Which is cheaper, Verizon or AT&T?

About cell phone service, there are two giants in the United States, namely, Verizon and AT&T. They both provide coverage across the United States and numerous plans to choose from, but which one is cheaper? I have arranged Verizon and AT&T based on cost as follows.

Monthly Plans
If one were to compare only the monthly service charges, it can be seen that AT&T is cheaper than Verizon for most of the data allowance levels. For instance, AT&T Internet unlimited talk, text, and data plan costs $65 monthly while the similar Verizon plan costs $80. The differences are not as pronounced when it comes to smaller amounts of data, but AT&T remains slightly stronger. A 5GB shared data allowance costs $50 on AT&T and $55 on Verizon. In general, most independent analyses place AT&T in the 5 to 15 dollars per month per line savings range.

Device Costs
Verizon and AT&T have been historically aligned in terms of pricing for new smart devices that come with a service plan, such as the newest iPhone or the latest Samsung Galaxy models. However, Verizon has a promotion that makes it possible for clients to upgrade early at a discount price for Verizon. This was a strategic move since it gave Verizon an upper hand in the kind of device cost which was subsidized for its loyal customers whenever they offered such promotions. Both carriers have transitioned from providing subsidies to device payment plans, and the prices are relatively similar if buying unlocked.

Family Plans
Family plans are those in which several lines are under one account, and the cost per line is lower as compared to other plans. Verizon and AT&T offer good sales promotions for family plans, but AT&T typically has a slightly lower price as well. For instance, an AT&T plan can go for $160 for four lines, unlimited calls, and 10GB of shared data. The closest match to Verizon would be $180. As the number of lines increases, AT&T gets a slightly bigger edge. This effectively means with a simple $10 difference per month in favor of AT&T for a large family, you are saving more than $200 in the year.

Prepaid Options
Verizon’s prepaid plans are usually $5-10 cheaper than the same plans offered by AT&T. For instance, Verizon prepaid with a 6GB data allowance costs $45 while AT&T has charged $50 for the same. Both plans include talk and text without any limitations. For those who need only basic services or do not have much data usage and can’t avail of postpaid facilities, Verizon’s prepaid services offer good value. However, AT&T prepaid plans encompass mobile hotspots, whereas Verizon will make you pay extra for it, so in this factor, AT&T might have the upper hand if one needs this service.

Network Coverage & Reliability
Verizon is almost unanimously accepted to have the strongest network and coverage across the nation. There is no doubt that RootMetrics and JD Power have given backup to Verizon in terms of calling and data speed reliability. AT&T has been investing in the infrastructure and today it has a very good 4G LTE, although it does not reach Verizon’s standard it may even surpass it in some locations. Still, Verizon triumphs in the coverage reach category. As most customers consider network importance when selecting their service provider, it is easier for Verizon to charge slightly higher standard monthly rates given its better reputation in terms of coverage and reliability.

Additional Plan Benefits
Other than hotspot capability for AT&T prepaid, the additional features offered by these two carriers are fairly similar and balance each other out; Verizon and AT&T postpaid plans come with useful features such as streamable video quality, unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada, free roaming in Mexico/Canada and free waivers for overages. A comparison between the benefits of the ancillary plans shows that it is a case of matching rather than one carrier benefitting the other. Additional plan features also follow suit by being very similar to each other and thus the only distinguishing factor remains cost as it is with most services that are offered online.

Bundled Home Services
Other examples include Verizon offering wireless with Fios home internet service while AT&T offers wireless with TV, internet, and even home security service. This bundling can result in an afforded overall telecom expenditure for households with various bundled services. However, no exact or readily available measure can be used to compare the absolute total for the bundled home and wireless services offered by Verizon and AT&T. The companies do not bother to offer much clarity here, assuming that the ease and simplicity of paying fewer bills trumps the comparison of comprehensive package prices.

The Winner?
In comparing Verizon and AT&T as the cheapest cell phone carriers, AT&T is $2 cheaper per month on average for most direct comparable monthly service plans. Some are Verizon’s prepaid products and sang promotional device upgrade rates to customers. ACH: Where AT&T is weak compared to Verizon, which is the industry leader, in terms of reliability, the company seems to offset this by beating Verizon on price. However, those small per-line savings that T-Mobile offers compared to AT&T are worth it for large families when accumulated over the year. Customers who are interested primarily in the price are likely to find that AT&T has relatively cheaper monthly tariffs when compared to the carrier. But still, Verizon can be recommended for its leadership in terms of coverage area and network quality. Those consumers who are on the lookout for a cell phone but are pinching their pennies to do so should have confidence in beginning their quest at AT&T but do not necessarily expect to end it there. Do not be in a hurry when choosing a plan to subscribe to.

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