The cheapest way to keep AT&T's network, at the price after the intro ends
No link on this page pays me. How the site makes money
The cheapest plan on AT&T's network, once any intro price is over, is US Mobile Unlimited Flex at $17.50 a month with tax, paid annually. 9 plans from 2 carriers run on it; all of them are below. US Mobile is my own carrier. It's first here on price alone, by the same rule as every other row, and the method is written down.
AT&T's advertised $30 is a per-line price for four lines, with AutoPay from a bank account or AT&T's Citi card and a bill credit that runs 36 months; one line of the same plan is $50 before tax, and Elite is $110. Two carriers on this site sell service on AT&T's network instead: Cricket Wireless, which AT&T owns, and US Mobile on its Dark Star network. Details of the postpaid price are on the AT&T page.
Every plan on AT&T's network, cheapest first
intro priceafter the intro ends
| Plan | Regular | Intro | Data | 10 days abroad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Mobile Unlimited Flex taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $17.50 paid yearly: $210 upfront, annual only | no intro price | Unlimited, 10 GB high-speed priority data: not stated; hotspot: 5 GB | $15 |
| US Mobile Unlimited Starter taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $22.50 paid yearly: $270 upfront; $25 monthly | $16.58 becomes $22.50, +$5.92/mo | Unlimited, 70 GB high-speed (on Warp and Light Speed; unlimited on Dark Star) priority data: 70 GB; hotspot: 20 GB on Dark Star, 10 GB others | included, 1 GB (thin) |
| Cricket Wireless 12-Month Unlimited taxes included, single line only, new accountsSee Cricket Wireless plans | $25 prepaid 12 months: $300 upfront | no intro price | Unlimited priority data: none; may be slowed when busy; hotspot: not available | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
| Cricket Wireless Sensible 10GB taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $30 | first month $35, before AutoPay | 10 GB priority data: 10 GB; hotspot: none (add-on not available) | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
| US Mobile Unlimited Premium taxes includedSee US Mobile plans | $32.50 paid yearly: $390 upfront; $44 monthly | $24.92 becomes $32.50, +$7.58/mo | Unlimited priority data: unlimited; hotspot: 50 GB (100 GB high-speed on Dark Star, then slowed) | included, 20 GB |
| Cricket Wireless Select Unlimited taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $35 | first month $40, before AutoPay | Unlimited priority data: none; may be slowed when busy; hotspot: add-on available | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
| Cricket Wireless 3-Month Unlimited taxes included, single line only, new accountsSee Cricket Wireless plans | $40 prepaid 3 months: $120 upfront | $15 becomes $40, +$25/mo | Unlimited priority data: none; may be slowed when busy; hotspot: not available | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
| Cricket Wireless Smart Unlimited taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $45 | first month $50, before AutoPay | Unlimited priority data: none; may be slowed when busy; hotspot: 15 GB | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
| Cricket Wireless Supreme Unlimited taxes includedSee Cricket Wireless plans | $55 | first month $60, before AutoPay | Unlimited priority data: none; may be slowed when busy; hotspot: 50 GB | Mexico and Canada only, on Smart and Supreme Unlimited and the 3- and 12-month plans; none on Sensible or Select |
Plans advertised before tax are grossed up by an estimated 18% so they can be compared with tax-inclusive ones. "Regular" is the lowest price on any billing term once an intro ends; where paying annually is cheaper, the monthly price is shown too. Roaming is costed from each carrier's published terms on the roaming comparison.
Do these plans get the same priority as AT&T customers?
Not necessarily, and it's the main thing the lower price buys you out of. When a tower is busy, the network decides whose data goes first, and each plan states its own terms: some give a fixed amount of priority (or "premium") data a month, some say it's unlimited, and some give none. On a quiet tower you won't notice. On a crowded one at 6pm you might.
Of the 9 plans above, 1 state unlimited priority data, 2 state a monthly amount of priority or full-speed data, 0 state none, and 1 don't give a figure on the plan page. Each row's Data cell says which. "Not stated" means the page didn't say, not that there's none.
What to know before you switch
- Cricket includes taxes in its prices. Its monthly plans cost $5 more in the first month because the AutoPay discount starts with the second bill; its 12-month plan is $300 upfront, for new single-line accounts bringing their own phone.
- Cricket's Sensible 10GB plan slows to 128 Kbps after 10 GB and includes no hotspot; the unlimited plans are the fairer comparison with AT&T.
- Only two carriers here run on AT&T, so this is a short list. More AT&T-network carriers will be added as their plan pages are read.
To rank these against your own bill and data use, open the calculator with AT&T selected. To see how much each plan jumps when an intro ends, see the price cliff table; for unlimited plans on every network, the cheapest unlimited plan. Other networks: Verizon, T-Mobile.