Finding the best wireless plan is no easy task, and for folks who rely on AT&T, the carrier's Unlimited Elite plan is one of the many options available. Just as there are countless smartphones to choose from, the same is true of their data plans. In the U.S. alone, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all have various coverage tiers for folks to decide from. Beyond that, smaller companies like Mint Mobile, Metro, and Cricket Wireless add even more options to the mix.

Looking specifically at AT&T, this single carrier has a handful of unique plan options all on its own. At the lowest end is AT&T Starter Unlimited, offering basic unlimited texting, calling, and data while keeping costs as low as possible. Going a step up is AT&T Unlimited Extra, which costs a few dollars more per month for better data and hotspot access. At the very top of AT&T's offerings is Unlimited Elite. Unlimited Elite includes exclusive perks not found with any other AT&T plan, but is it really worth the increased cost?

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That price factor is one of the biggest things to consider when looking at AT&T Unlimited Elite. One line of service retails for $85/month, compared to $75/month for Unlimited Extra and $65/month for Unlimited Starter. The monthly rate becomes more affordable as additional lines are added, with Unlimited Elite dropping down to $50/month per line for an account with four lines. However, that's still a total monthly price of $200/month compared to $160/month and $140/month for Unlimited Extra and Unlimited Starter, respectively.

Why AT&T Unlimited Elite Is Worth It

AT&T's unlimited plans as of September 2021

As expected with that higher price, there are a few key advantages that come with AT&T Unlimited Elite. For starters, Unlimited Elite subscribers have access to unlimited data that "can't be slowed down based on how much you use." By comparison, Unlimited Extra slows data after 50GB of monthly usage, while all Unlimited Starter data is susceptible to throttling. In other words, if someone uses a lot of wireless data in a given month, stepping up to Unlimited Elite may be worth it for this one perk alone. In a similar vein, AT&T Unlimited Elite comes with 40GB of hotspot data. For comparison's sake, Unlimited Extra has just 15GB and Unlimited Starter has none.

There are two other key advantages of AT&T Unlimited Elite — and they both have to do with media consumption. Out of all three unlimited plans offered by AT&T, Unlimited Elite is the only one that supports 4K UHD streaming over a data connection. If someone's on Unlimited Extra or Unlimited Starter, any video streaming via the AT&T network is automatically capped at standard definition. Additionally, all Unlimited Elite plans come with a free subscription to HBO Max.

And that's AT&T Unlimited Elite. It has uncapped data access, tons of hotspot availability, 4K streaming, and free HBO Max. Is all of that worth its increased cost over AT&T's other plans? For a lot of people, that answer is probably yes. HBO Max on its own normally retails for $15/month. For someone who finds value in that, does a lot of on-the-go streaming, and often finds themselves using their hotspot, the benefits of AT&T Unlimited Elite are easy to see. Folks who use their phone less are fine sticking with one of the cheaper plans, but Unlimited Elite is the way to go for avid users.

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Source: AT&T