AT&T Expands Unlimited Elite Plan With Latin America Roaming in 19 Countries
AT&T's priciest unlimited plan now has a new perk.
AT&T is updating its top unlimited offering, rolling out a new roaming perk for those with its Unlimited Elite plans.
Starting on May 3, those with the carrier's priciest unlimited plan will get unlimited talk, text and data in 19 Latin American countries. The list features seven Central American countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. The remaining 12 countries are in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
AT&T says travelers will be able to use 5G in these countries when it's available. The carrier's Unlimited Elite plan, which also includes a subscription to HBO Max, starts at $85 a month for one line or $50 a month for four lines (AT&T advertises that students, teachers, first responders or those with corporate discounts can potentially save $10 per month per line if they qualify for its "Signature" discount program).
Like rival Verizon, AT&T allows those with multiple lines to mix and match its latest unlimited plans. So if you have multiple lines on a lower unlimited plan but someone in your family is planning to visit one of the above countries, you can upgrade that line to Unlimited Elite for the month and avoid paying AT&T's roaming rates.
The carrier charges $10 a day for talk, text and data roaming for up to 10 days in over 210 countries (for a maximum of $100 a month in roaming charges). If you're traveling for more than 10 days, the roaming is free for that line after day 10 until the end of your month's billing cycle, at which point it would restart the $10-a-day count.
While a step in the right direction, AT&T still has a way to go to catch up to all of its competitors. Rival T-Mobile has long offered unlimited texting and data -- but not calling -- in over 210 countries with its Magenta and Magenta Max plans. T-Mobile's roaming in most countries, however, is often at significantly slower "2G"-like speeds.