The Hidden Costs of AT&T TV and Internet

AT&T Plans and Promotional Prices

AT&T U-verse packages have some of the most affordable introductory prices on the market. That value increases when you take into account the included Total Home DVR that comes with most AT&T U-verse plans.

However, after your first year, the prices more or less double. But AT&T’s contracts last only one year, so you’re free to move on if the higher costs don’t suit you.

And there’s one last little detail: The prices listed below require you to be on AutoPay and paperless billing. Otherwise, your plan will be $5.00 more per month.

Stand-Alone Pricing

AT&T U-Verse Plans Summary

AT&T Internet Plans Summary

AT&T Fiber Plans Summary

Bundling with AT&T

All of AT&T’s U-verse bundles have a base rate and then vary by U-verse introductory package price. After the first twelve months, the price increases by what the U-verse ongoing pricing is, but the internet price stays the same as long as you bundle. Check back on the AT&T U-verse Plans Summary to determine your total cost.

AT&T Double Play Bundles

AT&T U-verse and Internet Bundles Summary

These bundles with AT&T Internet come with $10.00 off your internet service per month.

AT&T U-verse and Fiber Internet Bundles Summary

The AT&T Fiber bundles also give you $10.00 off internet per month.

AT&T Triple Play Bundles

Triple Play bundles come with TV, internet, and phone services. AT&T has three phone plans:

• Phone Unlimited: Unlimited calling in US, Canada, and US Territories
• Phone 200: 200 minutes per month to US, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands
• Phone International Plus: Unlimited calling to US, Canada, Mexico, and US Territories.

Refer to AT&T U-verse Plans Summary for U-verse package pricing.

AT&T U-verse TV, Internet, and Phone Bundles Summary

Each phone plan increases the price from Double Play to Triple Play by different amounts:

• Phone Unlimited: $19.99/mo.
• Phone 200: $20.00/mo.
• Phone International: $40.00/mo.

To get Phone 200 or Phone International, you’ll have to pair phone service with both TV and internet. You can get Phone Unlimited with just TV or internet, but its price increases to $32.00 per month instead of $19.99 per month.

AT&T U-verse TV, Fiber, and Phone Bundles Summary

Phew! You made it down here. We were really hoping we didn’t scare you away with all the plans and pricing tables. AT&T has a lot of options when it comes to packages, but that variety can lead to some slippery fees, so let’s check those out before you commit to anything major.

Installation

Most U-verse packages come with free installation but require a one-time $35.00 activation fee.

And then there’s U-Basic.

U-Basic has a $199.99 installation fee in addition to the $35.00 activation fee. That makes one year of U-Basic more expensive than a year of U-Family. So, if you’re really looking for the best value, you’ll get way more (and pay less) if you upgrade to U-Family.

When it comes to internet, AT&T Internet packages come with a $99.99 installation fee. AT&T Fiber includes installation with purchase, but there’s another weird charge that you might find on your bill as well.

It’s a bizarre AT&T Fiber add-on that AT&T calls “home network installation.” Basically, the tech installing your internet will help you connect three additional devices to your Wi-Fi. Unless going without this assistance is entirely overwhelming for you (or you are very, very lazy), skip it. It’s not worth the $50.00 charge.

AT&T Equipment Fees

On the whole, AT&T rocks equipment. U-verse’s Total Home DVR gets the job done with its six simultaneous recordings and 300 hours of HD storage, and it comes included in most U-verse packages—except for U-Basic.

With U-Basic, the DVR will run you $15.00 per month.

Let’s do some quick math: $15.00 for a DVR plus $19.00 for monthly services . . . you’re already at the $35.00 per month that the U-Family plan costs for the first year—and that’s not including all the other fees that come with U-Basic. If you’re looking for the best value, it’s worth stepping up from U-Basic into a higher-tier package.

If you’re connecting your whole house with U-verse, be aware that you’ll pay $10.00 per month for the wired receivers to hook up to each additional TV. If you want to skip the wires, you can upgrade to wireless on up to two receivers for a one-time fee of $49.00 per receiver.

Finally, AT&T’s internet equipment is also a big win. Your plan will come with an included Wi-Fi Gateway, which is a space-saving modem/router. Once you get it, that’s it! You won’t be slowly drained of funds like you will with other providers that charge around $10.00 per month to lease similar equipment.

AT&T Equipment Fees Summary

AT&T Premium Channels

U-Family, U200, and U300 all come with three free months of HBO® and Cinemax®. This can be very good or very bad. It all depends on how invested you are in premium channels and how good you are at remembering to cancel the subscription before the fourth month, which is when you’ll start getting charged for them.

If you’re all about premium channels, consider going for U450. You’ll get HBO, Cinemax, and The Movie Package included (a $46.00-per-month value), and one free month of EPIX.

AT&T Premium Channels Summary

Note that The Movie Package includes SHOWTIME UNLIMITED®, or you can choose to get SHOWTIME UNLIMITED® by itself.

Add-On Channel Packs

In addition to premium channels, AT&T offers add-on packs that can beef up your channel selection. If you go for U450, The Sports Package comes included.

AT&T Add-On Channel Pack Summary