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AT&T GoPhone

*Est. 10 cents per min. and up
Reviewed
April 2012
AT&T GoPhone

Pros
  • Wide national coverage
Cons
  • High plan costs
  • Customer service complaints
  • Mixed reviews for handset selection

AT&T GoPhone receives below-average ratings in customer surveys by J.D. Power and Associates and PCMag.com. In both surveys, AT&T's prepaid wireless service gets particularly bad scores for its high prices. AT&T gets low ratings from customers at PrepaidReviews.com, too -- but editors there highly recommend AT&T GoPhone, giving it a 4.5 star rating (out of 5). They like that AT&T GoPhone has extensive national coverage and a good choice of handsets, although PCMag.com readers say the handset choice is just average. The Pay As You Go $2 Unlimited Daily Talk and Text plan includes free texting and calling anytime, but it charges a $2 access fee on days you use your phone. For anyone wanting a phone only for emergencies, AT&T GoPhone has a Simple Rate Plan that skips the access fee but charges 10 cents a minute for all calls. Comparable low-use plans – such as the T-Mobile Prepaid Annual plan (*Est. $100 for 1,000 min.) -- charge 10 cents a minute, and the minutes are good for a year.

Large user surveys are the most comprehensive and reliable way to assess prepaid cellular service. ConsumerReports.org, J.D. Power and Associates and PCMag.com conduct large-scale surveys about prepaid wireless plans, evaluating key factors such as call quality, plan options and cost, handset selection and customer service. We also consulted editor reviews and customer postings at PrepaidReviews.com.

Our Sources

1. ConsumerReports.org

ConsumerReports.org ranks AT&T's prepaid wireless service against competitors from Consumer Cellular, T-Mobile, TracFone, Verizon and Virgin Mobile, based on feedback from more than 66,000 cell phone users.

Review: Prepaid Cell Phone Service Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, January 2011

2. J.D. Power & Associates

In this survey of about 6,400 prepaid wireless cell phone users, AT&T GoPhone ranks in last place out of nine carriers reviewed, with a score below the industry average.

Review: 2011 Wireless Non-Contract Customer Satisfaction Index Study, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, March 31, 2011

3. PCMag.com

This article addresses overall satisfaction with cell phones and cell phone service as reported by PCMag.com readers in 2012. T-Mobile gets the Reader's Choice award for prepaid carriers. A chart shows how each service stacks up in a dozen categories, such as price and handset choices.

Review: Reader's Choice Awards 2012: Smartphones and Mobile Carriers, Ben Gottesman, March 28, 2012

4. TopTenReviews.com

AT&T's GoPhone prepaid service receives 3 out of 4 stars, with strong marks for its fee selections, features and phone selection. They like the live chat feature of GoPhone's customer support, though the editors don't state whether they actually tried it out. Note that TopTenReviews.com's evaluation of prepaid cell phone providers is based only on features and doesn't look at how each phone service performs.

Review: 2012 Prepaid Cell Phones Comparison, Editors of TopTenReviews.com

5. PrepaidReviews.com

Editors at PrepaidReviews.com give AT&T GoPhone 4 stars out of 5 rating based on coverage and plan options. They also like the great selection of handsets. Over 800 users, on the other hand, give AT&T GoPhone a low 2-star rating, with poor reception and inadequate customer service among the most common complaints.

Review: AT&T GoPhone Prepaid Cellphone Plans, Editors of PrepaidReviews.com

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