How much is the AT&T activation fee?
The activation fee is among the costs you will be required to meet once you join AT&T’s wireless service provider network. This fee is charged to partly cover the amount spent in opening your account as well as activating your device on the AT&T network. Well, I could always ask them, but I guess I’ll tell you: How much does AT&T cost for activation nowadays?
As for now, AT&T has its activation fee set at $30 per line for postpaid wireless services only. This is both for new customers enrolling with AT&T as well as customers who wish to upgrade to a new line of service. It is important to note that the $30 activation fee applies whether or not a consumer buys the device through AT&T or is transferring their device over.
If you are enrolling for a single line of internet service, the activation fee is $30. For instance, if you wish to open a family plan for four users, the total activation charges for the new lines would amount to $120 (4 x $30). You would identify them as distinct line item charges on your initial one- or two-month billing statements before they are ‘bundled’ into your standard monthly wireless charges.
The activation fee applies to these AT&T postpaid plans:
- The first group is the AT&T Unlimited plans (Unlimited Starter, Extra, and Elite).
- AT&T Your Way offers are unlimited for data use.
- Mobile Share Plus plans are for users who want a larger bucket of service features to use, in addition to a larger amount of voice minutes, messaging capability, and data allowance.
- Any prepaid-to-postpaid migrations
On the positive side, activation fees are not standard for AT&T and can be often avoided when one uses the probability of promotions. That is why sometimes when a person is newly registering, this fee is not asked for, but if there is a specific deal at the moment. In addition, no matter whether you are a new customer or an existing one it is always wise to inquire from an AT&T sales representative if there are any activation fee discounts during the time of enrollment.
The activation fee is not the same as the upgrade fee that AT&T has and this is another popular fee. The upgrade fee is $30 also but that applies only when users currently using the services provided by AT&T are getting new phones under existing service contracts. The total cost of upgrading to a better phone is $230 since it does not attract the activation fee because the line is active.
Let us now try to look at exactly what the activation fee is supposed to encompass. AT&T Internet explains that the fee assists in offsetting the costs associated with the activation of the account of the individual and preparation of the first bill of that particular account being charged, thereby being subjected to cover the expenses that the company undertakes in adding a new line and a new device to their networks.
Although the idea of an activation fee may seem like a no-no for many new subscribers, just try and remember to be a bit reasonable about it. Such signup fees are prevalent in the case of several services that people access on subscription, for instance, cell plans, internet plans, and satellite/cable TV plans, among others. It is preferred to make a payment at the time of activation of the service rather than paying every month more than the actual amount of service that is being rendered in the months of the service contract.
I have also noted that it is possible for the activation fee not to be charged, though this is quite rare on the part of AT&T.
The activation fee is waived under certain circumstances
- For instance, if one transfers a line from AT&T Prepaid to postpaid offerings
- If you are porting your GoPhone from the Pay As You Go, Monthly, or Unlimited plan, then all of these options will apply to you.
- In the case you decide to switch from another carrier, the ‘bring your own device’ policy of AT&T allows you to port your number to the carrier.
- If the activation relates to a first responder, military, or veteran account
And, therefore, in special circumstances, you will not be required to pay an activation fee for your new postpaid line. For the other lines of the new AT&T subscribers, the $30 activation fee per line will be charged, but there are some exceptions.
In summary, the following is the analysis of AT&T’s activation fee.
For every new line with AT&T wireless service, whether you bring your device or buy one, you would incur a $30 activation fee per line. This assists in meeting the more subtle overhead expenses of launching a new service. Merely discount the fees from the expected first-time costs when paying for one’s service. And if you’re a lucky guy or girl, who knows, perhaps during the holidays or any other ‘promo season’, you get to enjoy the activation fee FREE of charge!
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