AT&T Cellphone Plans Review

Performance

AT&T offers coverage in all 48 contiguous U.S. states, Hawaii, and parts of Alaska. Some residents of Canada and Mexico can also get AT&T service. Service in most of these areas is 4G LTE, and like the other major carriers, AT&T is in the process of rolling out its 5G coverage, which offers speeds that are 10 times faster than 4G. Obviously, your coverage will vary depending on where you live. City dwellers usually get better coverage than those in rural areas, but AT&T offers pretty competitive speeds everywhere.

In J.D. Power's latest U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, AT&T fared well in the Mid-Atlantic and North Central regions, scoring above average in both. But it fell slightly below average in the other four regions surveyed. The study looked at the average problems per 100 mobile device interactions on tablets, cell phones and other mobile broadband devices. AT&T ranged from 9 to 11 issues per 100 mobile device interactions across all regions, so there did not appear to be a significant difference in the quality of its service from one region to the next.

Price

AT&T offers three unlimited plans that vary in terms of streaming speeds, mobile hotspot data and additional services. The basic AT&T Unlimited Starter plan is $35 per month per line for four lines when you enroll in auto pay and includes unlimited talk, texting and data with standard-definition streaming speeds. Upgrade to the AT&T Unlimited Extra package for $40 per month per line for four lines with unlimited data and you'll add 15 GB of mobile hotspot data per line. If you want high-definition streaming, you must choose the AT&T Unlimited & More Premium plan. This is $48 per month per line for four lines enrolled in auto pay. It also includes 15 GB of mobile hotspot data per line and your choice of one premium TV channel or streaming service. Your choices are HBO, Cinemax, SHOWTIME, STARZ, VRV, Pandora Premium, or Spotify Premium.

The Unlimited Starter and AT&T Unlimited & More Premium plans are pretty competitive with what the rest of the industry offers, but the AT&T Unlimited Extra package falls behind other mid-tier unlimited plans because it doesn't offer HD streaming quality.

For those who don't use a lot of data, AT&T's mobile share plans are a nice option. There are two options -- a 3G shared data plan that costs $30 per line per month for four lines enrolled in auto pay or a $35 per line per month plan for four lines enrolled in auto pay that give you 9G of shared data per month. These plans include unlimited talk and text plus SD streaming and you can roll over any unused data from one month to the next.

Trustworthiness

AT&T has long been a target for hackers, as have the other Big Four wireless carriers, and it's occasionally fallen victim, including a time in 2019 where a hacker paid AT&T employees over $1 million to get him access to customer and company information. More recently, the Federal Trade Commission ordered AT&T to pay its unlimited customers $60 million due to deceptive advertising.

In J.D. Power's 2019 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Study, AT&T fell just a little behind the national average. None of this means you're guaranteed to have issues if you choose AT&T, but it's something to keep in the back of your mind as you compare your options, especially if customer service is a major factor for you in choosing a wireless carrier.