# Important Changes To Your iPad AT&T Plan!



## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Be sure to look at replies #56 onwards in the Sticky at the top of the iPad forum. There are new AT&T contract changes and restrictions that affect the iPad 3G Users!

Best Wishes!

_--- added direct link_


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

As I understand it, the changes affect new iPad purchasers only. Current owners can keep the plan they are on.


Mike


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Pretty much a dick move if you ask me. No more unlimited data for iPhone/iPad users. Also to enable tethering will not only cost extra, but will take you off your current "grandfathered" plan and off your unlimited data. 

Bad move AT&T. Ugh!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

The restrictions / new plans start for new "signees" on Monday.  I bought a 3G iPad the day they were released, but haven't signed up for it yet.  Lately when I turn my iPad on, get a little reminder that I haven't -- "Do you want to do it now?"  Think I will later today.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

jmiked said:


> As I understand it, the changes affect new iPad purchasers only. Current owners can keep the plan they are on.
> Mike


From the multiple articles I have been reading, *current* 3G iPad users _must_ be signed up for the Unlimited Plan before June 7th in order to be grandfathered in. If you are on the 250MB Plan currently and upgrade _on or after_ June 7th, you will not be able to get the Unlimited Plan, just the 2GB limitation plan for $25 or stay with the 250MB Plan for $15.

Unfortunately, the official AT&T website has not posted the fine print on the details yet. We will probably have to wait until June 7th.

Best Wishes!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Well, in the long run, this will save me some money so I can't complain too much. My youngest daughter and Hubs can go down to the cheaper plan and my oldest daughter and I will stay on our unlimited plans.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

This will actually save us about $25/month, so I'm not opposed to it. I can use all those savings to buy the new iPhone! LOL


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

So I just signed up for the 3G unlimited.  Something about AT&T irritates me.  I have AT&T for my land lines.  I wouldn't give up land line.  Because of something tech related, I have to have two in my one-bedroom condo!  I sign up for the 3G -- another password and another phone number (AT&T's) to keep track of.  Why can't AT&T consolidate departments, numbers, whatever  I'm to the point I don't know what phone number, e-mail address, etc. to contact them at for what.  Geeeeeez.  So that could mean you get into recorded voice hell.  Grrrrrr.  

Apple is huge.  When you need something from them,  no problem.  Love my Apples.


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## sixnsolid (Mar 13, 2009)

Wow!  I am surprised at this....


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

sixnsolid said:


> Wow! I am surprised at this....


Don't be. All the wireless providers will be doing this in short order, largely to curb abuse. The guy who tethers his phone and uses it as a primary internet connection, downloading 100GB per month, currently pays the same $30 as the grandma who receives 40MB worth. To use AT&T's numbers (which I'm not vouching for, just using as an example), the 98% have to subsidize the hell out of the 2%.

Verizon has already announced (months ago) that they're switching to tiered data pricing in concert with their upcoming LTE (4G) rollout. The others won't be far behind, though I suspect Sprint will be last--their reasonably priced "Simply Everything" and "Everything Data" plans are one of the few big selling points they have.


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I had purchased the 250 MB plan this month to try it out...so today I purchased the unlimited plan on top of it.  Hopefully this will work to grandfather me in!  It is the reason I got the 3G iPad, even though I did not use much data last month....


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

Ok I admit it I am sooo confused by this.  I had the 250 plan that I had set up to not renew automatically. I just wanted to try it out to be sure it worked before I did any traveling.  

But if i was traveling I probably would want to use my Netflix account.  Say maybe one movie a day plus regular use checking in here etc. any idea how much that would use?  I generally travel for a week at a time so it isn't like it is a long time but I AM trying to stay entertained while hubster is at the tournament for the day.    

And if I went to the unlimited before the cut off the date do you have to renew it each month or can you let it go and only renew it every so often?

And is the $29 a month plan a plan you are locked into for a contract or can you renew it like what is set up 
now?  And can you go back to the $15 plan if you have used the $29 plan?

I told you I was confused!


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## mwb (Dec 5, 2008)

Yeah, I pretty much figured this would happen.  I suspect the next surprise will be the current customers down the line finding their unlimited won't be either since there's no contract.

