AT&T is getting rid of data overages with new plans, but you will be throttled a lot

AT&T is finally phasing out overages fees on its mobile data plans. Today the company unveiled a revised lineup of monthly service plans — now called Mobile Share Advantage — that will launch on August 21st with prices starting at $30. AT&T is also (yet again) switching up the data buckets you can choose between. The data allotments are shown below, but keep in mind you'll also need to factor in a device access charge for whatever devices you're using on the account. For smartphones purchased at full price, bought through AT&T Next, or "bring your own" handsets, that's $20 per month.

The biggest piece of all this is the end of overages. Now, instead of charging you $15 for another gigabyte of data, AT&T will slow your connection speeds down to 128kbps once you've exceeded your monthly plan. There's no risk of unexpected bill shock. You've still got the option of paying for more high-speed data, of course, but AT&T won't automatically assume that's what you want. Last month, Verizon introduced a new "Safety Mode" for its own mobile plans that similarly throttles customers who go over their monthly bucket to avoid overages. However, Verizon charges customers on lower tier plans for Safety Mode, whereas AT&T is eager to point out that its not tacking on anything extra. T-Mobile and its CEO John Legere will surely be doing a victory lap about leading this charge; the Uncarrier got rid of overages in 2014.

The carrier also claims that it's now giving customers more for less money. AT&T's most popular plan is the 15GB data bucket, which was priced at $100 per month (plus those access fees) before. Now, you can pick the new 16GB Mobile Share Advantage plan for $90 monthly. But the cheapest plan at $30 has actually come down in data allowance from 2GB to 1GB. AT&T notes that its customers overwhelmingly pick larger buckets, though that doesn't really address why the change was made.

Each plan includes the same core features of the previous options; unlimited talk and text, mobile hotspot usage, rollover data, unlimited texting to over 120 countries, and unlimited texting and calling from the United States to either Canada or Mexico. And now, everyone paying for at least 10GB will receive free roaming in Mexico. The ceiling for that last perk was previously higher at 15GB.

AT&T Mobile Share Advantage plans:

• 1GB $30
• 3GB $40
• 6GB $60
• 10GB $80
• 16GB $90
• 25GB $110
• 30GB $135