Families who use AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid service rejoiced in August when the carrier announced it would offer family plans with a multi-line discount to its prepaid customers, and now, AT&T is making GoPhone a better deal yet. At the start of November, the mobile service provider made it possible for customers to buy more data as they need it, so no more worrying about hitting a cap.
GoPhone offers customers three tiers of monthly plans at $30, $45, and $60. The $30 plan includes unlimited talk and text, as well as unlimited messaging to Mexico, Canada, and over 100 other countries, and now, allows for users to purchase 250MB of data for $5. Before, $5 would only buy you 100 MB.
The $45 plan includes everything in the $30 plan, as well as rollover data — this lets you use any unused data during one billing period for the next — and 3GB of 4G LTE data. With the improved GoPhone plan, users can add 1GB of data for $10. Finally, the $60 plan includes everything in the $45 plan, as well as unlimited talk and text from the U.S. to Mexico and Canada, the ability to talk, text, and use data in Mexico and Canada, and 6GB of 4G LTE data. If you need more data, buy a 3GB data bucket for $30.
The family plans only apply to the $45 and $60 plans, though the amount you pay each month can drop substantially, depending on how many lines you add. More specifically, AT&T offers a $5 discount for every line you add, though there is a limit. For example, you can save $10 every month if you have three lines and $20 if you have five lines. That is the maximum multiline discount customers are given, however.
Keep in mind that regular consumers are limited to five lines, whereas customers who use AT&T for business can have up to 10 lines for each account. In addition, setting up your account to auto-refill at the end of every billing period nets you an additional $5 discount, so you can theoretically save hundreds of dollars each year if you opt for more lines.
As an extra benefit, if you buy an AT&T GoPhone, you can get another for free. As with the family plans, the deal is only available if you opt for either the $45 or $60 plan.
Article originally published in August 2016. Updated on 11-02-2016 by Lulu Chang: Added news that GoPhone customers can now buy data additions.