A widow who barely uses mobile data is paying about $112 a month for two AT&T lines, prompting her family to explore less expensive options following her husband's death.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, a family member said they are preparing to discontinue the late husband's line, which they kept active for two-factor authentication while transferring accounts to the widow. They noted that their father-in-law died in July.
The couple's Unlimited Starter SL plan includes a veteran discount. The poster believed the discount would not transfer to the widow, though some commenters disputed that claim without reaching a definitive answer.
Both phones are paid off, and the widow uses very little data. With that in mind, the family is considering adding her to their existing plan or moving her to prepaid service.
The poster plans to accompany her to an AT&T store carrying the bill and documentation of the death, according to the post.
"Of course, her primary interest is keeping her number," the original poster explained.
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More background
The original poster's account has three Unlimited Starter SL lines costing $50.99 per line, and they thought a fourth line might lower the per-line price. Adding the widow to that plan was the poster's initial approach. The discussion, however, did not establish the total bill.
A self-identified sales consultant argued that the widow would need to have served herself to qualify.
Other commenters based their objections on spousal eligibility. However, none provided an official AT&T policy clarifying eligibility after a veteran's death.
What can be done?
Commenters offered several alternatives, although the OP would have to verify the prices they presented for themselves.
One suggested Cricket at $70 for two lines, or $40 for a single line, alongside porting the late husband's number to Google Voice.
If the $40 option met the widow's needs, it would cost about $72 less per month than the current $112 bill. However, that savings would also reflect the move from two active mobile lines to one, rather than a like-for-like service change.
Another commenter described their experience switching providers.
"We just went over to PureTalk - two lines for a bit less than $70 including taxes, a comparable plan to what we had with AT&T, plus PT uses AT&T towers," they wrote.
The original poster seemed open to Cricket, but was waiting on some feedback on it vs. prepaid.
Where can I learn more?
Other customers are also looking for phone plans that better match what they use and can afford.
• An Alabama family considers plans under $10 for their 90-year-old mother's $32 flip-phone bill.
• An AT&T customer paying $50 finds plans as low as $15 while using a dying iPhone X.
• A longtime Verizon customer weighs T-Mobile's 55+ plan and potential additional savings through Costco.
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