Starting on August 10th, ATT will begin offering DIRECTV service bundled together with its wireless service with special discounts. ATT says:
"The offer includes HD and DVR service for up to four TV receivers, unlimited talk and text for four wireless lines, and 10GB of shareable wireless data – all for $200* per month, an annual savings of $600 or more in the first 12 months."
Already it sounds like there will be a catch in that the bundled packages will balloon up in price after the first 12 months which is something that cable and satellite etc providers typically do once they've got you comfortable using their service. Nevertheless it will certainly be convenient to have both services from a single provider on one bill.
As part of the initial launch, new DIRECTV subscribers will have immediate access to television programming on their mobile devices via a "walk out and watch" TV experience at the point of sale. Customers will be able to view programming on their mobile devices after leaving the store and before the satellite service is installed in their homes. Use of the service will require an app to be installed on their wireless device and ATT representatives will be available in store to help with the setup. Currently DIRECTV already has an app that customers can download to watch select programming, so I'm not sure how if at all "walk out and watch" will differ from what's currently available.
ATT will be offering several bundles and promotions at launch which are entitled "All in One," and "All Included." A $300 Credit promotion will also be available. The promotions and bundles break down as follows:
All in One
All in one pricing will allow ATT customers to save $10 a month on their bill when they bundle either DIRECTV or AT&T U-verse with their cell phone bill. TV packages will be available at the following monthly promotional rates for a period of 12 months:
- DIRECTV Select or U-verse U-Family, $50
- DIRECTV Xtra or U-verse U-200, $70
- DIRECTV Ultimate or U-verse U-300, $75
- DIRECTV Premiere or U-verse U-450, $125
Wireless service can be bundled with any of the above plans and the service will include 10 GB of shared data with unlimited talk and text for four phone lines for $160. With a $10 discount one could bundle DIRECTV Select with the cell phone service for a monthly cost of $200. ATT says that as long as you keep both services bundled on one bill, you can keep the $10 monthly discount.
In addition, DIRECTV and U-Verse customers who switch to AT&T wireless service from another wireless provider may be eligible to receive a $300 bill credit when they buy a smartphone on AT&T next and trade in an eligible smartphone. Eligibility requires a line to be ported in, and the smartphone traded in must be working and in good condition.
All Included
All included adds the option to add a high speed internet package to your wireless and DIRECTV bundle. Introductory 12 month promotional pricing for new customers is as follows:
- AT&T high-speed Internet with speeds up to 6Mbps, $30/month
- AT&T high-speed Internet with speeds up to 24Mbps, $40/month
- AT&T high-speed Internet with speeds up to 45Mbps and 75Mbps, $50/month
As mentioned above, it's certainly convenient to have all of your services on one bill, however, I'm not sure how much you really save to bundle everything together and I urge all of you out there to do your due diligence before deciding on your service providers if you really want to save some money. As an example a family of 4 could sign up for Cricket Wireless and pay $100 for 4 lines consisting of unlimited talk and text, with 2.5 GB of data per line and also sign up for Time Warner Cable for $89.99/month for 12 months and receive over 200 channels with internet speeds of 30 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload. Combined pricing is $189.99 which is significantly cheaper than ATT's new bundles. This is just one example of a way to save money on TV, Internet and your cell phone bill. By browsing around BestMVNO and other sites you should be able to find a cell phone plan and internet and TV services that further meet your needs while helping you save money in the process.