- AT&T just updated their Unlimited Elite plan
with amazing new features.
More priority data, more hotspot data,
and free international data.
In this video,
I'm covering everything you need to know
about AT&T's New Elite plan,
how it compares with the premium plans
from T-Mobile and Verizon,
how it compares with AT&T's own unlimited plans,
and ultimately answering the question,
should you switch to this New Elite plan?
Let's get into it.
As a recap,
AT&T offers three post-paid Unlimited plans to choose from.
Unlimited Starter, Extra and Unlimited Elite.
Let's focus on Unlimited Elite because this is the plan
that got the changes.
This is the old Elite plan,
and it included 100 gigs of priority data
before being deprioritized,
30 gigs of high-speed hotspot data up to 4k video streaming,
unlimited high-speed data in Canada and Mexico,
and added perks of HBO Max, six months of Stadia Pro,
and the option for an International Day Pass
for $10 per day.
This is the New Elite plan
and there are three key differences.
Number one,
priority data got increased from 100 gigabytes
to unlimited priority data.
This means you will never be slowed down
based on how much data you've used.
Number two,
hotspot data got increased from 30 gigabytes
to 40 gigabytes.
And number three,
the $10 International Day Passes are now free
after you've paid for 10 days.
And honestly, I don't think this perk is worth it.
Sure, it sounds nice on paper,
free international data after 10 days,
but the truth is,
you would have paid for your first 10 days,
which is $100,
and that's on top of the $85 cost of Unlimited Elite.
So all in all,
you're looking at $200 per month
in order to get that free international data perk.
I don't think it's a perk.
You might as well go with an International eSim plan
from US Mobile or (indistinct),
which offer great low-cost options for seven days or 30 days
in a huge selection of countries.
Okay, so how does AT&T's New Elite plan
compare with the premium plan offerings
from T-Mobile and Verizon?
Well, we have T-Mobile Magenta MAX
and Verizon Play More here,
and you can see AT&T's New Elite plan stacks up really well.
Compared to Magenta Max,
they both include unlimited priority data,
40 gigs of high-speed hotspot data,
and up to 4k video streaming.
The differences are when it comes to data roaming.
AT&T includes unlimited high-speed data roaming
in Canada and Mexico,
whereas T-Mobile tops out at five gigs of high-speed data.
However, that said,
T-Mobile does include free international data roaming
in 210 supported countries
at speeds up to 256 kilobits per second.
Plus, you're getting free GoGo in-flight wifi.
On top of that,
T-Mobile Magenta MAX includes all taxes and fees,
making it the lowest cost plan here.
Finally, when it comes to perks,
AT&T Elite includes HBO Max,
which I know many people will love.
I've discovered it's a great library
of high-quality content.
However, I'm sure there are other people
who would prefer getting a Netflix subscription
included for free with T-Mobile,
or going with Verizon and getting
that Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle,
Apple Music and 12 months of Discovery Plus
included for free with their service.
So, which plan is best?
In my opinion,
T-Mobile Magenta MAX is still the best value here.
You're getting all of the premium perks with your service,
with the priority data and hotspot data,
five gigs of high speed data in Canada and Mexico.
I think is gonna be plenty for most people
on their trips.
And you're getting free international data roaming.
All of this with taxes and fees included,
makes T-Mobile's plan the cheapest option.
And in my opinion,
the plan with the most perks that I think
most people would benefit from.
However, there is one big con to T-Mobile's plan,
and that is coverage.
Sure, while T-Mobile may be boasting
about having the most 5G coverage,
their overall network footprint still isn't as good
as what Verizon or AT&T are offering.
And this is where AT&T swoops in
and is possibly the new best plan.
AT&T has a robust network
that blankets the United States in coverage.
Plus they have awesome speeds and performance.
When I tested the network,
I hit over 300 megabits per second down AT&T's LTE network.
And this is LTE,
you're not gonna need to upgrade to an expensive 5G phone
in order to enjoy these great speeds and performance
on the AT&T network.
The same can't be said with T-Mobile.
Plus at and T has excellent network capacity,
so you're less likely to notice slow downs
in congested environments.
Finally, AT&T also offers a signature discount
which gives you $10 off their Elite plan.
This discount is available for qualifying businesses,
AARP members, military personnel, first responders,
teachers, nurses, and physicians,
union members, and students.
With the discount,
AT&T's plan not only becomes the cheapest,
but also probably the new best plan
that you should consider.
So ultimately, I think it comes down to coverage.
If you're like me and in a great T-Mobile coverage area,
getting over 300 megabits per second down on T-Mobile 5G,
then yes, I still believe Magenta MAX
is the best value plan available.
If you're not sure
if T-Mobile offers good coverage in your area,
you can actually test them out right now
with T-Mobile's New Free Trial plan.
I've a full video on it linked up here,
and you get 30 gigs of data free for 30 days.
Great opportunity to test them out.
However, if you're one of the many people
who simply doesn't get good T-Mobile coverage,
AT&T's New Elite plan is easily the best option to consider.
And both AT&T and T-Mobile obliterate
what Verizon is offering.
50 gigs of premium data,
only 30 gigs of hotspot data, and 720p video streaming.
Verizon, are you kidding me?
And Verizon's plan is the most expensive.
So yeah, don't go with Verizon,
go T-Mobile or AT&T based on coverage.
Now, if you're an existing AT&T subscriber,
should you switch to the New Elite plan?
The answer is, no, definitely not.
Why do I say this?
Because if you're an existing customer on AT&T,
odds are your current AT&T plan works just fine.
Existing subscribers on the Elite plan
were automatically upgraded on July 14th,
and I'm sure a few of them
will enjoy the extra features and benefits.
However, if you're on Unlimited Extra
and satisfied with your plan,
I think there's no reason to upgrade.
Unlimited Extra is lower cost, it's meeting your needs,
and I'm all about helping people save money
on their cell phone bill.
In fact, according to Cisco's Annual Internet Report,
only 4% of subscribers use over 50 gigabytes.
And considering that AT&T Unlimited Extra
already includes 50 gigs of priority data,
it's gonna be a great plan for 96% of you out there.
And if you don't need hotspot,
you could honestly consider switching to Unlimited Starter
because well,
AT&T's network is just that good,
I don't think you're gonna notice the prioritized speeds
on Unlimited Starter.
And keep in mind AT&T offers AT&T Unlimited Your Way,
so you can mix and match the unlimited plans
based on what line needs what features.
I would consider putting most lines on Unlimited Starter.
For those who need hotspot,
consider bumping them up to Unlimited Extra.
And if you really need more hotspot data,
or you simply want HBO Max,
then it makes sense to upgrade to the New Elite plan.
And one more thing,
there is a secret AT&T unlimited plan
that I think is the best and most affordable plan available.
And it is AT&T Prepaid Unlimited Plus.
You get 22 gigs of priority data.
So you get the exact same speed and performance
as AT&T Unlimited Extra,
you get 10 gigs of high-speed hotspot data,
4k video streaming,
and unlimited data roaming in Canada and Mexico.
As a bonus,
AT&T also throws in 100 gigabytes of cloud storage.
So in essence,
this plan is extremely similar to AT&T Unlimited Extra,
but for $25 less per month.
This saves you $300 a year, and in my opinion,
is easily the best value AT&T unlimited plan available.
And it might actually be
the best-value premium plan available as well.
That's it for this video,
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I'm Stetson,
thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next time.