Most people know “data-only” plans as tablet plans, as these plans are usually used to get cellular data service on your tablet. However, most carriers allow you to connect other devices, like mobile Wi-Fi hot spots, to their data-only plans as well.
AT&T tablet plans
Three levels of tablet plans — grouped under the DataConnect name — are available from AT&T’s postpaid side, listed below with the monthly plan price:
- 250MB: $14.99
- 3GB: $30
- 5GB: $50
If you exceed your data allotment in a particular month, AT&T charges $14.99 per 250MB on the 250MB plan and $10 per gigabyte for the 3GB and 5GB plans.
AT&T also offers tablet plans from its prepaid GoPhone service:
- 2GB: $25
- 5GB: $50
- 8GB: $75
Overage charges for the GoPhone plans are as follows: $10 per 500MB on the 2GB plan, $10 per 1GB on the 5GB plan, and $10 per 2GB on the 8GB plan.
Keep in mind that you can add data-only devices — such as tablets and mobile hot spots — onto a shared data AT&T postpaid cell phone plan as well.
Adding a tablet to your cell phone plan costs an extra $10 per month, and adding a mobile hot spot device costs an extra $20 per month. Depending on your cell phone and data usage, it might be more cost-effective to just share data with your tablet than buy a whole separate plan for it.
How AT&T’s tablet plans compare on price
AT&T’s data plans are competitive on price, even though its cell phone plans tend to be on the more expensive side. Spending $30 on AT&T’s postpaid tablet plan gets you 3GB of data — that’s comparable in dollar-per-GB to T-Mobile’s $20 2GB plan. At Verizon and U.S. Cellular, $30 gets you just 2GB.
The table below compares data-only tablet plans. For some carriers, a data-only plan for a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot will be more expensive.
For Verizon and U.S. Cellular, we’ve added their “plan fee” with their “device connection” fee to attain a monthly price comparable to the other carriers.
Some prepaid carriers, like Straight Talk and Virgin Mobile, allow you data access for more or less time than the usual monthlong period, which we’ve indicated in the footnotes.
| 1GB or less | 1.5-3GB | 4-5GB | 6-7GB | 8-9GB | 10GB+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Data usable for less than one month † Data usable for more than one month |
||||||
| AT&T | $14.99 (250MB) | $30 (3GB) | $50 (5GB) | |||
| AT&T GoPhone | $25 (2GB) | $50 (5GB) | $75 (8GB) | |||
| Boost Mobile | $25 (1.5GB) | $50 (10GB) | ||||
| MetroPCS | $15 (2GB) | $25 (4GB) | $35 (6GB) | |||
| Net10 | $10 (500MB)* $20 (1GB) |
$30 (2.5GB) | $50 (5GB)† | |||
| Straight Talk | $15 (1GB) | $25 (2GB) | $40 (4GB)† $50 (5GB)† |
$75 (7GB)† | ||
| Sprint (with overage charges) | $15 (1GB) | $35 (3GB) | $50 (6GB) | |||
| Sprint (with unlimited 2G) | $30 (1GB) | $40 (3GB) | $55 (6GB) | |||
| T-Mobile | $20 (2GB) | $25 (6GB) | $50 (10GB) | |||
| U.S. Cellular | $15 (300MB) $20 (1GB) |
$30 (2GB) | $40 (4GB) | $50 (6GB) | $60 (8GB) | $70 (10GB) |
| Verizon | $30 (2GB) | $40 (4GB) | $50 (6GB) | $60 (8GB) | $70 (10GB) | |
| Verizon Prepaid | $15 (500MB)* $20 (1GB) |
$35 (2GB)† | $60 (5GB)† | $100 (10GB)† | ||
| Virgin Mobile | $5 (250MB)* | $25 (1.5GB) | $55 (6GB) | |||
Are AT&T’s tablet plans right for you?
With competitively priced prepaid and postpaid options, AT&T’s data-only plans are definitely worth a look. Plus, connecting a tablet, a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot or another data-only device will all run you the same price.
Stephen Layton is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: slayton@nerdwallet.com.
from NerdWallet
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/utilities/att-tablet-plans/
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