AT&T quietly cuts popular discount while raking in billions

Following Verizon and T-Mobile's record profits and price hikes announcements, AT&T has also recently reported record profits, yet instead of rewarding customers, the company is reducing one of its most valued perks.

Starting April 24, 2025, AT&T is reducing its autopay and paperless billing discount for many customers-and removing it entirely for others. The change comes just as the company reported $4.4 billion in profit for Q4 2024, a 69% increase from the same quarter in 2023.

You pay more, they make more

AT&T's growth is being driven by wireless and fiber signups. In Q4 alone, the company added 482,000 new postpaid phone customers and 307,000 new AT&T Fiber customers.

But that momentum came from you-through repeated price hikes throughout 2023 and 2024:

• In August 2024, AT&T raised prices on many retired unlimited wireless plans by $10 for single-line customers and $20 for multi-line customers.
• In November, it bumped up prices on fiber and internet plans by $5 per month.

Now, AT&T is quietly shrinking the autopay discount.

The autopay discount is getting slashed

The $10/month autopay and paperless billing discount is being cut in half for most customers. And removed entirely for many more, depending on how you pay:

• Debit card: Will see their discount reduced to $5 per line
• Credit card: Will lose the discount completely. Unless they use the AT&T-branded Points Plus credit card from Citi

Customers on Reddit are voicing frustration, with many saying they're uncomfortable linking a bank account just to keep a basic discount.

This isn't the first time

Back in July 2023, AT&T already reduced the autopay discount for credit card users, dropping it to $5 for one line and $10 for two or more. That change marked the start of a pattern that's now continuing into 2025.

It's a slow drip, less savings here, higher bills there, all while the service stays the same.

Trying to win you back after dropping the ball

This latest change comes not long after the massive AT&T outage on February 22, 2024, which left millions without service for over 12 hours.

To clean up the mess, the company launched the AT&T Guarantee-offering bill credits if your fiber service goes down for 20+ minutes or if wireless is out for more than an hour. AT&T also promises customers will reach a "friendly tech expert" within 5 minutes.

But while one hand makes promises, the other takes away the savings.

Stop letting big wireless decide what you deserve

The pattern is clear:

1. Raise prices
2. Shrink discounts
3. Hope you don't notice

If you're tired of paying more for the same service, it's time to break free. Low-cost carriers like Red Pocket, Boost Mobile, and US Mobile run on the same AT&T network-without the games.

You don't owe AT&T your loyalty. If you want to check out more low-cost carriers you can compare the best plans here.