Unlimited data plans have come roaring back in 2017 as the four major carriers repeatedly undercut each other with lower prices and try to sway subscribers with additional features. All of these plans have their fair share of issues, but AT&T’s new unlimited plan for GoPhone customers might be the worst of the bunch.
Announced on Friday, AT&T’s latest plan includes unlimited data for GoPhone users for $60 a month. That’s the good news. The bad news is that AT&T caps GoPhone unlimited data speeds at 3Mbps and limits video streams to 1.5Mbps, resulting in a max resolution of 480p.
Additionally, if you use more than 22GB of data, AT&T will slow your data even further. This is standard in any AT&T unlimited plan, but with speeds of less than 3Mbps to begin with, I’m not even sure if you’ll be able to effectively browse the internet, much less watch Netflix or other streaming video, after using 22GB. AT&T doesn’t clarify how much it will restrict data speeds after 22GB of usage.
In order to qualify for the GoPhone unlimited plan, customers need to sign up for AT&T’s AutoPay. If you want to buy a GoPhone but aren’t interested in unlimited data, AT&T is also offering a plan with 6GB of “high-speed data” for $40, which honestly sounds more appealing than “unlimited” slow data.
AT&T is also offering a set of new unlimited data plans for its non-GoPhone customers, which are also imperfect, but were recently overhauled with more affordable pricing and additional features.
Updated on 3/10 at 1:36 p.m. to rectify outdated information on AT&T’s new standard unlimited plans
