Verizon’s hold as the number one wireless carrier in the United States may be slipping. AT&T is making a solid run to go from the second biggest wireless carrier to the first. And they’re doing it by going after your family.

AT&T is currently marketing a new plan to cut $40 off the bill of a family that carries at least four smartphones. The plan which already includes unlimited texts and calls was previously $200. It is currently being offered at $160. And, you don’t even have to sign a contract.

David Christopher, chief marketing officer for AT&T knows the company needs to stay competitive in the always evolving world of mobile phones. “We feel we have the best network and the best value in the marketplace.”

In 2012 T-Mobile, who has become one of AT&T’s biggest competitors, did away with long term contracts and shortened a customer’s wait time between phone upgrades. The changes paid off big time, as T-Mobile has seen an uptick of over 2 million customers in less than one year.

The competitive marketplace is obviously great for the consumer, even if all the alluring options can make a person’s head spin. Sprint paid the $4 million spot fee and took advantage of the monster Super Bowl audience on Sunday. They advertised something called “Framily Plan” in a funny ad that showed possible consumers the different people that you could put on a Sprint “family” plan.

So which plan is the right one for you? Several factors should be considered when choosing a wireless carrier. A few questions to ask yourself: how many people will be on my plan, how much will an upgrade cost, how long between upgrades, what are the total monthly costs, will my data and texts be unlimited, who can I put on my plan, can I cancel my plan at anytime?

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