It's about par for the course when dealing with AT&T (or generally any cell providers.)


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

rho said:


> Ok I admit it I am sooo confused by this. I had the 250 plan that I had set up to not renew automatically. I just wanted to try it out to be sure it worked before I did any traveling.
> 
> But if i was traveling I probably would want to use my Netflix account. Say maybe one movie a day plus regular use checking in here etc. any idea how much that would use? I generally travel for a week at a time so it isn't like it is a long time but I AM trying to stay entertained while hubster is at the tournament for the day.
> 
> ...


My understanding is that you have to be on the unlimited plan by the deadline date mentioned (I believe it was June 6, but verify that before counting on it), and stay on the unlimited plan each month thereafter, or it goes away. I don't know the figures for Netflix streaming and how much storage that uses. You might want to stream some movies in the meantime, check your data usage (how to do it on your ipad is mentioned in other posts here, I don't know of the top of my head how to do it since I don't have a 3G) and make a decision based on that.

Unless $30/month is prohibitive to you (and it's not a small amount of money), if you think you might want it and are unsure, I'd go ahead and get an unlimited account immediately to lock yourself in. You can cancel it later, it is not like a phone account where you are committed for a two years.


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## Joe Paul Jr. (Feb 12, 2009)

Oh, God... this is going to make me look really dumb, but here goes: what's bigger-- 2 GB or 250 MB?  My 3G iPad is on the limited, 250 MB plan ($14.95 per month, if I remember), and it seems to be enough for me (I use wi fi about 75% of the time).  So, when I'm shoved into the new, across-the-board 2 GB-for-$25 plan, will I be getting more or less data than I am now?  An answer to this will help me determine if I should quickly upgrade to the expiring $29.99 unlimited plan before it's unavailable to me.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

jmiked said:


> As I understand it, the changes affect new iPad purchasers only. Current owners can keep the plan they are on.
> 
> Mike


I hope that is true thanks.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I have the 3g unlimited


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

Anne said:


> I have the 3g unlimited


How much data do you find that you use each month since yo have unlimited?


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Joe Paul Jr. said:


> Oh, God... this is going to make me look really dumb, but here goes: what's bigger-- 2 GB or 250 MB? My 3G iPad is on the limited, 250 MB plan ($14.95 per month, if I remember), and it seems to be enough for me (I use wi fi about 75% of the time). So, when I'm shoved into the new, across-the-board 2 GB-for-$25 plan, will I be getting more or less data than I am now? An answer to this will help me determine if I should quickly upgrade to the expiring $29.99 unlimited plan before it's unavailable to me.


A GB is 1024 MB, so the 2GB plan is a lot more.

What I wonder is, can you still get 3G for just a month, then quit? That was promised when the iPad came out, and I figured I would use it just when traveling. If they cancel that, I might as well just get the wi-fi when I get an iPad.


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

By all accounts, you can still turn on/off on a monthly basis.  However, once you turn off the $30 unlimited, you can never turn that particular plan back on again.  You'll be required to pick from the new $15/25 plans for 200MB/2GB, respectively.

Basically, if you have unlimited now, you have to pay for it every month or you'll never get it again.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I think the new plans will still basically be month-to-month charge on your card with automatic renewal until you cancel.  That won't change.  Still no contract to sign.


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## gadgetgirl003 (Mar 22, 2009)

Although I'll probably decide not to keep it, I just now signed up for the unlimited 3g so that I could see just how much data I use. I think probably it would be cheaper for me to pay extra for the extra gigabytes when I actually use them rather than paying $29.99/month even when I don't need it since I usually have wifi available to me. Also, when reading through the data agreement, it sounded to me like AT&T has left the door open wide for them to get rid of the unlimited plan even for people who are currently signed up for it since AT&T states that the agreement is just for one month.


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## Joe Paul Jr. (Feb 12, 2009)

Wow, R. Reed, so 2 GB is 2048 MB... that should more than serve my needs.  But they ARE still going to let people choose between two limited plans, 2 GB/$25.00 or 250 MB/$14.95?  Some of the language in the announcements make it sound like it's going to be the $25 plan or nothing (unless one is grandfathered into the expiring unlimited plan).


