Thursday, March 28, 2024

AT&T GoPhone launches device discounts just in time for tax season

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Why it matters to you

Prepaid GoPhones are always a more affordable option and AT&T is helping you save more money on a new smartphone.

It’s tax season, in case you weren’t aware, which means an agonizing few weeks of tracking down receipts, frantically phoning your accountant, and hoping and praying that Uncle Sam sends a refund large enough to cover that Caribbean getaway you were planning. But this year, it also means discounts on prepaid phones through AT&T’s prepaid GoPhone program.

On Monday, the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. announced limited-time deals on the ZTE, Apple, and LG phones. Beginning Friday through April 6, customers on AT&T’s GoPhone can get a free ZTE Maven 2, a $175 iPhone 5S with $45 of service, or a $60 LG Phoenix 3 starting on February 24.

More: AT&T GoPhone customers are getting a hefty data allotment increase

The promotion is open to new and existing customers and follows GoPhone’s smartphone sale late in 2016. In September, AT&T offered a free phone with the purchase of another GoPhone and a new line of service. The Motorola Moto E, Asus Zenfone 2E, ZTE Zmax 2, ZTE Maven 2, Samsung Galaxy Express 3, Galaxy Express Prime and LG Phoenix 2 GoPhone models were among the list of eligible devices.

It’s far from AT&T’s only recent GoPhone promotion. In August, AT&T launched a multiline discount that gave families with up to five lines and businesses with up to 10 lines, discounts of up to $150 a month. In November, AT&T increased the data allotment available to GoPhone subscribers in each tier. The top-tier $60 tier got a bump to 8GB of data (from 6GB). The $45 plan went up to 4GB (from 3GB) and customers who opted to set up automatic payments paid $5 less a month.

More: AT&T is struggling against T-Mobile’s onslaught

Those discounts and promotions appear to be having an impact on sales. AT&T added 469,000 prepaid customers in the fourth quarter, the highest out of all four major carriers. That took the total to 1.4 million for the year, split between AT&T’s subsidiaries Cricket and GoPhone.

But the GoPhone’s flexibility is also likely played a part. Rollover data is included in the $45 and $60 monthly plans, meaning customers can use any leftover data from the previous month during the next month. Subscribers aren’t limited to the U.S. — they can call, text, and use data while in Canada and Mexico. Plans work with any GSM phone that is compatible with AT&T’s network, including flagships like the Google Pixel XL, Samsung S7 Edge, and LG V20.

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