AT&T is one of the major network operators, or MNOs, in the United States. They were first started in 2000 as a spin off of Cingular Wireless.
Currently, AT&T has 79 million postpaid subscribers, which they shared in their Q2 2021 quarterly earnings report.
AT&T offers a variety of postpaid and prepaid plans to choose from. Plans are available for smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers, and wearable devices.
AT&T is one of the major network operators, or MNOs, in the United States. They were first started in 2000 as a spin off of Cingular Wireless.
Currently, AT&T has 79 million postpaid subscribers, which they shared in their Q2 2021 quarterly earnings report.
AT&T offers a variety of postpaid and prepaid plans to choose from. Plans are available for smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers, and wearable devices.
AT&T offers smartphone plans that start at $65 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data.
Here are AT&T’s current postpaid plans:
Yes, AT&T offers family plans. Families can add up to 10 lines under one account. You can compare other 10-line family plans here.
Getting a family plan from AT&T reduces the cost of their unlimited data plans to $30/line for Unlimited Starter, $35/line for Unlimited Extra, and $40/line for Unlimited Elite.
Yes, AT&T offers tablet, hotspot, and smartwatch plans.
You can add a tablet line for $20/month to any postpaid plan. You can also consider getting a standalone tablet plan from AT&T prepaid.
You can add a smartwatch line to any AT&T postpaid plan for $10/month.
Hotspot plans are only available via AT&T Prepaid at this time. Check available hotspot plans here.
Yes, AT&T offers their Signature Program discount.
Qualifying business employees, AARP members, union members, and students can all save $10/month per line on AT&T Unlimited Elite.
And military veterans, first responders, teachers, and nurses and physicians can all save 25% off their total AT&T bill.
All AT&T customers can also save $10 per line per month by enabling auto-pay and paperless billing.
RootMetrics currently ranks Verizon as having the #1 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 96.0.
Verizon’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, and 66.
Verizon’s 5G bands are n260 and n261.
You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the Verizon network. The primary bands Verizon uses are marked in bold.
Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map, or by using a third-party map like RootMetrics. RootMetrics aggregates speed test data reported by its users to create its own independent coverage map of the Verizon network.
RootMetrics currently ranks AT&T as having the #2 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 95.6.
AT&T’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, and 66.
AT&T’s 5G bands are n5 and n260.
You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the AT&T network. The primary bands AT&T uses are marked in bold.
Check AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map, or by using a third-party map like RootMetrics. RootMetrics aggregates speed test data reported by its users to create its own independent coverage map of the AT&T network.
RootMetrics currently ranks T-Mobile as having the third best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 90.3.
T-Mobile's LTE bands are 2, 4, 12, 25, 26, 41, 66, and 71.
T-Mobile's 5G bands are n41, n71, n260, and n261.
You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the T-Mobile network. The primary bands T-Mobile uses are marked in bold.
Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map, or by using a third-party map like RootMetrics. RootMetrics aggregates speed test data reported by its users to create its own independent coverage map of the T-Mobile network.
AT&T supports VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail, mobile hotspot, up to 4K video streaming quality (but only on the Elite plan), 5G access, eSIM, domestic data roaming, unlimited data roaming in Canada and Mexico, and free international texting from the U.S. to 120+ supported countries.
AT&T also includes AT&T Active Armor with all of their plans.
The Unlimited Starter plan gets the basic version of Active Armor, which includes spam and fraud call blocking.
Unlimited Extra and Unlimited Elite get Active Armor Advanced, which includes spam and fraud call blocking, along with caller ID, identity monitoring, and expanded Wi-Fi protection.
All AT&T plans also get a 6 month free trial of Stadia Pro.
Finally, AT&T includes a free HBO Max subscription with AT&T Unlimited Elite.
Check out our article “AT&T’s Unlimited Plans Explained” to see a full breakdown of the differences between Unlimited Starter, Unlimited Extra, and Unlimited Elite.
AT&T can sometimes have limited support for VoLTE (also called HD Voice), Wi-Fi calling, and Advanced Messaging depending on the make and model of the phone you have.
It’s also important to note that 4K video streaming is only available on the Unlimited Elite plan. All other plans on AT&T will have video streaming quality limited to 480p.
That said, you can get around the 480p limit with a VPN. Using a VPN will let you stream 4K video on any cell phone plan.
You can check to see what features your phone supports on AT&T here.
Most unlocked phones will work with AT&T.
An unlocked phone means it isn’t tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Contact your current carrier to ask if your phone is unlocked, or if there are certain steps you need to follow to request to have it unlocked.
You can check if your phone works with AT&T by entering your phone’s IMEI number in AT&T’s free device checker.
You can find your IMEI number in the settings app on your phone, or by dialing *#06# in the dialer app.
Yes, AT&T offers international data roaming with the purchase of plan add-ons.
You can choose to either get the AT&T International Day pass, which gives you unlimited international data roaming for a period of 24 hours, or you can purchase the AT&T Passport.
There are a huge number of add-ons available from AT&T. Some of them can seem confusing or overwhelming.
