Who is cheaper, Verizon or AT&T?
However, when it comes to cell phone service two of the largest companies in the United States are Verizon and AT&T. Both provide nationwide services and a plethora of plans, which one is cheaper most of the time? The cost can be compared between Verizon and AT&T in several ways, though there are some main aspects to look at.
Monthly Plans
If comparing monthly service plans only, AT&T Internet is often less expensive than Verizon at most data tiers. For instance, a single line plan with unlimited talk/text and 10GB of shareable data costs $80 on AT&T but $90 on Verizon in the same year, 2022. The same difference can be seen in the unlimited plans where AT&T offers the plan for $70 while Verizon for $90.
However, Verizon more frequently adds additional benefits to its plans such as Disney+ and ESPN+ subscriptions or Apple Music streaming. But you need to consider the benefit of those extra add-ons when comparing the prices of the bare plans. Verizon also occasionally has a limited-time offer of matching or beating AT&T prices for new consumers.
Family/Multi-Line Discounts
Verizon and AT&T also offer additional discounts in case you have several lines under the same account. Verizon provides ‘Choose Your Own’ family plans where you can save when you have 4 or more lines, and AT&T always groups multi-line accounts into savings. AT&T also gives multiline accounts the flexibility of having any combination of data quantities while Verizon makes all the lines to be on unlimited, to get some of the discounts. In general, AT&T family plans are a cheaper starting point than Verizon, but Verizon provides more options for data restrictions.
Prepaid Plans
If you like to go for the prepaid cell phone service where you pay monthly for the internet service you are going to use, then Cricket which is affiliated with AT&T is cheaper than Visible, the major prepaid brand that is owned by Verizon. One of the primary reasons for this is that Cricket imposes faster throttling on data usage than Visible. However, Visible plans allow Hotspot usage along with the plan (subject to the data allowance) while Cricket restricts Hotspots to 8 GB per month only.
BYOD Discounts
Another aspect that many consumers are not aware of when it comes to cutting down on the cost of cell service is BYOD rather than buying in installments. Currently, both AT&T and Verizon are known to charge their customers device access fees that are between $10 and $45 per month provided that the customer finances the phone with the company in question. However, most plans under Verizon that offer unlimited data do not charge this fee while AT&T does. Taking all into account, it is possible to note that the BYOD discount opportunities are higher with Verizon plans.
Coverage and Data Speeds
Thus, it is clear that the choice of a cellular phone carrier also requires more than just looking at the price. Whether or not the unlimited data plan is actually ‘usable’ will depend on network coverage, quality of coverage, and speeds. In the large metropolitan and suburban areas, Verizon and AT&T are relatively on par with each other especially as 5G service is growing fast. However, in terms of general availability, Verizon usually has a stronger signal in rural areas than its competitors. This translates into faster and more consistent cell and hotspot speeds for those who consume more data.
So in those circumstances, Verizon can come out on top even though it has higher starting costs. This all greatly depends on what locations are important to your usage and where the carriers have built up their networks. For example, using crowd-sourced maps and asking people around your neighborhood can be helpful.
When to Offer a ‘New Customer Discount’ vs a ‘Loyalty Offer’
One thing that a user ought to understand before going through the comparison of cell providers is that the sweetest promos are normally associated with new consumers rather than consistent and repetitive users. It is easy to stay on Verizon or AT&T’s side if one is willing to switch between carriers every few years in the pursuit of newbie promotions. That sort of change can be somewhat inconvenient after a while.
However, in the long run, Verizon offers more loyalty rewards like giving long-time customers a free month(s) of service and other benefits that regain their value. AT&T has not had much of a loyalty program at the time of writing, so savings are very heavily weighted at the beginning. Think about whether more immediate or long-term financial savings are more important in your role.
Bundling Services
You may also want to consider joining cell phone service with other home utilities such as internet service, television service, and home security for further discounted rates. Verizon has fiber optic home internet, TV, and smart home products while AT&T also offers fiber optic home internet and TV packages. When you purchase cell service with Fios (Verizon) or AT&T Internet/TV you get per-line mobile discounts. However, some regions only have one or neither option for wireline services making bundles unavailable there.
In a nutshell, AT&T is more inclined toward offering competitive minimum cost plans, especially for single lines while Verizon responds with superior network coverage and customer retention incentives. However, given that both carriers shift a lot from plan to plan and from market to market, you are required to assess all the factors presented above for your circumstance to identify the cheapest fit. Using resources available for free before switching can help you maximize the possibility of attaining cost savings no matter your decision.
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