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

gadgetgirl003 said:


> How much data do you find that you use each month since yo have unlimited?


I am not sure how much I use yet. I got the unlimited because. I have to use my ipad a lot for email when I am at work. Plus I use it to check in with all my groups etc.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Joe Paul Jr. said:


> Wow, R. Reed, so 2 GB is 2048 MB... that should more than serve my needs. But they ARE still going to let people choose between two limited plans, 2 GB/$25.00 or 250 MB/$14.95? Some of the language n the announcements make it sound like its going to be the $25 plan or nothing (unless one is grandfathered into the expiring unlimited plan).


You might want to read the sticky that is linked in the first post of this thread. It has a lot better explanation of what may be coming down the line. Here is part of what was written there:

iPad

"Much like the $29.99/month unlimited iPhone data plan, the $29.99 unlimited iPad data plan has also been sent to the gallows. Starting from June 7th, iPad customers will have two options to choose from: $15 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB of data. *Any existing iPad customers who wish to stick to the current unlimited plan are free to do so*, but AT&T seem to be hoping that most would rather save the $5 and apply a limit to their data downloads."

From my interpretation of the news release, if you want the unlimited iPad data plan, you must be signed up for unlimited NO LATER than 11:59PM June 6th. Otherwise you will be stuck with the 2GB DataPro Plan. In addition, if you downgrade from the Unlimited plan to the 250MB Plan or 2GB Plan, you lose the right to Unlimited. You can not go back to it.

Best Wishes!


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> My understanding is that you have to be on the unlimited plan by the deadline date mentioned (I believe it was June 6, but verify that before counting on it), and stay on the unlimited plan each month thereafter, or it goes away. I don't know the figures for Netflix streaming and how much storage that uses. You might want to stream some movies in the meantime, check your data usage (how to do it on your ipad is mentioned in other posts here, I don't know of the top of my head how to do it since I don't have a 3G) and make a decision based on that.
> 
> Unless $30/month is prohibitive to you (and it's not a small amount of money), if you think you might want it and are unsure, I'd go ahead and get an unlimited account immediately to lock yourself in. You can cancel it later, it is not like a phone account where you are committed for a two years.


Just did a movie. One half of a movie used up my 250mb.


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

what's the deal on the iphone unlimited going away and what do I need to do to keep it?  I won't reach two years with AT&T until December 2010 and not eligible for an upgrade until this August.  My mom is on my phone with a family plan (not iphone) and I don't intend to keep her on when I renew as she no longer drives.  What should I do now about my iphone plan?  How do you say, "Bait and Switch"?  I wouldn't have gotten the 3G if I'd known this was in store.  I feel very ripped off.
Paula ny


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

corkyb said:


> what's the deal on the iphone unlimited going away and what do I need to do to keep it? I won't reach two years with AT&T until December 2010 and not eligible for an upgrade until this August. My mom is on my phone with a family plan (not iphone) and I don't intend to keep her on when I renew as she no longer drives. What should I do now about my iphone plan? How do you say, "Bait and Switch"? I wouldn't have gotten the 3G if I'd known this was in store. I feel very ripped off.
> Paula ny


Relax. If you have an unlimited plan on your phone, all you have to do is keep paying your bill. That's it.

I've had the same plan through AT&T since 2002-three phone changes so far. I'm not locked into a timed contract, and though the iPhone plan changed once already since I've had one, my rates and terms haven't changed.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Unless I'm misunderstanding, those that have unlimited plans now are grandfathered.  Starting Monday, anyone signing up for first time cannot get unlimited plans.


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> Unless I'm misunderstanding, those that have unlimited plans now are grandfathered. Starting Monday, anyone signing up for first time cannot get unlimited plans.


You're really close. Those who are already on AND STAY ON (ie, pay the $30 every month with no breaks) the unlimited plan are grandfathered. Starting Monday, anyone who activates or makes changes to their account (whether they're signing up for the first time or not) can't get unlimited.


