AT&T automatically gives customers a ‘bonus’ 15GB of data, along with a $10 price increase

Everybody likes “bonuses,” right? Well, not necessarily — at least, not when those bonuses come from a major phone company like AT&T. In that scenario, there’s almost always a catch, and some AT&T customers learned that the hard way recently.

AT&T recently decided to offer its Mobile Share plan customers a “bonus” 15GB of data, which applies to all Share Value plans. So, the cheapest plan, which formerly came in at $130, now gives a guaranteed 45GB a month instead of 30, and the once-$225/month 60GB plan now grants customers 75GB of data.

However, much to the surprise of many Mobile Share subscribers, these bonuses were not free. “Starting with your October 2019 bill, you’ll get an additional 15GB of data on your Mobile Share plan,” AT&T writes in a support article. “This bonus data comes with a $10 price increase.”

While we’re not going to debate the definition of the word “bonus” with AT&T, we should point out that this additional data — and the price hike that comes with it — is not optional. These changes have been made automatically, and AT&T’s official comment on the matter confirms that this is intentional.

So, if you’re on a Mobile Share Value plan and weren’t necessarily expecting to see your monthly bill go up, you don’t have much recourse. Short of switching plans or providers entirely (which isn’t practical for everyone), that is.

Whether you agree or disagree with these changes, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below.