AT&T Prepaid Review

If that plan isn’t enough to convince you, then read our whole AT&T prepaid review to see if it’s right for you.

AT&T’s prepaid lineup is pretty robust, with six separate plans ranging in price from $30 to a whopping $300. Yes, that’s three hundred dollars (the plan lasts a whole year)! These plans offer something for almost every kind of user. Let’s dive into the details.

AT&T’s pricing tends to be in the middle of the pack when compared to other major providers. It’s not as pricey as Verizon, but it’s not as cheap as T-Mobile (or discount/MVNO providers, like Visible). But the carrier’s prepaid plans are another story.

You can get some great deals if you’re willing to forego a few perks and pay your bill upfront.

For example, compare the AT&T Unlimited Starter plan with the AT&T Prepaid $50 Monthly plan.

The Unlimited Starter plan costs $66 a month, and your data can be slowed down (deprioritized) at any time. That’s a lot of money to pay for data that could slow to a trickle while you’re trying to stream or game.

But if you’re willing to go prepaid you can actually get the $75 Monthly Plan for just $50 right now (yes, that’s a 33% discount!). This prepaid plan comes with the same unlimited (albeit throttled) data as the Unlimited Start Plan, and it gives you 5 GB of mobile hotspot data.

That’s a wildly good deal. But there are other deals from AT&T prepaid, too. You can get an unlimited talk and text plan with 8 GB of data for just $33 a month when you pay for three months upfront. Not bad AT&T. Not bad at all.

Most of AT&T’s prepaid plans come with a decent amount of data. Of course, there are the unlimited data plans. But there’s also an 8 GB plan, which will give you plenty of data for scrolling through Instagram, checking your email, and even streaming a few shows.

Even AT&T’s lowest priced prepaid plan gives you 2 GB of data. It’s a great plan for a kid who isn’t (or isn’t supposed to be) online all day.

Verizon takes the gold medal for the best cellular network. But AT&T is right on its heels. It has the second-best nationwide 4G LTE coverage and the fastest data speeds.

AT&T’s fast download speeds make it an ideal carrier for those who use their cellular network for gaming, working, or rigorous social-media posting. Check out our section on coverage below to learn more about AT&T’s network.

AT&T prepaid offers some awesome deals. But it’s our job to point out the not-so-great features of each carrier, too. So here are the cons you should take into consideration.

Everyone loves some perks, freebies, extras, bells and whistles, whatever you want to call the free stuff your mobile carrier throws in with your plan. Unfortunately, you’ll miss out on a lot of that with AT&T prepaid.

Some of the things that many normal AT&T plans come with won’t be available on any prepaid plans, like the following:

• No AT&T Thanks program (which gives you discounts on tickets to concerts and other events)
• No Max subscription
• No AT&T Next Up phone upgrade program

AT&T’s $75 prepaid plan (which is just $50 right now), does offer mobile hotspot data, but other prepaid plans do not.

Let’s not lose sight of the central difference between “normal” plans and prepaid plans: when you actually pay your bill. With prepaid plans you have to pay at the beginning of each month. If you forget to make a payment, you lose service.

You can enroll in autopay or pay up front for several months. This is a convenient way to keep your service on, and you can score some great discounts.

You’re not here to find any deal. You’re here to find the best deal for you. We thought that this comparison chart showing how AT&T’s prepaid unlimited plan compares to similar phone plans from the competition might help with that.

What’s better than saving money? Saving even more money, obviously. And you can do it by signing up for multiple prepaid lines with Verizon. Here’s everything you need to know about Verizon prepaid family plans.

You can have up to five lines on your AT&T prepaid account. If you’ve got a Brady Bunch–sized family, then you might need to get a second family account.

When you add two or three lines, you’ll get $10 off your overall bill every month. When you add four lines to max out at five lines, you’ll get $20 off your bill.

That might not seem like that much of a discount, but when you add it to the already cheap price tag on these prepaid plans, it looks pretty good. Take this three-line unlimited plan, for example.

In this case you get three lines, each with unlimited talk, text, and data (speeds can be reduced after 22 GB), plus 10 GB of hotspot data. 

As we mentioned above, AT&T’s network has great coverage and the fastest data speeds in the industry. This is as true for family plans as it is for individual plans. That means you, your partner, and the kids will all enjoy an awesome connection while you stream, browse, post, and game.

We’re not here to sugarcoat things. AT&T’s prepaid family plans have a few issues.

