AT&T raising its activation fees to $45, off-contract customers slammed with $15 charge

Those planning to sign up for AT&T wireless services will come across a very unpleasant surprise. The carrier will raise its activation fees starting August 1st. What’s even more frustrating is that not even off-contract users will be safe from AT&T’s new charges.

Higher activation fees for customers on contract

It seems all the money AT&T will get from you in 1-2 years is simply not enough. Not only is the current $40 activation fee among the highest in the industry, but the wireless service provider is showing its greedy business-oriented side by raising fees to $45. With this move, AT&T officially places itself at the top of the list of carriers with the most expensive activation fees, beating all major competitors; yes, even Verizon!

This new $45 charge will be applied to any new customer signing up for a 1-year or 2-year contract. The same should apply for those hoping to upgrade to a new device.

• Verizon activation fee: $40
• Sprint activation fee: $36
• T-Mobile activation fee: N/A

A new fee for off-contract users

Now, this is the part that will surely have your blood boiling… or at least a bit warmer. AT&T pretty much just created a new fee out of the blue. While it was possible for customers to avoid extra costs by opting for Next, AT&T’s installment payment plan, this will no longer be the case. A $15 fee will be applied to anyone signing up for this service. Furthermore, AT&T decided to go all in and also start charging $15 to those who bring their own device and get it activated on their network.

Wrapping up

If you are going to join AT&T or upgrade your device, we advice that you do it now. These changes come into effect starting August 1st, so you have a bit over a week to get everything set up.

I personally believe these changes are unreasonable, especially for those signing contracts. AT&T is binding you to spend money on them for an extended period of time, then they go on and charge you higher activation fees?

The good news is things are about to get a bit entertaining, at least for a while. Knowing T-Mobile CEO John Legere, we are sure he won’t be staying quiet. Let’s keep it tuned to his Twitter account! Meanwhile, hit the comments and let us know if you are as upset about this as I am.