In just the past few months, AT&T has overhauled its unlimited phone plans with 2.0 versions, added a new top-tier option and introduced a modular option for new customers who want only the basics. The 150-year-old company also hiked the prices of some now-retired plans in what appears to be a move to encourage customers to jump to the latest options, and changed the prices of some plans even since their introduction.

If you're an AT&T customer suddenly bombarded by notifications about upgrading, or you're looking to switch from another carrier, here's a breakdown of the new offerings.

These plans replace the AT&T Value Plus VL, Unlimited Extra EL and Unlimited Premium PL plans. The carrier also removed its Unlimited Starter SL plan, which served as the entry-level plan (you had to know where to look to find the limited, but cheaper, Value Plus VL plan).

Keep in mind that AT&T plans let each person on an account have their own plan. So you might set up a package where one person has the Premium 2.0 plan for unthrottled 5G speeds and another, such as a child, is set up with the Value 2.0 plan to save money.

Also, if you're on a current AT&T plan, you won't be automatically moved to one of the new plans. If you do want to make the jump, you'll incur a line activation fee of up to $50. And the pricing below is the AutoPay amount; carriers provide a discount (usually $10) if you sign up for automatic payments.

One nice change is that the new plans are priced with round numbers. For example, the Value Plus VL plan was priced at $50.99 for one line, and the Value 2.0 plan is $50 (in comparisons below, I've rounded up the old prices to full-dollar amounts). Taxes and fees get added on top of that, so you'll never see a round-number bill, but I'd like to think it's a quiet acknowledgment that pricing things one penny below a larger number is insulting to customers.

Let's dig into the details.

Value 2.0, the budget plan

The Value 2.0 plan replaces both the Value Plus VL plan and the retired Unlimited Starter SL plan and costs $50 a month for a single line or $120 a month when you have four lines on the account. That's $1 per line cheaper than Value Plus VL.

For that, you get 5GB of high-speed 5G data, and then unlimited data that could be slowed depending on network congestion. Calling and texting are unlimited.

You can also use up to 3GB of high-speed hotspot data to share the cellular connection with other devices, slowed to 128Kbps after hitting the limit. The Value Plus VL plan did not offer hotspot data.

It also includes unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

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Extra 2.0, more fast data for not much more money

The Extra 2.0 plan costs $70 a month for a single line or $160 a month for four lines, which is $6 cheaper for one line and $4 cheaper for four lines compared with the old Unlimited Extra EL plan.

The Extra 2.0 plan includes 100GB of high-speed data, which can be temporarily reduced if the network is congested. That's a boost over the 75GB offered on the Unlimited Extra XL plan.

For hotspot data, the new plan includes 50GB of high-speed data, which is 20GB more than its predecessor. After 50GB, it drops to 128Kbps speed for the rest of the month.

As with the Value 2.0 plan, international options include unlimited talk, text and data between the US, Mexico and Canada.

Premium 2.0, for faster everything

Replacing the Unlimited Premium PL plan is the Premium 2.0, which costs $90 a month for a single line and $200 a month for four lines (that four-line amount recently dropped from $220). The Unlimited Premium PL plan came in at $86 for a single line and $204 for four lines. With the legacy rate increase, those amounts become $96 for a single line and $224 for four lines.

For those amounts, you're getting unlimited 5G talk, text and high-speed data with no throttling, plus 4K streaming resolution (though media streams at standard definition until you enable the higher option).

Hotspot data has a 100GB cap before dropping to 128Kbps speed, which is 40GB more than the Unlimited Premium PL plan.

As for international calling and data, unlimited talk, text and high-speed data are available in 20 Latin American countries.

AT&T also has plans for cellular-enabled tablets ($21 a month) and wearables like smartwatches ($11 a month). If you subscribe to the Premium 2.0 plan that pricing is reduced by 50%.

Elite 2.0, for even more performance

AT&T must have figured some customers -- likely frequent travelers -- want even more than what Premium 2.0 offered. The Elite 2.0 plan costs $110 a month for a single line and $280 a month for four lines (a recent drop from $300 a month).

That includes unlimited 5G talk, text and high-speed data with no throttling and streaming resolution in 4K, just like Premium 2.0.

Hotspot data jumps to 250GB before slowing to 128Kbps speed, giving you a comfortable cushion to share your connection with a laptop or other nearby devices.

Unlimited international calling and texting extend to 210 countries, with 20GB of data to work with before speeds drop to 512Kbps.

The Elite 2.0 also includes data access for one cellular-enabled smartwatch and one tablet.

On top of that, Elite 2.0 includes AT&T Turbo, the company's optional add-on that prioritizes high-speed data when streaming, playing games and making video calls. Normally, AT&T Turbo costs $7 a month (and is different from AT&T Turbo Live, a separate feature.)

Build-A-Plan, a budget option for new customers

As a way to court new customers from other carriers, and recognizing that inflation is cutting into people's budgets, AT&T in May introduced Build-A-Plan, a modular option that starts at $15 a month for a single line. That includes unlimited talk and text and 1GB of high-speed data.

Moving past the basics, you can upgrade to 5GB of data for $5 a month or 15GB for $10 a month on top of the base price. An unlimited-data tier with SD-quality streaming costs $20, or with 4K-quality streaming for $35 added to the base price.

No hotspot data is included, but it can be added: 5GB for $5, 25GB for $15 or 50GB for $20. Only wireless data and hotspot features are available; you won't find any international calling options, streaming perks or smartwatch or tablet additions.

With all of the options maxed out, the $70-a-month cost rivals the Extra 2.0 plan, but Build-A-Plan carries no contract commitment -- you can cancel it any time. However, it's available only for new customers who bring their own unlocked, eSIM-capable phone.

A few thoughts on the new AT&T plans

What AT&T's plans lack, at least compared to the other carriers, is any streaming perks or bundled services. The 4K streaming option of the Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0 plans opens a wider data pipeline for services such as Netflix that support 4K playback, but you're still paying separately for those entertainment subscriptions.

In contrast, T-Mobile bundles Netflix and Hulu (both with ads) and offers Apple TV for an extra fee on its Experience Beyond and Better Value plans. Verizon takes a different approach with streaming packages, which you can choose at discounted prices instead of subscribing to them separately.

I also want to mention that I'm glad the plan names are no longer burdened with the VL, EL and PL extensions. Mobile plans are full of details as it is -- always read the fine print before you sign up for one -- so I appreciate conveying them to customers in ways that don't sound like internal spreadsheet codes.

Even though the new plans carry 2.0 version numbers, I'd honestly rate them more like 1.5 based on their features and pricing, except for the Premium 2.0 plan, which is more expensive than the Unlimited Premium PL plan. As usual, if you're happy with the plan you're on, you're fine sticking with it -- but make sure you factor in April's $5, $10 or $20 rate increase for legacy plans. But if you're running up against high-speed data limits or considering AT&T as a replacement for another carrier, it's worth looking at the details to see if one of the new plans works for you.

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