | Starter SL w/ iPhone 17 Pro Max (3-year total) | Value 2.0 w/ iPhone 17 Pro Max (3-year total) | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | $2,692.08 | $2,715.00 | 0.85% |
2 | $5,024.16 | $5,070.00 | 0.91% |
3 | $5,916.24 | $6,525.00 | 10.29% |
4 | $6,448.32 | $7,980.00 | 23.75% |
5 | $7,160.40 | $9,975.00 | 39.31% |
The fact that Value 2.0 is only eligible for up to $500 off makes it a worse value than the outgoing Unlimited Starter SL plan, which was eligible for AT&T’s best device trade-in deals.
AT&T Extra 2.0
AT&T’s new Extra 2.0 plan replaces the outgoing Unlimited Extra EL plan.
What changed?
AT&T Unlimited Extra EL → AT&T Extra 2.0
$75.99 → $70
75GB priority → 100GB priority
30GB hotspot → 50GB hotspot
On the surface, looks like a great upgrade. Lower price, more priority data, and more hotspot data.
But what about multi-line pricing?
Lines | Extra EL | Extra 2.0 | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | $75.99 | $70.00 | -7.88% |
2 | $131.98 | $120.00 | -9.08% |
3 | $152.97 | $150.00 | -1.94% |
4 | $163.96 | $160.00 | -2.42% |
5 | $179.95 | $200.00 | 11.14% |
Generally, better than before. The only exception is 5+ line accounts.
The new Extra 2.0 plan is still eligible for AT&T’s best device discounts. This makes it broadly an improvement across the board with better features and lower prices.
Unlimited Premium PL was already AT&T’s top-tier plan.
What could they possibly do to make it better?
Here’s the answer:
AT&T Unlimited Premium PL → Premium 2.0
$85.99 → $90.00
60GB hotspot → 100GB hotspot
No tablet or wearable discount → 50% off tablet or wearable line
Tablet: $20 → $10
Watch: $10 → $5
This, again, has pros and cons.
The pros are that hotspot data increased significantly, going from 60GB to 100GB. And there is a new tablet and wearable discount, which drops the cost from $20 and $10 respectively to just $10 and $5. You are limited to one discount per line though.
There is only one con: the price.
Stacking up the old plan versus the new plan, and you can see a substantial price increase:
Lines | Premium PL | Premium 2.0 | Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | $85.99 | $90.00 | 4.66% |
2 | $151.98 | $160.00 | 5.28% |
3 | $182.97 | $195.00 | 6.57% |
4 | $203.96 | $220.00 | 7.86% |
5 | $229.95 | $275.00 | 19.59% |
You are looking at roughly at 5% price increase across the board, with an almost 20% increase for 5 lines.
Now, the discounts on the tablet lines and the wearable lines could make the new Premium 2.0 plan a better value for some people.
But generally, I think the old plan will be better.
Should you switch to the new plans?
If you have Unlimited Starter, the answer is NO.
The previous Unlimited Starter plan was the best value plan AT&T has ever offered. It combined an affordable plan price + AT&T’s best device trade-in deals.
While the new plan will reduce the plan cost, it will increase the device cost, making it more expensive overall.
If you have Unlimited Extra, the answer is YES.
Surprisingly, the new Extra 2.0 plan gives you more priority data, more hotspot data, and a better price than the old plan.
If you are on one of the legacy Extra plans, I think it’s worth switching. You should see your bill go down.
HOWEVER, if you have a bunch of tablet or smartwatch lines, the new 50% off discount could save you $15-$40/month on those accessory lines. That could make the new Premium 2.0 plan a better value for your needs.
Changes to the AT&T Signature Discount
The other change AT&T announced was a change to their Signature Discount.
Previously, the signature discount was:
25% off total bill: military & veterans, first responders, nurses & physicians, and teachers
$10/line/mo discount on Premium plan only: business employees, students, and union members
The new discount has been split up into Appreciation Savings and Signature Savings.
Appreciation Savings: for military & veterans, first responders, nurses & physicians, and teachers
20% off Premium 2.0
15% off Extra 2.0
10% off Value 2.0
Signature Savings: for business employees, students, and union members
20% off Premium 2.0 only
This change in likely means a price increase.
If you are on a plan with a current discount, you’ll probably want to keep it as-is and not switch.
Live Cell Phone Plan Advice Monday at 8pm ET!
Join me for my live stream on Monday at 8pm ET where I answer your questions about cell phone plans!
Ask about what network has the best coverage in your area, which plan you should get, or anything else you are curious about.
Check Your Cell Coverage with the All-New CoverageMap.com
Today, my second company CoverageMap.com launched an all-new website.
This update brings all-new location pages + provider pages for Canada, the UK, and Puerto Rico. We also re-built every page with significantly richer data.
What's New:
🌎 International Support: Search for any city or region in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Puerto Rico
🔍 Universal Search: A single search bar for locations, providers, and MVNOs, now live on the website and in the mobile app
📊 More Detailed Location Pages: Performance Summary Snapshots with top-carrier callouts and test counts
📡 More Detailed Provider Pages: Full technical profiles for MNOs and MVNOs
🌙 Light and Dark Mode: System-aware theming across the platform
📱 Improved In-App Experience: A smoother, faster interface in the Coverage Map mobile app
⚙️ New Aggregated Crowdsourced Data Engine: Built to scale as international coverage expands
I hope you found this email helpful!
Happy Monday,
Stetson
P.S. - Check which network has the best coverage in your area the free Coverage Map app for iPhone and Android