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## Joe Paul Jr. (Feb 12, 2009)

Just read an article on PadGadget saying that people are beating down the doors to get a 3G iPad before June 7 so they can quickly sign up for the unlimited plan before it's unavailable.  Made me feel guilty for not being concerned about this, so- sigh- I just upgraded my plan to unlimited data directly from my iPad, no questions asked by AT&T.  My thinking is, I can always cancel it later and downgrade to the $14.95 or $25.00 plans.  But I'll at least try out the unlimited plan and track my usage to see if I really need unlimited data.


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## MrTsMom (Jun 13, 2009)

Joe Paul Jr. said:


> Just read an article on PadGadget saying that people are beating down the doors to get a 3G iPad before June 7 so they can quickly sign up for the unlimited plan before it's unavailable. Made me feel guilty for not being concerned about this, so- sigh- I just upgraded my plan to unlimited data directly from my iPad, no questions asked by AT&T. My thinking is, I can always cancel it later and downgrade to the $14.95 or $25.00 plans. But I'll at least try out the unlimited plan and track my usage to see if I really need unlimited data.


My thinking, too. I really wanted to have unlimited for vacation. If it turns out that I don't go over the 2 gigs even then, then I can move back down.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

And Gizmodo breaks it down for you if you use the Netflix or ABC player app: http://gizmodo.com/5555921/how-much-video-can-you-actually-stream-with-atts-new-data-plans

Excerpt below, basically:
Netflix: When we watched an episode of Netflix (Arrested Development) running 21:54, 55MB of bandwidth was used; so, let's say 22min is 55MB, then Netflix consumes 2.5MB for every minute of streaming video watched. Therefore:

* A half hour TV show (~22min.) on Netflix would consume 55MB of data
* An hour-long TV show (~43min.) on Netflix would consume 110MB of data
* An hour-long movie on Netflix would consume 150MB of data
* An hour and a half movie on Netflix would consume 225MB of data
* A two-hour movie on Netflix would consume 300MB of data

** In total, you could watch 13.65 hours of programming on Netflix before using up all your bandwidth. This assumes you do nothing else on your iPad that month to eat up your bandwidth. (And remember: the average American watches over 150 hours of television per month alone.)

ABC App: We watched an episode of Better Off Ted, running 25:41 with ads used 97MB. For simplicity's sake, let's average it out to 26min and 100MB. That's ~4MB/minute.

* A half hour TV Show on ABC streaming would consume an estimated 100MB
* An hour-long TV Show on ABC streaming would consume an estimated 200MB

** In total, you could watch 10.24 hours of programming on ABC Streaming App before using up all your bandwidth. Again, this assumes you do nothing else on your iPad that month.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Frankly, the more I think about it, the more irritated I get at ATT and Apple. The iPad was advertised as $30 'unlimited' data and a month after release, its changed. I feel like I need


Spoiler



a cigarette and a kiss


.


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## chiffchaff (Dec 19, 2008)

I actually like the new options.  I don't need unlimited plans on BOTH my iPhone and iPad, so now I can downsize the phone plan to just cover email and a few apps.  Based on my first month of use, 2 GB will cover my ipad use under normal circumstances and in months when I travel, I can get another gig for $10 if I need it. Most often when I stream video, I'm at home or in a hotel and in both cases I have wi-fi so I may not even need the extra gig.  Overall, this will save me money without changing how I use either device.  Of course other users may have different needs, but these plans seem reasonable to me.


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## corkyb (Apr 25, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> Frankly, the more I think about it, the more irritated I get at ATT and Apple. The iPad was advertised as $30 'unlimited' data and a month after release, its changed. I feel like I need
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I agree totally. I was just thinking today that there should be a class action against AT&T. This is just bait and switch. I would not have bought the 3G except for the fact that I thought I could get unlimited 3G use for a month at a time whenever I wanted. and using it that way is much cheaper than their new plan for me.


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

geko29 said:


> You're really close. Those who are already on AND STAY ON (ie, pay the $30 every month with no breaks) the unlimited plan are grandfathered. Starting Monday, anyone who activates or makes changes to their account (whether they're signing up for the first time or not) can't get unlimited.


