If you’re a teacher in the market for an internet plan, we’ve got some tips to help you save some money. Even though there aren’t any internet deals specifically for teachers.
It does, however, exist teachers’ discount deals from AT&T Wireless, their phone service!
Having done a lot of research into the matter, we’re ready to show you everything you could possibly know about saving money as a future AT&T customer in your job as a teacher.
So let’s get right into it.
Are AT&T Teacher Deals the Same as Student Ones?
A lot of internet providers bundle their deals for students and teachers together as just an ‘education’ package. Not AT&T. They actually offer better deals to teachers than they do to students.
We’ll go into those Wireless deals a little more later on. But for now, let’s find out what deals are available in the way of internet plans. There’s nothing specifically for teachers but there are some fantastic deals around anyway!
Best AT&T Internet Deals for Teachers
Don’t let the fact that AT&T doesn’t have any specific internet deals for teachers put you off of shopping with them.
As a company, they have some of the best internet plans and one cool deal in the US right now in terms of value for money.
Get paid for the switch
This is the main deal available for internet on AT&T right now.
It’s possible to get a reward card from AT&T just for signing up for one of their Fiber plans. For the 300 and 500 plans, that reward card will be worth $150 [1].
On top of that, AT&T will actually bail you out of any cancellations for previous internet contracts. They’ll pay cancellation fees if you’re already with another provider. Neat!
It’s also possible to get paid if you are a Wireless customer taking up Fiber and vice versa. We’ll cover that in the ‘bundles’ section later on.
Will there be more deals in the future?
AT&T has been known to drop flash deals from time to time so if you’re not in an urgent rush to get your hands on a new internet package, it could be worth waiting around. You can always keep an eye on the AT&T website to see what pops up.
And remember, you may well find that another internet provider has an internet deal for teachers if you do a little shopping around.
AT&T Fiber vs AT&T Internet Explained
AT&T Fiber is only available in limited areas across the US right now [2] but it has the best value for money for any type of internet plan from AT&T. That’s probably why there aren’t any deals for teachers right now other than being paid to make the switch.
We’ll explain the difference between the two in a second but first, here’s a look at the perks you can get with AT&T Fiber plans [3]:
- Low prices: AT&T Fiber monthly prices are super competitive in comparison to the other big fiber providers across the US. And the most affordable of all is actually the same price as slower, non-fiber internet plans from AT&T.
- No minimum contract: If you’re unsure about whether AT&T Fiber is right for you then there’s good news. You don’t need to sign up for any more than one month. This is also good news if you’re planning on moving home soon.
- Free network security: All AT&T Fiber plans come with AT&T ActiveArmor internet security free for as long as you have the plan. This helps to keep your home network free from outside threats.
- Immensely fast: the minimum speed plan from AT&T Fiber is 300 Mbps. That’s fast enough for pretty much every family and even for some small businesses.
- Free AT&T Hot Spot: AT&T Fiber customers will be able to stay online when they leave the house thanks to unlimited free access to AT&T Hot Spot, AT&T’s cloud Wi-Fi system. It’s available throughout the US.
- Free equipment hire: You won’t need to pay an additional fee to hire the Gateway modem/router combo from AT&T. The only time you might need to pay a fee with regards to this is if you fail to return the equipment when you sign off as a customer.
- Get paid when you sign up: On top of all that, AT&T will actually give you money when you sign up for a Fiber plan! We’ll get into how that works shortly.
So, that’s AT&T Fiber, but this is a relatively new thing from AT&T. They’re currently in the process of rolling out fiber internet to all their territory in the US but it’s likely to take a few years before everywhere is covered.
Fiber internet is the latest internet technology but a lot of the US (especially more rural areas) is still being supplied internet by the older, slower method, DSL (or some variation of this).
What if I’m not in a Fiber location?
If you can get AT&T Fiber, you’re in luck, for all the reasons stated in the previous section. But if you can’t, you’ll be stuck with the old plan, AT&T Internet. And this is not as good at all.
