AT&T has a new unlimited data plan that's cheaper than any similar plan available through the carrier. But you'll have to look outside AT&T to find it.
The new prepaid option costs $45 per month and is an exclusive deal through Walmart. Activate this AT&T plan at a Walmart store, and you'll get unlimited talk, text and data, including faster 5G coverage. Other perks include 10GB of hotspot data, 100GB of cloud storage and HD streaming.
AT&T's Walmart offer matches the Unlimited Plus prepaid plan AT&T offers directly to customers. However, even after a $25 discount for autopay enrollment, that plan costs $50 a month. In other words, you'll be saving $5 each month by getting your service through Walmart instead.
You could also try AT&T's Unlimited Starter plan, which is available to postpaid customers at $65 a month for a single line. That plan includes 5G coverage as well as a 6-month Stadia Pro streaming gaming subscription.
But you can stream video only in standard definition with the Unlimited Starter plan, and AT&T reserves the right to slow your speeds at any time should its network get congested. The Unlimited Plus plan for prepaid customers lets you consume up to 22GB before slowing your data.
The ability to stream video in high-definition sets apart AT&T's Walmart-based Unlimited Plus plan from the other best cheap cell phone plans that offer unlimited data.
Verizon-owned Visible charges only $40 a month for one line of unlimited data, with discounts available as you add lines. Mint Mobile's unlimited plan costs $30 per month for the first three months, with the rate staying in place if you commit to a year of service. While both Visible and Mint include 5G coverage with their plans, neither supports HD video streaming as AT&T's prepaid Unlimited Plus plans do.
To get AT&T's discounted unlimited data plan, you'll need to go to a Walmart store in person and select a phone through the retailer. You'll also need to activate your new line of service while you're still in the store to get the $45 monthly rate.
To further entice you, Walmart is offering several AT&T-compatible phones at a discount. The Moto G Pure ($19, instead of Walmart's regular price of $79), Samsung Galaxy A03s ($29 instead of $79) and Samsung Galaxy A12 ($69 instead of $129) are among the Android phones being offered at a discount as part of this AT&T promotion. iPhone fans can get the iPhone SE for $149 and iPhone 11 for $299, which are also discounts from Walmart's regular prices.
Just be aware that none of these discounted phones offers 5G compatibility. Walmart is selling phones that work on AT&T's 5G network starting at $149.