Quote from Seth Bloom from AT&T's public relations team:

"What is changing on the iPad? As of Monday, you will no longer be offered the $30 Unlimited data plan on the iPad. Instead, you can opt in for a $25 30-day 2GB plan. However, if you have already signed up for the $30 Unlimited plan and are set with the auto-renew option in place, your unlimited plan will continue to renew for the indefinite future. Unlimited customers will not be cut off. *Beware: if you cancel your auto-renewing plan, you will not be able to re-join it after Monday.*"

Translation: So as long as you continuously auto-renew your Unlimited data plan, you can stay on Unlimited. If at any time you stop auto-renew, whether to go to a lower cost plan or to take a break for a month or two, you will forever lose the right to re-join the Unlimited data plan. So essentially you are now _locked_ into the Unlimited plan just like a contract. This only pertains to the Unlimited data plan. The other two plans (2GB/month or 250MB/month) are not affected. You can start/stop those other two plans at any time.

Best Wishes!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Funny how "losing" something makes it valuable even when you didn't value it previously....I'd made a conscious decision on buying my iPad that I didn't really need another 3G device to add to my Palm Pre, so a wifi iPad would do me just fine. And I still think that's the correct decision--Only time I'd use 3G is when I travel, when I'm at home I don't take my iPad out of the house, and I don't travel THAT often (maybe four times a year for about two weeks). Nevertheless, this afternoon I felt a wild impulse to get a 3G iPad and start up the unlimited service so I'd have it for the future. But don't worry, I squelched the impulse.

I haven't seen it mentioned on KB, but I've seen claims that because of the scramble to get 3G ipads before the deadline, AT&T has agreed to allow anyone who has on order from the Apple online store a 3G by the deadline time will be eligible for the unlimited plan (provided they keep it going continuously thereafter). That was what sparked those the thoughts mentioned above. I didn't really pay attention to this, and it doesn't affect me, so find independent information and don't just go on my unchecked and unverified (I haven't looked into it myself) here. Here's a link, but note that the statement is not directly from Apple:

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/04/atandt-out-of-stock-on-iphone-3g-offers-unlimited-ipad-data-plans/

Again, don't count on my post here, if this is important to you, check the facts independently!


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Funny how "losing" something makes it valuable even when you didn't value it previously....I'd made a conscious decision on buying my iPad that I didn't really need another 3G device to add to my Palm Pre, so a wifi iPad would do me just fine. And I still think that's the correct decision--Only time I'd use 3G is when I travel, when I'm at home I don't take my iPad out of the house, and I don't travel THAT often (maybe four times a year for about two weeks). Nevertheless, this afternoon I felt a wild impulse to get a 3G iPad and start up the unlimited service so I'd have it for the future. But don't worry, I squelched the impulse.


I have to laugh, I have the same reaction.

Realistically, I think most people are getting worked up over something that doesn't affect them. Most people are using wireless the majority of the time anyway, NOT 3G. Most people probably don't use 2 GB worth in an average month. Most people will look at this and choose to watch their TV's instead of their iPads...same as they did two months ago prior to the iPad's release. The only people who are truly impacted are those who travel extensively, or thought they could get rid of their cable or DSL bills this way. And of course, those most impacted are using torrents for all sorts of not-exactly-legal downloads. Most of us don't fit those categories.

In addition, if you pass 2 GB, you can get another GB for $10. So now you're at 3 GB for $35....and again, 98% of users aren't ever going to need that option.

I do think that AT&T should have a third option, perhaps a 5 GB for $40 or something. But most of us will never use that kind of bandwidth, and paying less for the lower caps will actually be a plus for the majority of users.

And yes, it would have been better if they'd waited longer than a month--but for them to pull the trigger this quickly, there's clearly something going on behind the scenes that we're unaware of. Possibilities include a much greater load on their infrastructure than they anticipated, the collapse of their exclusive agreement with Apple--all sorts of things could be going on. Regardless, it's their right to do as they please as it was never more than a month to month agreement. For those who are unhappy about it, you might think about selling your 3G iPads while they still command premium prices for resale due to the difficulty in obtaining them right now. A class action suit will go nowhere as there was no contract, implicit or implied. AT&T can choose to change pricing for anyone at any time, and frankly, it was nice of them to offer grandfathering at all--it's sure as heck not in their best interests to do so.


