Unannounced rate increase, effective March 2023?

Notice of an increase would have been in the news to you section at the end of the bill. They are required to give 30 days notice so it should have been on the previous bill 

You should be pricing unlimited data. Very likely it is cheaper even if you lose a discount. All service providers have been pushing their customers toward unlimited because it's easier for them to manage

It's understandable why you would want an explanation into a bill increase, sandy708. We want to look into that for you.

As @formerlyknownas shared, any increase in your bill would've been notated in the section of your invoice, News to You. Also, it's possible to find what's different with your bill this month when you sign in online and apply the steps under View recent changes to your bill when you visit Find out why your bill changed.

In case you're wondering what you'll get with AT&T UNLIMITED Plans just scroll to the Top features included with every unlimited plan at AT&T Unlimited Data & Family Phone Plans.

Underneath that, there's a calculator which will help you to get a glimpse of how much you'll be paying monthly with each line on your account. Our best plan, AT&T UNLIMITED PREMIUM, has 4K UHD streaming and allows for an additional $10 monthly savings with the Signature discount.

Let's meet in a Direct Message (DM) to find what changed on your bill and get a definite explanation into what that charge is.

Please check your Direct Message Inbox for a message being sent to you. Look for the chat icon next to the bell icon in the upper right corner of the Forums.

Looking forward to assisting you.

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

I looked at my last two bills again.  There was no "News to You" section.  There was "News You Can Use" but no specialized announcement for my account.  I'd like to get a refund on the bill for this month.  Then look at your unlimited plans at my leisure.

Why don't you look at the current plans now to see if they will save you any money? 

Have you checked to see if the price increased after June 2022? I don't think AT&T raised prices twice and an old price of $45 sounds awfully low. Maybe for some reason your increase was actually delayed by over 6 months?

Regardless, that $12 is a legitimate charge, but I'm sure if you complain loud and long enough to the right person, they'll give you $12 just to make you happy and get off their phone. Did you even talk to customer service?

So you're paying $69 for the data plan and $20 for 2 or more phone lines ... how many phone lines?  

@formerlyknownas Yes, that is correct with two phone lines.  We have never gone over the 12GB data limit.  Last month we used 2GB.  

I've been busy this week and neglected to call AT&T.   I went to look at my account and found I'd been credited on my bill with $12.  

@MicCheck I did get a rate change in June 2022.  I checked back on my May bill, which had an announcement in the News You Can Use section (among other verbiage). I had noted it, highlighted it and accepted it.   I'm not complaining about the apparent March 2023 rate increase, just wanted to know if it was legitimate since they missed their usual pre-announcement.

So you're paying $109 a month and you rarely use over 2 gigabytes of data.  You don't get the benefit of phone deals because you're not on an unlimited data plan.  

You might consider a different carrier.  Like cricket or consumer cellular.  

And phones can be purchased from manufacturers

It may be smart for us to do that.  Or look into switching to our Internet provider which offers mobile service and get a bundle deal.  We don't use our data much except when traveling.  I have liked AT&T service (good coverage for our area, international day pass when out of the country), so there is that.

By phone deals, do you mean discounts on buying new phones if you have an unlimited data plan?  We only buy a new phone if the old one breaks!

By phone deals I mean essentially a "free" new phone for trading in an old phone.

   For Android users, the deal allows you to trade in a really old phone and get a brand new one. The deal for iPhone users isn't quite as good because older phones aren't accepted.

But if you're not someone who buys a phone frequently, only when they break, just buy from the manufacturer. 

As it is your current service is only slightly less expensive than AT&T's unlimited starter plan, which would be $120 for two lines, after auto pay and paperless billing discount and before taxes.   

I would definitely be looking into who else covers your home area and also offers roaming options.

(Like your home internet provider as you mentioned) 

I did get a rate change in June 2022.  I checked back on my May bill, which had an announcement in the News You Can Use section

Right, but did you check the July or August bill to see if the price actually changed?