AT&T long-term wireless the phone The program’s customers are rewarded for their loyalty…with price increases. As the carrier shifts its focus to new “2.0” plans, it has added mandatory monthly surcharges to legacy plans. And it’s not clear who gets charged for what.
On the support page that went live when it announced its existence unlimited phone plans updated “2.0”.the carrier revealed that prices for its “retired” unlimited wireless plans — those that non-upgraded customers still use — will increase by as much as $20 starting in April.
AT&T has made two price changes. If your account with the “retired” plan has one line, the price is increased by $10. If you have two or more lines in the account, the price increase is up to $20 in the account.
Perhaps to reduce the dose, affected plans get an additional 20GB of high-speed hotspot data each month.
However, not everyone sees the same deal.
As an AT&T mobile subscriber myself, when I logged into my AT&T account to compare options, I was directed to a separate support page that said prices would increase by $5 for each smartphone line. For the hotspot, AT&T has added 10GB of extra high-speed data — roughly per line, but that’s not specified. This page doesn’t refer to the “retired” lines, it only says, “Monthly payments for your unlimited plan will increase starting in April 2026.”
I reached out to the company for clarification on which programs are available and where they are being promoted. AT&T maintains a list of retired plans, including unlimited plans going back to 2016. On my account, I have the old Unlimited Elite (retired in 2022), Unlimited Extra EL (retired in March 2026) and Unlimited Starter SL (also retired in March 2026). So it’s not clear why my combination of retired plans would warrant a small raise.
I also found a third support article that works for customers on the retired Mobile Share plans. If your plan includes less than 6GB of data, the price increases by $5 per month. If it’s a plan over 6GB per month, the price increases by $10 per month.
As for why the prices are going up, AT&T’s support pages read, “This change helps us continue to provide reliable network service, quality products, and a great customer experience.”
In a previous statement to CNET, an AT&T spokesperson said, “We recognize that any price increase is important to our customers and their budgets. These increases reflect the true cost of continuing to deliver the speed, reliability, and support our customers expect every day.”
AT&T insists its new plans are priced on par with other carriers’ plans and are “better aligned with how our customers use our services.”
The changes apply only to wireless systems that were activated before July 24, 2025, according to the support note. That includes legacy systems, not just recently discontinued systems that are being replaced by 2.0 systems.
It also means that if you signed up for a previous AT&T Value Plus VL, Unlimited Starter SL, Unlimited Extra EL or Unlimited Premium PL plan in the last quarter of 2025, this increase does not apply to you.
The increase makes it important to compare prices between sticking with an existing plan or switching to new plans. For example, the first change makes the Premium 2.0 plan even more attractive. When announced, the Premium 2.0 plan was more expensive than the old Unlimited Premium PL plan: $90 per month for one line instead of $86, or $220 for four lines instead of $204. With the new price increase, maintaining the Unlimited Premium PL plan will cost $96 per month for one line and $240 per month for four lines.
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AT&T isn’t the only one to change it price planning a few months ago. After Verizon replaced its CEOit is prices have dropped across the country to be more competitive. And T-Mobile has introduced a new limited time Better Value Plan the price is the same as his Hear more programming but with additional benefits aimed at attracting families.
If AT&T’s rise inspires you to shop around, we’ve got recommendations for it very good mobile phone plan and best unlimited data plan, and a comparison of AT&T and Verizon plans.
