AT&T Launches New Postpaid and Business Smartphone Plan Lineups Including Up To 300GB Of Mobile Hotspot Data

AT&T just launched a revamp of its postpaid consumer and business smartphone plan lineup. The new consumer postpaid plans are called Value 2.0, Extra 2.0, and Premium 2.0, and replace Unlimited Starter SL, Unlimited Extra EL, and Unlimited Premium PL, respectively. 

On the business side, the plan names are now "3.0" versions, up from "2.0": Unlimited Standard 3.0, Unlimited Advanced 3.0, and Unlimited Premium 3.0.

So what has changed, and are these plans worth switching to?

AT&T Plan Revamp Video

Video Coming soon!

Consumer 2.0 Plan Details

Here are the details and features for the new consumer postpaid plans (prices include autopay discount):

Premium 2.0

• $90 for a single line, $55 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico, and 20 other Latin American countries
• Unlimited Premium Data (no deprioritization)
• 100 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• 4k streaming
• 50% discount on a watch or tablet line

Extra 2.0

• $70 for a single line, $40 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico
• 100 GB Premium Data before deprioritization
• 50 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• Standard definition streaming

Value 2.0

• $50 for a single line, $30 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico
• 5 GB Premium Data before deprioritization
• 3 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• Standard definition streaming

The main changes in AT&T’s new consumer lineup are to premium data and hotspot allowances.

The entry-level Value 2.0 plan now includes 5 GB of premium data before deprioritization, which is an improvement over Unlimited Starter SL for light on-device use in congested areas. But it is a downgrade for tethering, since hotspot drops from 5 GB to 3 GB.

The mid-tier Extra 2.0 plan sees one of the most meaningful improvements, with premium data increasing from 75 GB to 100 GB and hotspot data rising from 30 GB to 50 GB.

Premium 2.0 retains unlimited premium data and 4K UHD streaming, while hotspot increases substantially from 60 GB to 100 GB.

Pricing has also changed, especially for single-line and some multi-line configurations, and some signature or affiliation discounts have shifted as well. Existing customers should compare their specific line count and discounts before switching.

Business 3.0 Plan Details

Business plans have gone from 2.0 to 3.0, except for the Unlimited Business Premium 2.0 With Turbo, which is still available, but got a price increase. Here are the plan options (prices include autopay discount):

Unlimited Premium 3.0

• $95 for a single line, $60 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico
• Unlimited Premium Data (no deprioritization)
• 300 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• 4k streaming
• 7 Days of Roam Latin America (service in 20 Latin American countries)
• 7 International Day Passes per month
• 50% discount on a watch or tablet line

Unlimited Advanced 3.0

• $80 for a single line, $50 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico
• Unlimited Premium Data (no deprioritization)
• 100 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• HD streaming

Unlimited Standard 3.0

• $60 for a single line, $40 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico
• 5 GB Premium Data before deprioritization
• 5 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• SD Streaming

Unlimited Premium 2.0 With Turbo

• $105 for a single line, $75 for 4+ lines
• Unlimited talk/text/data in the US, Canada, Mexico, and 20 other Latin American countries
• High-priority data - no deprioritization
• 200 GB of hotspot/tethering data
• 7 International Day Passes per month
• 4k streaming

For the business options, mobile hotspot and premium data have increased, but so have the prices. Additionally, the existing Unlimited Premium 2.0 With Turbo is now more expensive.

The mobile hotspot allowance for the top-tier Premium 3.0 plan increased by 100 GB, from 200 GB to 300 GB. The mid-tier Unlimited Advanced 3.0 option remains the same at 100 GB of hotspot, but now gets unlimited premium data - the 2.0 version only had 50 GB of premium data.

The Unlimited Premium 2.0 With Turbo plan remains the most expensive option, but comes with high-priority data that is prioritized above the standard consumer and business premium data.

Comparison To Verizon and T-Mobile

AT&T has historically lagged Verizon and T-Mobile on smartphone hotspot data, and these changes help close the gap.

On the consumer side, AT&T still lags significantly, with only a max of 100 GB of hotspot data compared to 200 GB for Verizon (300GB with a $10 add on) and 250 GB for T-Mobile. 

For business plans, AT&T's 300GB of hotspot is the same as T-Mobile's SuperMobile plan and is 200 GB more than Verizon's Business Unlimited Pro 5G plan, which comes with 100 GB of data. Verizon's myBiz plan can get up to 105 GB of hotspot data with an add-on and 155 GB with two add-ons. 

When it comes to mobile hotspot/tethering use, it's important to note that AT&T still trails both rivals in one key area for heavy tethering users: after the included hotspot allotment is used, AT&T drops to 128 Kbps, while Verizon and T-Mobile remain far more usable at 600 Kbps for T-Mobile, and from 600 Kbps to 6 Mbps on Verizon depending on the specific plan and network.

For both consumer and business options, there are other differences you might want to consider, including international usage, perks, and optional add-ons. These may matter depending on your needs and priorities. Here's a quick chart comparing the smartphone options from all three carriers.

Note that we only track/cover plans that have at least 50GB of mobile hotspot data, so we don't include the lower-tier plans in this chart:

 

Member Exclusive Analysis

Concluding Thoughts

It's been a long time since AT&T did a significant revamp of its plan lineup, and it seems the company has finally ditched the confusing naming scheme it previously used in favor of a more straightforward convention that aligns with its business plans.

It's also good to see that mobile hotspot allowances have increased, though they still lag significantly behind the competition in consumer plans.

AT&T does have real strength, however, for use in Canada and Mexico, as well as most Latin American countries, with its top-tier plans. Being able to use the full plan data terms in Canada and Mexico is a great advantage for North American nomads compared to Verizon and T-Mobile, which both cap high-speed data use.

Unfortunately, AT&T did not update its data-only hotspot and router plans. On the consumer side, they remain at an anemic maximum of 100GB/month, a level that hasn't changed in several years. For Business customers, AT&T's unlimited but speed-tiered Wireless Broadband plans remain a competitive Top Pick.

Bookmark