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## kindlemama (Jan 5, 2010)

Eeyore said:


> Quote from Seth Bloom from AT&T's public relations team:
> 
> "What is changing on the iPad? As of Monday, you will no longer be offered the $30 Unlimited data plan on the iPad. Instead, you can opt in for a $25 30-day 2GB plan. However, if you have already signed up for the $30 Unlimited plan and are set with the auto-renew option in place, your unlimited plan will continue to renew for the indefinite future. Unlimited customers will not be cut off. *Beware: if you cancel your auto-renewing plan, you will not be able to re-join it after Monday.*"
> 
> Translation: So as long as you continuously auto-renew your Unlimited data plan, you can stay on Unlimited. If at any time you stop auto-renew, whether to go to a lower cost plan or to take a break for a month or two, you will forever lose the right to re-join the Unlimited data plan. So essentially you are now _locked_ into the Unlimited plan just like a contract. This only pertains to the Unlimited data plan. The other two plans (2GB/month or 250MB/month) are not affected. You can start/stop those other two plans at any time.


Could you tell me how to set up auto-renew? Is there someplace I can check to see if I have it or not? I just bought the iPad yesterday so I could get locked into the unlimited plan. I did get on the unlimited plan, but didn't do anything specific to auto-renew.

Edited to add: I just got off the phone with AT&T and confirmed that I am on the auto-renew plan. I don't recall doing anything to get on it, so I guess it's automatic when you enter your credit card number. I did confirm with them that I am grandfathered, and as long as I don't make any changes to the plan, I'll be on the unlimited usage plan indefinitely.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

I bought the 3G iPad to have the wireless connectivity when on vacation. I planned to sign up for the unlimited plan to try it out for the first time on a trip we are taking this week. When I first heard of the plan changes, I was upset that I had missed out on that option. I was glad to hear that the changes don't take effect until Monday; I just signed up for the unlimited plan.

It will be interesting to see if I actually get to take advantage of the service on this trip.  We will staying in a hotel in the mountains near the VA-WV border; I'm not sure it is in the 3G coverage area.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

It's more likely when you sign up on-line for a service that it will be automatic renewal.  I got very disgusted with Angie's List last year.  Two years previous I signed up for two years.  Told them on the phone that I did NOT want automatic rewnewal.  She didn't tell me that's what they did and I didn't check -- having told her.  I made a note of the renewal date.  Two years later I was aware of the approaching date and debating about renewal.  Then I got my Visa bill.  Not only was it renewed, but my card was charged on the 1st of the month when it would be renewed.  Renew date was 22nd of the month.  So in any case, I got billed a month earlier than I should have.  That's a NO NO.  I am done with Angie's List.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

lynninva said:


> It will be interesting to see if I actually get to take advantage of the service on this trip. We will staying in a hotel in the mountains near the VA-WV border; I'm not sure it is in the 3G coverage area.


You may be surprised. I get great coverage in a lot of the rural areas of WV. I don't always have the service traveling between towns, but once in a town I almost always have decent service. Good luck.

deb


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Here's an interesting breakdown of how much bandwidth you can expect to use for normal tasks based on some of the new plans.



> - The 200MB plan: Sending/receiving 1,000 one-page text emails and 150 one-page emails with an attachment, viewing 400 Web pages, uploading/downloading 50 photos to social media sites, and (only) 20 minutes of standard-quality video watching (read: streaming a basic, low-quality YouTube clip) a month
> 
> - The 2GB plan: Sending/receiving 10,000 one-page text emails and 1,500 one-page emails with an attachment, viewing 4,000 Web pages, uploading/downloading 500 photos to social media sites, and (only) 200 minutes of standard-quality video watching a month
> 
> ...


http://www.clicker.com/blog/how-much-video-can-you-actually-stream-with-atts-new-data-plans/


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Thank you.  That's making it a little bit easier.  
deb


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

I actually signed up for the unlimited today  Mainly to see what I might use. I know I wouldn't need it but I figured what the heck if I wait there is no way I would know for sure    Does Anyone know if AT&T stays up if there is a hurricane?  It is that time of year again after all.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