The AT&T Internet plans cost the same amount no matter which speed you get. That’s because the speed you can get simply depends on the area you live in. It can be as high as 100 Mbps or as low as less than 1 Mbps.
And the interesting thing is that these plans are the same amount as the 300 Mbps AT&T Fiber plan. Plus, you’ll be stuck in a long term contract. Plus the price of your contract will actually go up after 12 months.
There are a few more downsides to AT&T Internet compared to AT&T Fiber as well, but we think you get the idea. Hopefully, Fiber is in your area now or will be soon.
To find out once and for all whether it will be, head over to this page and enter your home address.
Recommended AT&T Internet Plans for Teachers
We understand how important it is for teachers to be able to get online with a strong connection. And if AT&T Fiber is available to you, that’s exactly what you’re going to get.
There are five AT&T Fiber plans to choose from: 300, 500, 1 Gig, 2 Gig and 5 Gig. Those numbers represent the respective speed caps of the plans. And for the vast majority, the 300 plan will be more than enough.
With 300 Mbps, you would be able to host 78 simultaneous Zoom calls. So even if you’re sharing the network with a lot of people, you shouldn’t have any issues.
A reason you can do so much with video calling is that the upload speed cap is actually the same as the download speed cap.
This is pretty new. Traditionally, upload speed would be around one tenth of download speed. But now you can share files, make video calls or even play games online to your heart’s content.
Remember, the minimum contract for AT&T Fiber is just one month so you could always try it out and if you do feel like you need more, upgrade.
More Ways to Save Money with AT&T
AT&T Fiber is pretty good value but why not go the extra mile and save even more cash with it? There are a few things to take note of in order to maximize your money-saving opportunities.
Free internet setup from home
You may see on the AT&T website that a $99 fee applies for setting up your new network connection. But that’s only if you have an engineer visit your home [4].
You can get around this by setting up your router yourself. And that’s pretty easy to do. All you really need to do is plug it in and activate your contract.
Paperless billing and Autopay
All the prices you see on the AT&T website already have a $5 monthly discount attached to them for paperless billing and Autopay. But make sure you select both of these options as you check out, otherwise you will have to pay an extra $5 per month.
Paperless billing will see your bills added to your online account instead of sent out to you in the post. So it’s the green option anyway! Autopay is basically a direct debit instead of making a transaction every month, which is the easy option.
AT&T Wireless Teacher Deals
You can use your teacher discount at AT&T with their Wireless Unlimited cell phone plans. These are actually the only AT&T deals that are specifically for teachers at the time of writing.
Here are those AT&T Wireless deals that are specific to teachers:
- iPhone 13 Mini for $0: With an eligible trade-in, teachers can get an iPhone 13 Mini for $0. This is a very nifty device that harnesses all the power of the regular iPhone 13 in a smaller package.
- 25% off AT&T Wireless Unlimited plans: As a teacher, you’ll be able to get access to AT&T’s Unlimited plans (unlimited data, texts and calls plus 5G access) for as little as $26.25 per month. That’s a big saving compared to regular customers!
These are, however, always changing, so for the most up-to-date deals, click here.
AT&T DIRECTV Teacher Deals
In the market for a new TV plan as well? You could try out the DirecTV service from AT&T, previously known as uVerse. It comes with loads of great channels, and you can get it as either a cable plan or a streaming one [5].
There are four channel packages to choose from: Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate and Premier [5]. Each of these contains a different selection of channels, so you can choose what’s best for you.
Unfortunately, there are no actual deals for DirecTV right now but we still feel that it’s a pretty good value TV package that could be worth a look at.
And there are a couple of ways you can save money with it. For example, it comes with the same $5 discount for Autopay and paperless billing that we discussed above in regards to the Fiber deals. This discount is already applied for the prices listed on the AT&T website though.
