The sneaky way AT&T is raising prices on old customers this month

The next billing cycle is about to get more expensive for AT&T’s long-range wireless connections phone Customer plan. As the carrier shifts its focus to newer “2.0” service levels, those that do are sticking with the older ones unlimited A mandatory monthly surcharge is being imposed on contracts starting this month. The logic behind the price jump seems inconsistent, as the exact dollar amount varies widely across different generations of retirement plans.

On a Support page Which was broadcast live when she announced it Renewal of unlimited phone plans “2.0”.The carrier revealed that prices for its “retired” unlimited wireless plans — those that customers who haven’t upgraded are still using — will rise by up to $20 starting in April.

AT&T is implementing two price changes. If your account with a “Discontinued” plan has one line, the price will increase by $10. If you have two or more lines in an account, the price increase is capped at $20 per account.

To perhaps make up for this issue, affected plans will get an additional 20GB of high-speed hotspot data each month.

However, not everyone sees the same deal.

As an AT&T mobile phone plan subscriber, when I logged into my AT&T account to compare options, I was directed to Different support page This means prices will rise by $5 per smartphone line. For the hotspot, AT&T is adding 10GB of additional high-speed data — likely per line, but that’s unspecified. This page doesn’t mention “retired” lines, just that “monthly fees for your unlimited plan will increase starting April 2026.”

I’ve reached out to the company for clarification on which plans get the increases. AT&T retains List of retiree planswhich includes unlimited plans dating back to 2016. In my account, I have an older Unlimited Elite (retired in 2022), an Unlimited Extra EL (retired March 2026), and an Unlimited Starter SL (also retired March 2026). So it’s not clear why my set of retirement plans would justify the smaller increase.

I also discovered a Supporting material three This applies to customers on retired Mobile Share plans. If your plan includes less than 6GB of data, the price goes up by $5 per month. If the plan has more than 6GB per month, the price will increase by $10 per month.

As for the reason for the higher prices, AT&T’s support pages read: “This change helps us continue to provide reliable network service, high-quality products, and great customer experiences.”

In an earlier statement to CNET, an AT&T spokesperson said: “We recognize that any price increase is important to our customers and their budgets. This increase reflects the true cost of continuing to deliver the speed, reliability and support our customers expect every day.”

AT&T asserts that its new plans are priced competitively with other carriers’ plans and “better align with how our customers use our services.”

The changes only apply to wireless plans activated before July 24, 2025, according to the support note. This includes legacy plans, not just recently discontinued plans that are being replaced by 2.0 plans.

This also means that if you signed up for the company’s AT&T Value Plus VL, Unlimited Starter SL, Unlimited Extra EL, or Unlimited Premium PL plan in the latter half of 2025, this increase will not apply to you.

The increases make it worth comparing prices between sticking with your current plan or switching to new plans. For example, the first change makes the Premium 2.0 plan more attractive. When it was announced, the Premium 2.0 plan was more expensive than the older Unlimited Premium PL plan: $90 per month for one line instead of $86, or $220 for four lines instead of $204. With the new price increases, keeping the Unlimited Premium PL plan will cost $96 per month for one line and $240 per month for four lines.

AT&T isn’t the only one that has changed its plan prices in the past few months. After Verizon Replace its CEOhe – she Prices fell In all areas to be more competitive. And T-Mobile has introduced a new limited time Better value plan At similar prices Try more plan But with more perks aimed at attracting families.

If AT&T increases have you shopping, we’ve got recommendations for Best mobile phone Plan and Best unlimited data The plan, as well as a Comparison between AT&T and Verizon Plans.