As with AT&T’s individual prepaid plans, you have to pay for your family plan bill at the beginning of every month. And you won’t get the same perks that “normal” AT&T unlimited data plans offer.

It’s hard to judge cell phone plans in isolation. So let’s take a look at how AT&T’s unlimited data prepaid family plan looks when it’s up against similar plans from other carriers.

With Boost Mobile, mobile users can enjoy AT&T's network at a discounted rate. Even when compared with AT&T's own prepaid plans, Boost's plans are cheaper. Plus, Boost Mobile offers a few more perks than most MVNOs. 

Boost Mobile's Unlimited talk, text, and data plan is its best offer by far. For just $25 a month, you get 30GB of high-speed data with 12GB of hotspot data.

Keep in mind, however, that Boost's Unlimited plan price changes depending on your payment frequency. You can pay $40 monthly, $90 every three months ($30/month), or $300 yearly ($25/month). The more you buy in bulk, the more you save.

If a $300 lump sum payment feels like too much, $90 for three months might be the sweet spot for most customers, especially for those who don't want to commit to a year of service upfront. 

Customers get 12GB of high-speed hotspot data with Boost's Unlimited plan. This data pulls from your regular data allotment, but with 30GB, casual users should have plenty for occasional hot-spotting needs, like completing some last-minute work on a train or connecting during a power outage. 

Boost Mobile also offers a la carte data packs with 1GB–10GB of extra monthly data for $5–$20/month. Data packs can be added or removed at any time. You can choose ongoing data packs that renew every month or one-time data packs that expire after 30 days. 

Data packs are a great option for those who don't regularly use a lot of data but have occasional data-heavy months.

Sometimes, discounts come with a catch. For Boost Mobile, you'll have to pay months at a time to get the most discounts. And watch out for two common tenets of MVNO carriers: soft data caps and deprioritization.

With almost all "unlimited data" phone plans, there's a cap on high-speed data. This is especially true for MVNO carriers, as they don't actually operate their own cell phone towers. With Boost's Unlimited plan, you get 30GB of priority data, after which your speeds will slow big time.

While piggybacking on AT&T's towers is to thank for Boost's discounted prices, it's also the reason customers will experience deprioritization. After 30GB, your speeds are slowed in order to prioritize AT&T customers, and you might even experience a bit of deprioritization even before you run out.

Of all carriers on AT&T's network, Boost Mobile offers the cheapest unlimited plan.

We already sang the praises of AT&T’s network, but let’s dive a bit deeper. First of all, take a look at this coverage map.

AT&T’s averages a 28.9 Mbps download, which isn't quite as fast as Verizon and T-Mobile, but you can still expect speedy downloads . Here’s a look at how the competition stacks up for context.

28.9 Mbps is actually faster than many people’s home internet. That means AT&T customers will get better video quality when Facetiming with friends during a pandemic. It means you won’t lag during your game of Call of Duty Mobile. It means totally seamless viewing and posting content on Instagram and TikTok.

If you really want to take advantage of AT&T’s powerful network—including its 5G technology—then you might need to upgrade your phone.

Luckily, you can nab a great deal on a brand new iPhone 11, Galaxy S20, or other device when you’re signing up for a new AT&T plan. Here’s a look at some of the most popular devices that the carrier sells.

Telecommunications companies like AT&T aren’t really known for their awesome customer service. But some are better than others. Here’s a look at how the American Customer Satisfaction Index rates AT&T compared to other carriers.¹

AT&T ranks below the two other major carriers—T-Mobile and Verizon. But it doesn’t rank that much lower.

You can find multiple ways to get in touch with AT&T about your prepaid service on the company’s website.

AT&T offers some of the best cell phone plans on the market, but they tend to be quite pricey. You can shave off some of that price by going with a prepaid plan, or going with a cheap plan from Boost Mobile, AT&T's best prepaid carrier. Let’s review the pros and cons of these plans.

• Plans: AT&T offers a good selection of plans for those who want no data, some data, or unlimited data. The company is offering an amazing deal on its $75 unlimited data plan, which is just $50 right now and comes with 5GB of mobile hotspot data. Boost Mobile is also offering its unlimited talk, text, and data plan for as low as $25/month.
• Family Plans: You can have up to five lines on your AT&T prepaid account. As you add lines your price will go down. But if you want the cheapest family plan in the industry, then you’ll want to look elsewhere.
• Performance: AT&T’s coverage map looks pretty great. But its data speeds are even better. You’ll get top-tier performance on the AT&T network.

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