I signed up for the AT&T 55+ plan. Three months later, I am struggling to get AT&T to remove me from this capricious offering. AT&T has actually requested I file a fraud report against AT&T to try to rectify the situation.
Switching to the AT&T 55+ plan increased my monthly cost from $120 per month to $140 per month.
In this document, I am going to describe what the AT&T 55+ plan is actually offering and why you should be extremely cautious.
Before you go any further, either with my comments or with purchasing the AT&T 55+ plan, be sure to read the 55+ support document ( located here ). Of less interest is the AT&T marketing piece for senior discounts ( located here ). These are quick reads, but you’ll want to at least be aware they exist.
Now…pay special attention to the first line of “Get the 55+ plan” …
Sign up for the AT&T 55+ Signature SavingsSM, AT&T Fiber® or AT&T Internet service, and AutoPay and paperless billing (with a bank account).
Read that carefully, because AT&T salespeople are not familiar with these requirements. AT&T billing, however, is intimately familiar with the nuances of this line and will charge you accordingly.
I was enrolled in 55+ even though it was clear that I was not eligible.
Here are the immediate things to know:
- Whatever price AT&T quotes, it is per line. They will say it is for two lines, so you might assume that you plus your partner will get billed once. That is not correct; it does not mean you get two lines for the one price. It means they will charge you twice the 55+ amount if you have two lines.
- You need to have an AT&T Fiber or internet service bundled with your cell phone. Quantum Fiber (from AT&T) does not qualify as an eligible internet account.
- Your account needs to be paperless. If you are getting a paper bill, you need to change it.
- Autopay must be from a bank account. Autopay from a credit or debit card doesn’t count.
Pricing:
AT&T capriciously changes the price of this plan. At one point, I was quoted $35. I thought I was signing up at $50. My bill came back at $65. On a chat with AT&T billing, I was quoted a price of $75.
At least once (possibly twice) I was asked if I remembered the quoted amount for the 55+ plan. From this, it’s clear that AT&T has more price points than they can predictably remember.
For Example:
Here is a quote directly from AT&T sales people manning the chat line:
“Actually, you could still get the $65/mo. for 2 lines under 55+. The only qualifications to reach this amount is to update your autopay using checking account for you to get $10/mo. per line discount since credit card on autopay AT&T doesn’t provide any discounts. Only for using checking account or debit card .
Together with that, since you have a quantum fiber with AT&T already you qualified on the converged discount that is additional $20/mo discount. which since you just recently changed plan the converged discount will apply within 2 to 3 bill cycle.“
Both of the above claims are wrong. Autopay is one of the requirements for 55+. When this claim was made, there were other conditions that also made me ineligible. In addition, quantum fiber does not qualify for the converged discount. I know this because another sales rep told me so. It is possible that the second rep is wrong and the first was correct – but it isn’t clear who is to be believed.