This is a non issue to me. I used slightly over 1 gig since I got my 3 g a month ago and that is being out of town for 2 weeks out of that month. I only turned on wifi a couple of times as required to download some apps or sync to my desktop apps. My unlimited did just renew no problem, but I don't need more than 2 gigs anyway based on my usage over the last month.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

rho said:


> I actually signed up for the unlimited today Mainly to see what I might use. I know I wouldn't need it but I figured what the heck if I wait there is no way I would know for sure Does Anyone know if AT&T stays up if there is a hurricane? It is that time of year again after all.


Well I didn't have an iPad in the last hurricane, but our phones kept working fine the last few we've been through. The problem was recharging when the battery died, as we lose electricity easily.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

rho said:


> I actually signed up for the unlimited today Mainly to see what I might use. I know I wouldn't need it but I figured what the heck if I wait there is no way I would know for sure Does Anyone know if AT&T stays up if there is a hurricane? It is that time of year again after all.


I live in southern Mississippi and during Katrina the only phones that worked were Cellular South. Of course that has been a while and AT&T has probably improved their service since then.


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> Well I didn't have an iPad in the last hurricane, but our phones kept working fine the last few we've been through. The problem was recharging when the battery died, as we lose electricity easily.


Thanks. The charging issue is why I ordered a car charger that should come this week


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

My husband just looked at all our iPhone bills. He is paying $30/phone (4 phones) for unlimited usage. In the past month, he used the most: 628 MB. I came in second with 198 MB. The children were distant at third and fourth place. So under the new pricing, he'd pay $25 for his phone and $15 for the rest of us, so a total of $70, a savings of $50.

If I were to get an iPad, I assume some of my iPhone usage would switch to the iPad but even between the two of them, I don't think I'd hit the 250 MB limit very often, except maybe in an unusual circumstance (traveling with limited wifi would seem to be the situation).

So, I guess I don't have to rush out and buy an iPad today to lock myself into the $30 unlimited plan.

L


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I switched Hubs and A over to the 200 MB plan today. I'm still debating whether or not to move down to the 2G plan for myself. It's saving me $30/month so far.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Looks like one good thing about all of this is we're all looking more closely at our usage!

DH and I are still on original iPhones with $*20* unlimited data--not sure what AT&T will do with that when I buy the new one, I'm betting they'll want me to switch. But neither of us uses more than 200 MB right now, and moreover, of our 450 calling minutes each, we're each using about 50-100 a month.  Just switching to a family plan will save us $20, and that's before we make any data plan changes. LOL

We're going to go in and get all that situated this week, well before the release. I figure the day of will be pretty chaotic.


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

VictoriaP said:


> DH and I are still on original iPhones with $*20* unlimited data--not sure what AT&T will do with that when I buy the new one, I'm betting they'll want me to switch.


You will be required to switch, but you will have *3* options: the new $15/$25 plans, or the old $30 "Data Plan for iPhone". This is because you're currently on an unlimited data plan (albeit not one is valid on a 3G-capable phone) and are therefore grandfathered in to the option. Someone on Macrumors confirmed this with a screenshot of their 3GS order.

Of course, if you pick DataPlus or DataPro at the time of your upgrade, the $30 unlimited option disappears forever.


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

It was great to have the 3G option when we were travelling Sunday.  It was a stormy afternoon & I could pull up the Weather Channel in the car to see if we were driving into or out of the storms.  We were travelling through Roanoke, VA & the screen designated that I had 3G service.

Then we got to our destination at the top of a mountain in rural VA. The area is not densely populated, but since we were only 20-30 miles from VA Tech, I hoped we would have service.  I had no ATT service there.  However, my Verizon BlackBerry & laptop aircard both had great reception  (both work devices - that is probably why they had service   ).  Also, our Kindles (the US only Sprint versions) had good Whispernet connections & downloaded books without a hitch.

Then back home, I get 1-2 bars of E service (Edge) on my iPad.  So I will probably cancel the unlimited data plan & sign up for whichever other option makes the most sense the next time we travel.


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