AT&T and Verizon sneakily add fees to old unlimited plans

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Well, well, well. If it isn’t our old pals AT&T and Verizon pulling a fast one on us again.

In what seems like the plot of a low-budget heist movie, these telecom giants have sneakily slapped some extra fees onto their “unlimited” plans.

According to The Verge and CNET, the two mobile carriers are playing “gotcha!” with some unexpected charges on top of your regular monthly bill. This is specifically for those customers who are still clinging to grandfathered plans that AT&T and Verizon probably want to throw into the obsolete bin.

Let’s break this down: Verizon’s 5G Start plan, usually costing $70 per month, now comes with an additional $3 fee. Meanwhile, AT&T’s Unlimited Elite plan – which already stings at $85 per month – has a new surprise in store: an extra $2.50 charge.

The masterplan behind all this? To gently nudge (or rather shove) customers towards newer plans that fit snugly into AT&T and Verizon’s grand business schemes.

As reported by The Verge, there is indeed a newer plan from Verizon for $60 per month, but here’s the kicker – it offers fewer benefits than its older brother, the 5G Start plan. Specifically, less hotspot data… because who needs data when you’re paying for an unlimited plan?

Welcome to the wild west of mobile data, where nothing makes sense and everything costs more than you think. Remember when we were promised flying cars in the future?

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.