We generally don’t recommend getting any add-ons, as we don’t think they are worth it.
Here are all of AT&T’s add-ons and what they include:
From AT&T’s website:
Detailed billing lets you see:
From AT&T’s website:
With Mobile Insurance, you get:
*Premiums, deductibles, coverage limitations, and other restrictions apply. Review legal disclaimers before signing up.
From AT&T’s website:
AT&T Mobile Security (App required)
AT&T Call Protect
From AT&T’s website:
Discontinue all suspicious call blocking and incoming call labels. You will receive calls from all sources, including robocallers and potential fraudsters.
From AT&T’s website:
Standard version:
All the benefits of our standard version with two advanced security services:
Mobile Security Plus (app req’d)
Call Protect Plus:
From AT&T’s website:
This option can’t be removed.
This add-on is available for Android devices, Apple devices, and wearable devices. Here is more info from AT&T’s website on how this add-on works for each device category:
AT&T Number Sync Blocker for Android
Want to keep devices from syncing to your Android tablet? Add this free feature to each device you want to block.
AT&T Number Sync Blocker for Apple
AT&T Number Sync Blocker for Apple Watch (Cellular)
AT&T Number Sync Blocker for Wearables
AT&T Passport is an add-on available for postpaid AT&T subscribers and gives you international coverage for a period of 30 days.
AT&T Passport includes the following features:
AT&T also offers a $140 Passport plan with 6GB of data instead of 2GB.
You can schedule the AT&T Passport to activate on a desired date and be canceled at a desired data, even across billing cycles.
You can also choose to do a one-time payment, or to have the AT&T Passport automatically renew.
AT&T Passport works in 230+ supported countries.
To be quite frank, this add-on is astronomically expensive. You are much better off getting an international eSIM plan, or signing up for a carrier local to the country you are visiting.
Or, if you are traveling for a shorter duration of time, you may consider AT&T’s International Day Pass.
From AT&T’s website:
Secure cloud-based storage is yours. Use the app to back up your mobile content and access it from any device.
From AT&T’s website:
Secure cloud-based storage is yours. Use the app to back up your mobile content and access it from any device.
From AT&T’s website:
With Protect Advantage for 1, you get:
Identity protection through IDnotify™ (requires separate sign-up at idnotify.com/att), which:
*Premiums, deductibles, coverage limitations, and other restrictions apply. Review legal disclaimers before signing up.
From AT&T’s website:
With Protect Advantage for 4, you get:
Identity protection through IDnotify™ (requires separate sign-up at idnotify.com/att), which:
*Premiums, deductibles, coverage limitations, and other restrictions apply. Review legal disclaimers before signing up.
From AT&T’s website:
Use Purchase Blocker to prevent mobile purchases (apps, games, etc.) that are billed directly to your AT&T account.
Doesn’t restrict credit card purchases from smartphone app stores.
From AT&T’s website:
Get AT&T Enhanced Push-to-Talk (EPTT) and use your phone like a walkie-talkie. EPTT lets you communicate quickly and efficiently across organizations with the push of a button and can be added to any existing line of service with voice and data plans.
From AT&T’s website:
Download the Secure Family app on your phone and the AT&T Secure Family™ Companion app on up to 9 family members' phones. Once the phones are paired to yours, you can:
From AT&T’s website:
Use this feature to block Wi-Fi Calling on your device
AT&T’s International Day Pass is available for AT&T postpaid subscribers who wish to use their AT&T service when they travel abroad.
The Day Pass is $10 per 24-hour period and includes the following features:
You can activate the International Day Pass at any time by contacting AT&T or in your AT&T account settings.
Once the International Day Pass is added, you will automatically be charged $10 per 24 hour period that you use minutes, texts, or data outside the United States.
After you pay for 10 days, the International Day Pass becomes free for the remainder of your billing cycle.
When you return to the United States, you can leave the International Day Pass add-on enabled. That way, your phone will automatically work on your next trip abroad. You will not be charged for use within the United States.
You can remove the International Day Pass at any time by contact AT&T or via your AT&T account settings. Removing the Day Pass prevents you from being charged on any future trips outside the United States.
AT&T’s Pay-As-You-Go International plan lets you pay for only the amount of minutes, texts, and MB of data you use while traveling abroad.
However, AT&T’s international rates are some of the most expensive in the industry.
Here is the breakdown:
$2.05 per MB of cellular data may appear affordable on the onset, however that comes out to $2,050 per GB, which is absurdly expensive.
Instead of getting AT&T’s Pay-As-You-Go international plan, you are much better off getting an international eSIM plan, or signing up for a local carrier in the country you are visiting.
You may also consider AT&T’s International Day Pass.
You can reach AT&T support by dialing 611 from your AT&T phone, by using the chat tool on AT&T’s website, or by going to a physical store location.
AT&T is a good choice for customers looking for a premium wireless experience. They offer excellent feature support along with excellent deals and promotions.
AT&T can be a great option if:
AT&T is not a great option if:
