Is AT&T cheaper than Verizon?
Looking at the cell phone carriers, two of the most popular in the current market are AT&T Internet and Verizon. Both provide coverage across the country and a vast selection of plans. But when it comes to your monthly bill, which one of the two is cheaper? Here is the detailed information on how AT&T and Verizon have priced their offers.
Monthly Plans
AT&T and Verizon provide several shared data options for single users, families, and companies. Their core monthly plans with unlimited talk and text begin in the same range as the lowest data bucket but diverge afterward.
For example, let's look at the pricing for a single line with unlimited talk/text and 5GB of data: For example, let's look at the pricing for a single line with unlimited talk/text and 5GB of data:
- AT&T: $60/month
- Verizon: $55/month plus taxes and fees
So Verizon comes out slightly ahead at the 5GB level. But when we go to the Unlimited plan pricing section, AT&T is now cheaper at $70 on the single line compared to Verizon’s $90.
So overall in terms of the base monthly rate for cell internet service themselves, the two companies are almost even. However, there are also cases where one has more favorable pricing than the other if the extra lines, data volume, etc., are taken into consideration.
Device Promotions
However, the savings on the new phones and the monthly cell plans also affect the general costs. Currently, both AT&T and Verizon often offer offers such as ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘with the subscription of new line you get …’
Overall, there are often more opportunities for AT&T consumers to get their hands on a free or cheap high-end smartphone than those of Verizon. For instance, you can enjoy getting a free iPhone 12 by signing up with AT&T but with Verizon, you only can get an older generation iPhone for free.
Of course, these deals change all the time, so it pays to periodically check what both carriers are offering when you are ready for your next device upgrade. However, in the past, it was AT&T that provided customers with better deals on the latest popular models.
Prepaid Plans
AT&T and Verizon also compete in the prepaid cell phone market segment through their respective Flanker brands: Cricket Wireless and Visible. Prepaid plans are much more cheaply priced in general compared to ordinary postpaid tariff plans.
Again, it is rather difficult to discern a clear winner here. You can obtain prepaid unlimited everything plans with $50- $60 monthly on either carrier. Visible does offer the $40 unlimited plan but there are some conditions like limitations in the usage of the mobile hotspot and throttling of the speed. In most cases, Cricket Wireless offers the same experience and network connection for the same amount of money you are willing to spend.
Coverage Reach
When comparing cell phone companies, one of the most important factors, besides costs, is the scope and density of the network that the companies provide. Indeed, a cheap plan is not very helpful when you can hardly get a good signal!
Here, AT&T and Verizon stand out from the rest with impressive nationwide networks, which cover more than 320 million users in total. These two carriers provide a good and stable service in densely populated regions and on principal corridors. Studies conducted have indicated that their 4G LTE performance has been almost equal in the recent past.
Still, Verizon can be credited for what it has done better in terms of extending the coverage of its network to rural as well as remote areas. Of course, AT&T coverage is also expanding, but for now, the title of the leader in the regions with limited connectivity belongs to Big Red. If you are in small towns or move around a lot, Verizon might offer you the best option for the most comprehensive on-the-road service even though its plans are similarly priced to T-Mobile’s.
The Bottom Line
It is not easy to determine which company is cheaper AT&T and Verizon since the price varies depending on the product. To summarize the key points we covered: To summarize the key points we covered:
• Monthly subscription charges also differ depending on the number of lines and data usage required
• The offer of free phones is usually more attractive when one is a new client of AT&T
• Prepaid unlimited plans are offered at almost the same price range in both carriers
• Verizon stands out with more coverage area reach in the rural areas
If you are trying to select the right carrier with the most preferable price for yourself or the family, it is wiser to spend more time comparing all the offers of AT&T and Verizon. One should not only look at the per-monthly cost but also look at the savings or extras thrown in by device offers. And of course, think of network reach limitations for the places where one spends time rather often.
While the two have a long-standing and established brand image, there are really good reasons why AT&T is relatively cheaper to go for most Americans with competitive plan rates as well as better free phone deals. However, Verizon has a wider coverage in rural areas than any of its competitors. With all these factors in mind, it will lead you to the most intelligent decision of getting cheap cell phone services.
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