AT&T Prepaid has increased the pricing on one of its hotspot/tablet plans. AT&T Prepaid's flagship hotspot/tablet plan now costs $90/mo plus taxes and fees for 100GB of data at up to 5G data speeds. Previously this plan was just $55/mo. So this is a monstrous rate hike, to say the least.
There is now a new hotspot/tablet plan available at the $55/mo rate. Customers now only get 50GB of high-speed data for $55/mo.
The changes went into effect on 6/21/22 according to Twitter's @tracfoneguy.
AT&T Prepaid's other two hotspot/tablet plans remain unchanged. You can get 15GB for $35/mo. And you can pay $300 for an annual plan that gets you 20GB of monthly hotspot/tablet data.
AT&T Prepaid's website hasn't been fully updated with the changes yet. The main plans portion of the website still shows 100GB for $55/mo. However, when the "learn more" button is clicked on that page, the updated plans are shown.
It is unknown if current customers will be grandfathered into the 100GB for $55/mo rate. But typically when such changes happen, customers are grandfathered in.
The massive price increase on AT&T Prepaid's flagship hotspot/tablet plan follows another price increase from the brand. Last week, BestMVNO noted that AT&T Prepaid's flagship phone plan, "Unlimited Max," got a price increase at Walmart. The plan was sold for $45/month with in-store activation, device purchase, and autopay exclusively through Walmart, and it was available for $50 elsewhere with autopay. However, the price has now been raised to $50/month at Walmart with in-store activation and device purchase and no additional discount for autopay.
The price increases follow those of all the major carriers. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all recently found ways to either raise prices altogether on specific plans or to increase fees.
The price hikes have not yet hit AT&T's other prepaid brand, Cricket Wireless. And hopefully, it stays that way. Customers wanting 100GB of hotspot/tablet data can still get it for $55/mo with taxes and fees included in the price from Cricket. Cricket Wireless also offers a $35/mo plan with 20GB of high-speed data.