AT&T prepaid phone plans review
No-contract cellphone plans with rollover data and texting to over 100 countries.
AT&T offers strong cell phone coverage for your talking, texting and streaming needs. And you won’t have any surprise charges on its prepaid plans. Here’s what you need to know about AT&T’s prepaid packages, extra discounts, perks and things to watch out for.
Details
| Data | Starting at 2 GB |
|---|---|
| Minutes | Unlimited |
| Texts | Unlimited |
| Can I bring my own phone? | Yes |
| Cell phone plans starting at: | $35 |
How much do AT&T prepaid phone plans cost?
Here’s a snapshot of the prepaid plans that AT&T offers:
| Plan | Cost | Autopay discount |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T 5GB | $30/month | Yes, $5/month off monthly bill |
| AT&T 15GB | $40/month | Yes, $10/month off monthly bill |
| AT&T Unlimited | $65/month | Yes, $15/month off monthly bill |
AT&T prepaid phone plan features
- Wi-Fi calling
- Mobile hotspot
- Bring your own device
- Keep your phone number
- International service add-on
- Rollover data
Are there other discounts available?
Stack the discounts and shave more off your cell phone bill.
- Save $15 on the activation fee when you order your plan online.
- Unlock the AT&T prepaid 8GB plan when you prepay for 3, 6 or 12 months.
- Save $15 each month when you open a new prepaid $65 monthly unlimited plan and sign up for AutoPay.
- Add a line to your AT&T prepaid multiple-line account and save $10 per month.
- Military, first responders and teachers can save 25% off their AT&T Unlimited Starter plan.
Is there a data cap or speed throttling?
Yes, AT&T may temporarily throttle your data speeds on its unlimited plan when its network is busy and congested or after you’ve surpassed your monthly data threshold.
What carrier network does AT&T use?
AT&T uses its own cellular network. It has the fastest data speed for large download tasks, ranked first in data reliability and scored the highest in phone call voice quality, according to Global Wireless Solutions’ 2020 US Nationwide Test of Mobile Networks.
Pros and cons of AT&T prepaid phone plans
Here are some extra perks and drawbacks for choosing AT&T prepaid:
Pros
- Unlimited talk and text. Talk and text as much as you want on any of its monthly plans.
- Rollover Data. Keep your unused data and add it to your next month’s allowance.
- No annual contract or credit check. No-fuss signup and no commitment.
- Strong cell network. AT&T has been ranked the best US-network since 2018, according to the same Global Wireless Solutions report.
- International perks. Unlimited texting to over 100 countries and some plans allow unlimited talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada.
Cons
- Low data deprioritization threshold. You’ll get slower speeds — up to 128 Kbps or 2GB speed — when you reach exceed your monthly data allotment or during periods of congestion on its unlimited plans.
- Low mobile hotspot allotments. Your phone can only share up to 10GB of data to your other devices before the speed is significantly throttled.
Compare AT&T with other prepaid plans
How do I sign up for an AT&T prepaid plan?
Follow these steps to get started with AT&T prepaid:
- Go to the AT&T homepage and choose Prepaid in the menu bar.
- Select a prepaid plan that best fits your needs and click Shop now.
- Peruse the plan details and choose Select this plan or Pick something else to keep shopping.
- Shop for a new device or click Get started to bring your own.
- Choose Add another device to add more lines for your family or click Go to cart to continue.
- Follow the prompts to enter your billing and account information to checkout.
- Click Submit order.
Is an AT&T prepaid phone plan worth it?
Yes, AT&T’s prepaid plans have strong cell phone coverage in the US and don’t require an annual contract. But it slows down your speeds on most of its data plans, including unlimited packages.
If AT&T isn’t the right fit, compare a few other prepaid services.
