Is there a way to stop AT&T from adding 15 dollars every time I go over on data? Can't I just tell them I want data to stop working once it's used up?
A few options:The myAT&T app allows you to customize who gets what notifications when you hit 65%, 90%, and 100% of your data bucket. It also allows you to turn off cellular data on one or all lines on your account, and will automatically turn cellular data back on when your next cycle starts.Check your phone settings. If you have an Android phone, go to your data usage settings, set the correct bill cycle start date, and setup a restriction in your phone to turn off cellular data after you hit your desired threshold (make it a bit below your limit, because each data session sent to AT&T's billing system is rounded up, so data on your phone will always end up being slightly less than what AT&T shows). On an iPhone, turn off wifi assist to ensure you're only using wifi when you think you are. On both Android and iPhone, ensure wifi settings are properly configured for places you frequent, and also consider restricting/disabling cellular on a per app basis to prevent unwanted or background cellular data usage of apps that use higher amounts of data such as video or music streaming services. In general, keep an eye in your phone settings to see if one or more apps just aren't using an unusually large amount of data.Switch to unlimited data. No $15 overages! If you have DirecTV or Uverse TV, you may be able to switch to their unlimited plan, and maybe even save money depending on how much data you use along with how many lines you have. Get the AT&T Unlimited Data plan when you have AT&T wireless and DIRECTV. AT&T gives pricing for plan changes in the myAT&T app, so this may work out if you're using a lot of data. If you're not a huge data user, or a cord-cutter and not adverse to ending/paying off your contract/installment (or are already going month-to-month) then call them up and let them know you'd like to switch to their gophone service. It's $40/month for unlimited everything if you set autopay (they just slow down your speed after 2GB at that price instead of making you pay more). They've got a couple tiers if you need more/less data, check it out here: New GoPhone Plans with Unlimited Text to Mexico, Canada, and over 100 Other Countries.
Are the AT&T international roaming plans worth the cost?
I use these plans frequently when I travel to Europe. I welcomed their introduction by AT&T, since previously you had to deal with voice, text, and data separately (which made no fucking sense). These plans now bundle it all together. The plans are still expensive compared to what you get in your normal domestic plan, but they are a hell of a lot cheaper than paying the full international roaming rates. Note that this only makes sense if your phone is still locked to AT&T. If you're able to get it unlocked because you're off contract, then by all means just forgo the Passport plans and buy a pre-paid SIM card when you get to your destination. That's much cheaper.Regarding MMS, this does not require a data package and is part of the texting allowance (e.g. unlimited). From AT&T:Unlimited Texting: Applies only to messages sent via AT&T Short Messaging Service (SMS) & Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and not to other messaging services/applications. Messages received are charged at domestic messaging rates.If you're used to consuming gigs of data at home, you're going to wonder how you're going to survive with the paltry amount in these plans. But if you leverage Wi-Fi whenever possible, turn off automatic email fetch and background updating of data hog apps like Facebook, keep data roaming turned off until you need it, and avoid anything streaming or with lots of photos, you should be fine. Pro tip: when you first arrive at your destination, reset the data counter on your phone (easy on iPhone, dunno about that Android thing). This way you can keep track of how much data you've eaten so you won't have any surprises when you get home.
I currently have a 4G LTE data plan with AT&T and I want to buy the Galaxy S10 5G.?
So we have a family plan with AT&T where each person gets their own 10 GB of 4G LTE data and I was planning on buying a Galaxy S10 5G Edition from Samsung’s website directly and my friend who works in the mobile department at my job told me that it shouldn’t burn up more data having 5G ability but it’ll just make it go faster when using data. So my question is, if I have a 5G phone on a 4G LTE data plan, is AT&T going to automatically up charge my bill? Or am I only going to be getting 4G LTE speeds if I choose not to pay for the 5G speeds?
How much is 200 MB of data.?