Plus, if you choose the streaming option instead of the cable option, you can save some money with your streaming device. AT&T will try to charge you $120 for their streaming device [6] but you don’t need to spend that much anymore. You could pick up a Google Chromecast for around $30 instead.
AT&T Internet and Wireless Bundles
If you’re in the market for both a cell phone and an internet plan, you could save some money by taking them both with AT&T. There are a couple of different deals here, available to everyone, depending on which way round you take up the plans.
If you’re already a Wireless customer and want to take up AT&T Fiber, you can get a $300 reward card just for signing up. Unfortunately, this deal does not apply to regular internet so if you can’t get fiber in your area, you’re out of luck for the reward card.
If you already have a Fiber contract and want to take up Wireless, you’ll be able to get 25% off Wireless plans. Of course, this is the same as one of the teacher discounts so no extra money can be saved here. But it could be worth bearing in mind for the future.
AT&T Internet and TV Bundles
We mentioned DirecTV earlier on and how it offered pretty good value for money. And when you go onto the AT&T website, you may see how there are some ‘internet and TV bundles’. However, treat these with caution.
The ‘bundle prices’ are actually the same as the price of the Fiber plans and the DirecTV plans added together. This means that the bundles don’t actually save you any money at all.
It seems a little unfair of AT&T to try to sell us a deal that isn’t actually a deal at all. So, take each of these things up in your own time if you do feel like you want either or both of them.
AT&T Internet Teacher Deals FAQ
Navigating AT&T deals for teachers can be rather tricky so you may well have some questions. Hopefully, you’ll find the answers to them below.
Which AT&T plans are available for me?
As a teacher, there are a couple of exclusive deals you can get from AT&T. They’re both for Wireless, the cell phone network brand from AT&T.
Firstly, you can get 25% on AT&T Wireless Unlimited plans when you buy 4 or more lines. Some big savings can be made there!
Secondly, with a valid trade-in, you can get your hands on a brand new iPhone 13 Mini for $0. A fantastic mini phone that could be the perfect accessory to your teaching career.
Unfortunately, there are no specific internet deals for teachers right now but you can get some fantastic prices with Fiber anyway as well as a few extra ways to save money if you check out our guide above.
How do I prove my teacher status to AT&T?
When you’re checking out with your AT&T Wireless plan (whether it be the free iPhone 13 or the 25% off monthly prices), you’ll need to prove that you are a teacher. Fortunately, that’s pretty easy.
All you need to do is send over some documents to prove that you are a teacher, university professor or another form of verified instructor within 14 days of claiming your discount. They must be in your name and demonstrate your position.
You can check out the full terms and conditions on the AT&T website to make sure that you get it right.
Will there be an AT&T deal specific to teachers any time soon?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know in advance which deals AT&T are planning on dropping. So the only thing you can really do to stay on top of this is to remain vigilant by checking the AT&T website.
That being said, we don’t expect to see many AT&T Fiber deals any time soon. The price is already really good and the perks are really strong. Plus, it’s really new.
In terms of regular internet, AT&T seems to be trying to kill it off by replacing it with Fiber so don’t expect to see many deals in this department either.
Last Thoughts on AT&T Teacher Deals
At first glance, it might feel disappointing that there are no internet deals specifically for teachers at AT&T. But, the Fiber deals are very strong right now so a deal on top may be asking for too much!
It’s just a little tough if you’re stuck in an area where there is no fiber as the regular AT&T Internet deals aren’t much fun.
Plus, those Wireless deals are really strong. You won’t find many cell phone providers that are able to beat these kinds of deals.
Overall, AT&T looks after teachers pretty well. And who knows? We may well see some internet deals specifically for teachers in times to come. That might not be for quite a while though.
Remember, if you’re thinking about signing up for a superfast Fiber deal, you might want to pick up a new router to go alongside it. It can help you get the best out of your network. If you’re interested, you can check out our guide to the best routers right now.
