AT&T is adding more data to its no-contract GoPhone prepaid plans at no extra charge and also free Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities for subscribers of the top tier plan.
AT&T, the second largest wireless service provider in the U.S., is upping the ante on its prepaid offerings. In an official press release Friday, AT&T said the GoPhone prepaid subscribers will get additional data on existing smartphone plans at no extra charge. Base plan subscribers will get as much as double data limit while top-tier subscribers will also see a bump in their data limits in addition to free Wi-Fi hotspot support.
Under AT&T's no-contract GoPhone smartphone plans, existing customers paying $40 a month for 250MB data and 500 free minutes of voice calls will get 500MB data with unchanged talk minutes. Subscribers of the top-tier $60 a month plan will get unlimited talk, free Wi-Fi hotspot capability and a data increase from 2GB to 2.5GB. Both plans use AT&T's nationwide 4G LTE network.
Messaging plans remain the same for both plans, which offer unlimited texts within the U.S. and free international messages to Mexico and over 100 countries.
"Today's consumers expect great value and choice, which is exactly what we're bringing to our GoPhone customers," Mark Collins, AT&T Mobility senior vice president of data and voice products, said in a press statement, Friday. "By adding more data and enabling a Wi-Fi hotspot capability at no additional cost and with no annual contract, we're giving customers more for less, and making it even easier for them to enjoy their smartphones the way they want - all on a superior, reliable network."
The new offer kicks in next Friday, April 25, and existing subscribers will automatically be updated with increased data limits. In addition to the current plans, new customers will get a third option. Exclusively available at Wal-Mart retail stores, AT&T said its new GoPhone plan offers 1GB data with unlimited talk and text for $45 a month. International messaging from the U.S. to Mexico, Canada and over 100 select countries is extended to the new $45 plan.
This new change is a huge step on AT&T's behalf, T-Mobile continues to draw customers with its base plan offering, which starts at $30 a month for up to 5GB data, 100 minutes of talk and unlimited text. T-Mobile's pay-in-advance plans go as high as $80 for unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, while the $60 plan, like AT&T's, offers unlimited talk and text with 3GB high-speed data.
