What You Need to Know About AT&T’s Unlimited Data Plans

Most wireless providers are eliminating unlimited data plans from their service lineup, but AT&T has decided to offer them. The company recently announced that the AT&T Unlimited Plan will offer unlimited talk, text and data for $100 a month. Any additional lines will be $40 more per month, except for the fourth line on an account, which will be free. The latter option is great if you’re looking for an unlimited data plan for your entire family or project team.

In their official announcement, AT&T revealed more information about the new unlimited data plan. There is one stipulation, however, and it’s that wireless customers must also be subscribed to either DirecTV or AT&T’s U-verse TV service in order to be eligible. You’ll need to pay for both the TV service and the wireless service, so it could end up being more expensive than it’s worth. Or it could be an added benefit if you subscribe to DirecTV or U-verse, or you’re considering it.

New customers who sign up for either one of the TV services and the unlimited wireless plan will receive $500 in credit to use toward the purchase of a new smartphone. Essentially, you can receive a free full-featured phone simply for signing up for these services.

Smartwatches can also be added to the plan for an additional $10, and mobile-connected tablets can be added for $40 — the same cost of adding another phone.

The biggest benefit, of course, is that other wireless providers like Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have been trying to eliminate unlimited data plans. Many of them increased the total cost of unlimited data plans for customers who have been grandfathered in, and surprisingly AT&T hiked their price too. That said, AT&T’s new service is affordable, unless you have no desire to sign-up and pay for the TV subscription.

There are unseen benefits to having an unlimited data plan. If you live an active lifestyle, an unlimited data plan can boost your productivity levels, which is why I’m discussing this news.

How Can Unlimited Data Plans Boost Productivity?

Unlimited data plans allow you the freedom to use your mobile devices as you please. When you have a data cap, you must remain conscious about everything you’re doing that uses data on your mobile device. You have to restrain all of the following:

• Web searches
• Internet browsing
• Media streaming when you’re watching videos or listening to music
• Social networking
• Photo and video sharing via MMS
• Video conferences or video calls
• And much more

Everything that uses data will continue to add to your total usage, putting you closer and closer to your data cap.

Many folks are not okay with the idea of data caps, which have also crept into the broadband and cable internet market. Companies like Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House and others are enforcing data caps for wired internet services. Sadly, there’s not much consumers can do about it as many of us require internet for day-to-day activities and work.

Unless you’re okay with paying ridiculous fees and overage charges, you likely monitor your data usage to ensure you don’t exceed your cap. This wastes your precious time and limits your potential. It likely prevents you from performing certain tasks on your mobile device.

If your business or career calls for completing tasks on the go, such as sharing files via email, checking email or taking part in video conferences, you’re going to face some problems when you reach your data cap. Productivity will come to a halt, meaning your work can suffer from a low data cap.

An unlimited data plan allows you the true freedom to accomplish your tasks when using your mobile devices on your wireless network. For the average person in today’s world, that’s extremely important, and it may be the deciding factor in whether AT&T’s new — yet expensive — unlimited data plan is worth it or not.

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