If you’re looking for a great family cell phone plan with nice perks, AT&T family plans are a great option. This guide will walk you through AT&T family plans and help you find the best one for you.

AT&T family plan benefits may include:

  • Discounts for all extra lines added to plans
  • Unlimited talk and text
  • No contracts—you can come and go as you please
  • Mexico and Canada talk, text, and data
  • Unlimited messaging to 120+ countries
  • Military discounts of up to 25%
  • Access to AT&T Thanks perks

What are AT&T Family Plans & Why Should You Get One?

AT&T family plans are generally less expensive than paying for multiple individual lines. For instance, since AT&T’s Unlimited Extra plan costs $75/month, then four individual lines on separate accounts would cost a whopping $300/month.

Conversely, with the AT&T Family Unlimited Extra plan, each line is discounted, meaning you get all the benefits of this AT&T unlimited plan while saving yourself money each month. A 4-line family plan on AT&T Unlimited Extra costs $160/month, or $40/month per line, which equates to $140/month in savings!


AT&T Prepaid Family Plans

Prepaid family plans work just like prepaid individual plans in that you pay for your service before you use it. AT&T prepaid family plans offer the added bonus of not having to undergo a credit check. Other perks of signing up for an AT&T prepaid family plan include:

  • Usually cheaper than postpaid plans
  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Customizable data for each line (between 1GB, 8GB, unlimited, or unlimited data + 10GB hotspot)
  • Great coverage aboard AT&T network

The best part of AT&T’s prepaid family plans is that you won’t be overpaying for family members who don’t use much data. This customizable feature is only available with prepaid plans, as AT&T’s postpaid family plans are one-size-fits-all.

Let’s Talk Tip: AT&T only allows up to five lines on the prepaid family plans. If you want more lines, you’ll need an AT&T postpaid plan.


Postpaid Family Plans

With AT&T’s postpaid family plans, you pay for your service after you use it. These plans range from 3GB shared data plans to unlimited data with all the fixings. Keep in mind that if you don’t have an unlimited data plan, the data will be shared across all lines. For instance, if you have the 4-line Mobile Share Plus 3GB plan, all four people will share 3GB of data each month.

AT&T postpaid plan overview:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Rollover unused high-speed data
  • No overage fees on data use
  • Up to 10 lines on a family plan account

One important thing to note is that the Mobile Share Plus 3GB and 9GB plans don’t offer a discount for each line added. These single-line plans cost $30/month and $35/month, respectively, and the 4-line plans cost $120/month and $140/month. If you’re willing to pay $140/month for 9GB of shared data, you might as well go with the 4-line Unlimited Starter plan for the same exact price—you get unlimited data and additional international perks.

AT&T Unlimited Family Plans

An AT&T unlimited family plan is an awesome way to reap all the benefits of an AT&T unlimited data plan while saving big on your monthly phone bill. When you sign up for a multi-line AT&T unlimited plan, you receive a discount on each additional line. AT&T’s unlimited plan options include:

  • $65 Unlimited Starter: Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, unlimited texts to 120+ countries
  • $75 Unlimited Extra: Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, unlimited texts to 120+ countries, 50GB data deprioritization threshold, 15GB hotspot
  • $85 Unlimited Elite: Unlimited talk, text, and data in Mexico and Canada, unlimited texts to 120+ countries, 100GB data deprioritization threshold, 30GB hotspot, HD-quality streaming, HBO subscription

AT&T Unlimited Family Plans Prices

Unlimited Starter Unlimited Extra Unlimited Elite
1-Line Cost $65/month $75/month $85/month
2-Line Cost $120/month $130/month $150/month
3-Line Cost $135/month $150/month $180/month
4-Line Cost $140/month $160/month $200/month

You can save up to $35/month, per line, or $420/year, per line. That’s a total of $1,680 in savings.


MVNO Family Plans on AT&T’s Network

AT&T is one of the Big Four carriers, a group that also includes Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Compared to small carriers, also known as mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), the Big Four’s family plan prices are generally higher. MVNOs are carriers that run on one or more of the Big Four networks; as such, they have the same coverage as their parent network(s) at more affordable prices. If you want access to AT&T’s strong 4G LTE network while paying less for your monthly phone plan, you can get a family plan with one of the smaller carriers that run on its network. Popular AT&T MVNOs include:

  • Cricket Wireless (subsidiary of AT&T)
  • Tracfone
  • Straight Talk
  • Net10


Let’s Talk Take: Which AT&T Family Plan Should You Get?

AT&T offers a nice assortment of family plans at a variety of price points. Here are some things to keep mind as you shop for the best one for you.

  • Unlimited plans: best for families that like to stream video and music, as well as scroll and regularly update social media.
  • Shared data plans: best for families who don’t use much data and mainly use their cell phones to text and call.
  • Mixed prepaid plans: best for families that have a range of data users and want to customize their wireless plan.
  • AT&T MVNO plans: for budget-minded families that want access to AT&T’s robust network.