EDIT: Ahh, yes, I see what you are talking about now. Probably AT&T's data plan, right? 200mb is not much at all. Stay far away from YouTube or any other streaming video or music services when on wireless connection. You could burn up 200mb of data transfer in 2 days if that if you were sitting around watching YouTube. Don't download any apps when you are not on WiFi. Really, try not to even use any of the data, because your phone will probably use some automatically as you travel around. If you want to be out and about and use your smart phone, you really need to the 2gb plan (or just a higher plan if you are on some service besides AT&T). My wife has the 200mb plan, and she had to disable her phone from making automatic updates. She uses it maybe once a week or so to look up a price online or check weather or traffic. That is it. You can't do much more than that without a higher plan. Original: Today, 200mb is almost nothing. Some smart watches have at least 1gb of data. If you aren't familiar with the terms, mb is Megabyte, which is 1 million bytes. In modern computers, a single letter of writing takes 2 bytes (in Unicode, which is the more common encoding format today; only 1 byte is needed for ASCII, but ASCII cannot display many foreign alphabets, whereas Unicode can, which is why it is preferred). So if you were only storing "plain text" text files (like .txt files on Windows), a mb should be able to handle about 500,000 characters. 200mb is 1/5 of 1 gigabyte (1 billion bytes). An average modern smart phone has storage of between 8 - 64 GIGAbytes, or many times that 200mb. It sounds like a lot, but things change dramatically when you start looking at modern computer usage and realize that almost any device is going to be storing music, sounds, graphics, video, etc. Those burn up storage much faster. An average MP3 song is around 3 - 5mb, depending on length and quality. So that 200mb would hold about 50 MP3s. Video takes up much more space. A standard resolution (no HD, not even 720p) movie file for a typical length movie (about 100 - 110 minutes) will take up about 700mb, or several times more than that 200mb. If you want to start talking about full 1080p HD, a regular length movie could take up to 9gb, or 45x more than that 200mb. So the short answer is that it is a little. Not a lot. :)
How much in data is 1GB?
Well, one website can be 100 kb (kilobytes) or so. there are 1,000,000 kb in 1 GB. 1000kb =1 MB 1000 MB =1 GB So you can go to 10,000 website for 1GB. For 5 GB, times that by 5. Of course, some websites that are flash and are more than 100 kb, some even more than 1 MB. It's not a bad deal. Just don't download a lot of things like games, etc. That takes up bandwith too!
Why doesn't AT&T offer an unlimited data plan at a higher price point?
Although the risk of jailbreaking or tethering are good guesses, I don't think they are the real reason. AT&T actively monitors its customers usage and they quickly send letters to those who appear to be violating the terms of their contract. People get the choice of stopping tethering 'illegally' or having their plan automatically changed in the next billing cycle.Going back to the original question: I think it's more likely related to bandwidth constraints. They have the largest base of iPhone users and they do not have the ability to add cell towers as needed. The process to add a cell site takes years. If they allowed all their customers to have all-you-can-eat mobile broadband access, their quality would really go down the drain without any real options for improvement. The best (and probably only) way to limit usage is by increasing cost. This also why you get harassed whenever you start getting close to your monthly limit. They want people on WiFi as much as possible in order to reduce the strain on the mobile network.I have no inside knowledge of these policies, the ideas above are my personal opinion.
IPhone (AT&T) data/voice strategies for international travel? Does anyone have a good solution?
Here's the most cost-effective international calling solution I've implemented when traveling. This plan has worked out to have the lowest cost (without being so austere as to be impractical) and provide the best service.Before you travel, open an account with Skype and buy a US Skype Online number and voicemail- $80USD for 12 monthsRecord your greeting for your voicemail. Mention that you are traveling internationally and you may not respond as quickly as usualAdd $20USD credit to your Skype account - this will let you call local or US landlines and cell phones from Skype via your iPhone or computerDownload and install Skype on your laptopDownload the Skype app for your iPhone. After enabling your account, be sure to change the Skype Preferences in Settings to "Sign in Automatically" and "Go Offline - Never." You'll also want to turn on Notifications - "Notification Center, alerts, badges, sounds and view in lock screen."This is the critical step: when you board the plane set your iPhone to forward calls to the Skype Online number. Then put your iPhone in Airplane Mode (no cell service, no wifi).When you land, turn on wifi, but not the cell service.When people call you from the US from a telephone or by Skype and you're offline, the call will go to voicemail. If you're online via wifi, Skype will ring.If someone leaves a you a voicemail, Skype will send you an email to alert you to the message. You listen to the messages via your Skype account.Note: if you travel to the same country frequently, you can purchase a second Skype Online number for the country you're visiting. That way, it's even easier for people in that country to call you - it's a local call for them.If you plan to do lots of calling to telephones, you can enroll in a top-up program, where you automatically add $20USD to your Skype account if the account balance falls below a certain limit - say $2.00. Keep in mind that call to telephones are really cheap via Skype.Make it a point to get friends and family that you know you'll need to talk to on Skype before you travel - if possible.With the growing prevalence of wifi hotspots, cafes, hotels and just about everywhere else, using a VOIP service like Skype is a huge cost saver and makes it a lot easier to stay in touch.
What happens if you go over your data limit?
When you are near the limit, you will receive a text warning you that you are near the limit. If you go over, your carrier will add another data plan...