X

Lock in a lower AT&T text rate before the price hike

AT&T is changing its prices for texting to only include a $20-per-month unlimited plan, with your only other option to pay per text. Find out how to lock in a lower-price plan before the change occurs.

Jason Parker Senior Editor / Reviews - Software
Jason Parker has been at CNET for nearly 15 years. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps.
Jason Parker
2 min read
AT&T
Lock in your plan now to save money on making future changes to your text plan. Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET

Are you an AT&T phone user with a text plan? On August 21, AT&T will replace its lower-tiered text plans with a $20-per-month unlimited plan. The family rate of $30 unlimited texting (for five devices) will still be an option, but tiered pricing of $10 for 1,000 texts won't be. If you already have a plan that suits your needs, you won't need to make any changes, but if you have one of the soon-defunct lower-tier plans, this is the perfect time to switch.

The next three days are your only chance to lock in a lower-tier text plan before the changes go live. The lowest tier of $10 for 1,000 texts a month is fairly new to the service, and it bridged the once-absurd gap between plans AT&T had in place some time ago: $5 for 200 texts or $15 for 1,500 texts. AT&T later phased out the $5 and $15 plans, leaving people with the current options of $10 for 1,000 texts or the $20 unlimited plan. Those who were unaware of the recent plan shuffling may find that $10 for 1,000 texts is much more in line with their texting habits.

AT&T
If you're on the $5 or $15 text plan and want to change, you can grab the $10 plan before AT&T changes its pricing. Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET

How to change your text plan: Log in to AT&T Wireless with your phone number and password to view your account. On your Account Overview page, under Quick Links, choose Manage Features. Now scroll down to the section Web, Text & More, and click the radio button for $10 for 1,000 texts per month. Just click Next at the bottom of the page and confirm your changes.

That's it! As long as you think you won't go over 1,000 texts in a month (and that is quite a lot), you won't need to worry that your only option is the $20 unlimited plan.