Most wireless subscribers pay a set amount every month for their cellular telephone service without thinking about ways they could be saving significant amounts of money every month. One way to save which is commonly overlooked is the carriers’ discount programs. Below, readers will find just a few of the many discount programs available from AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. In the next edition of TRACNotes, we’ll look at some discounts available to Sprint-Nextel and T-Mobile subscribers.
AT&T Mobility Union Plus Discount
Active or retired members of one of the 300-plus labor unions who participate in the AT&T Mobility’s Union Plus program may be eligible for a 10% discount off the regular monthly rate on most AT&T Mobility calling plans. Union Plus members will also receive additional savings on handsets and wireless accessories. Interested union members must provide proof that they are an active or retired member of a union affiliated with Union Plus when they activate their service. Union members who currently subscribe to AT&T Mobility who would like sign up for the discount will have to renew their contract for an additional two years. Another important detail to keep in mind is that the 10% discount will only apply to the primary line of a family calling plan. IPhone users and subscribers on the “Unlimited Minutes” plan also do not qualify for the union discount. Only service plans priced at $39.99 or more per month qualify for the discount. To learn more about AT&T’s discount and how to sign up for it, click here.
AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless Senior Discounts
Both Verizon and AT&T offer wireless plans for consumers 65 and older for $29.99 per month. Both Verizon’s “Nationwide 65 Plus” plan and AT&T’s “Senior Nation 200” come with 200 anytime minutes and 500 evening and weekend minutes and with unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. Anytime and “night and weekend” minutes are somewhat limited on both plans, but the unlimited in-network calling may be a great bargain for seniors who tend to only call their family members. In return, family members can avoid using their own anytime minutes when calling a senior relative. This could even help make it possible to choose cheaper a calling plan with fewer anytime minutes. Consumers interested in taking advantage of one of these plans for themselves or a family member should keep a couple of caveats in mind, however. First, as mentioned already, both parties need to subscriber to the same carrier to take advantage of the unlimited in-network calling. Second, make sure that either the Verizon Wireless or AT&T Mobility network cover both parties, since roaming fees can quickly eat into any savings gained by free in-network calling. To learn more about the Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility discounts, please click here and here, respectively.
Additional Discounts
With a little digging, additional discounts can be found on both carriers. For example, Verizon Wireless offers New Jersey state employees a 15% discount and Illinois state and local employees an undisclosed discount on wireless plans that are $34.99 or more per month. To take advantage of these discounts, New Jersey state employees should call (609) 472-7773 and Illinois government employees should call (217) 622-5813. To read more about these offerings, click here for the New Jersey discount and click here for the Illinois discount.
Additional AT&T Mobility discounts may be available to university students or through private-sector employer discounts. Interested consumers can check their eligibility to receive a wireless discount through their school or employer by calling AT&T customer service at 1-800-897-7046 or by clicking here and providing a school or work e-mail address to verify whether eligibility for a discount. If done through the website, AT&T will send a message with details about the discount to the e-mail address provided by the consumer. Students who decide to purchase service at an AT&T retail location will need to show a valid student ID. Employees of participating companies will need to show proof of work such as a W-2 form. This may sound like a lot of work, but the savings can add up over a two-year contract. For example, students who attend Missouri S&T University can receive a 10% discount and Indiana University staff will receive a 12% discount on their AT&T wireless plans. Over the 24 months of a typical $39.99 per month plan, the discount can save the MSTU students $95.98 and the IU staff member $115.17.
Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org
