AT&T arbitration and terms change Nov 1, 2026: 60-day wait before small claims, JAMS replaces AAA

What changed

AT&T is replacing the dispute-resolution rules in its Consumer Service Agreement, the single contract that covers AT&T wireless (postpaid and prepaid), AT&T Internet and Fiber, Internet Air and AT&T Phone. AT&T's summary page says: "the updated AT&T Consumer Service Agreement will apply to you starting on November 1, 2026," and "By using or paying for AT&T services on or after November 1, 2026, you are agreeing to the terms." Anyone who got or changed an AT&T product on or after September 1, 2026 and agreed to the new terms is already on them. Customers say AT&T emailed the notice in mid-September. AT&T keeps the old text at att.com/priorcsa, titled "AT&T Consumer Service Agreement (Prior to September 1, 2026)". We compared it with the new agreement line by line.

Change 1: small claims court now comes with a 60-day wait. The old agreement's plain-English summary said: "you can choose to file your individual claim in small claims court or send us a Notice of Dispute, which is required before starting arbitration." The Notice and its 60-day "Informal Resolution Period" only gated arbitration: "Any arbitration proceeding cannot be commenced until after the Informal Resolution Period has ended." The new text reads: "Any arbitration or small claims court proceeding cannot begin until after the Informal Resolution Period has ended." So before filing in small claims over a bill dispute, you now have to send AT&T a signed Notice of Dispute and give it 60 days (longer if either side asks for a settlement call). If you skip it, "a court of competent jurisdiction can enjoin the filing or prosecution of an arbitration or small claims court proceeding."

Change 2: AT&T gets more time to make the offer that decides whether it owes you $10,000. If you win in arbitration and the award beats AT&T's last written settlement offer, AT&T pays at least $10,000 plus double your lawyer's fees. That offer used to count only if made "before the arbitrator was selected." Now it counts if made "before the arbitration record closes," and the comparison is "not counting attorneys' fees, costs, and expenses." AT&T can wait until late in the case, after it has seen your evidence, to make the offer that sets the bar.

Change 3: a new arbitration provider and a new place for hearings. JAMS replaces the American Arbitration Association, under the "JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures." Hearings used to be "in the county (or parish) of your billing address"; now they "will take place in a location reasonably convenient to you." An arbitration demand must now include "a certification of compliance with the Informal Dispute Resolution Process" signed by you and your lawyer, and "must disclose any person or entity that is funding or has a financial stake in any aspect of the arbitration."

Change 4: mass claims can end up in court, still one person at a time. When 25 or more customers with the same or coordinated lawyers bring similar claims, each side now picks 20 test cases instead of 25, followed by mediation, twice. After the second mediation, either you or AT&T can "opt out of arbitration and elect to have your dispute heard in a court." You must send a signed notice "within 30 days after the second mediation ends." A new Section 1.12 makes the class-action and jury-trial waivers apply in court too: "each party may bring claims (whether in court or in arbitration) against the other only in an individual capacity." The old line pointing Puerto Rico customers' small-claims cases to the Telecommunications Regulatory Board is gone from the arbitration section.

What stays the same: AT&T still pays JAMS fees on claims of $75,000 or less that you start (as long as "there is no dispute that you have fully complied" with the notice step), you can still bring issues to the FCC or other agencies, and the Notice of Dispute can still be submitted online (att.com/noticeofdispute). (Cricket, which AT&T owns, is making the same changes on December 1 but has dropped its online Notice option.)

Can you reject it? Subsection 1.3.2.8 lets you reject a change to the arbitration provision "by sending us written notice via U.S. Mail within 30 days of the first notice of the change" to Legal Department – Revised Arbitration Opt-Out, AT&T, 208 S. Akard, Office #2900.13, Dallas, Texas 75202, with your name, address, phone number, account number and "a statement personally signed by you." Rejecting keeps the prior version, which lets you go straight to small claims. If your first notice was the mid-September email, that window has likely closed. Rejecting does not get you out of arbitration altogether. The only other choice AT&T offers existing customers is to cancel all AT&T services before November 1.

Coverage (checked October 25): a few customers posted the AT&T email on X in mid-September (the largest got about 100 views) and r/ConsumerArbitration noted the switch to JAMS. We found no news coverage of the small-claims wait or the settlement-offer change.

What you can do: if you have a billing dispute with AT&T that you planned to take to small claims, submit a Notice of Dispute now, online at att.com/noticeofdispute or by mail to Legal Department - Notice of Dispute, AT&T, 208 S. Akard, Office #2900.13, Dallas, Texas 75202, so the 60 days start running. Keep a copy and the date AT&T received it. If you got AT&T's notice in the last 30 days, mail the rejection letter above and keep proof of mailing.

Who it affects

AT&T consumer and small-business customers under the AT&T Consumer Service Agreement: postpaid and prepaid wireless, AT&T Internet and Fiber, Internet Air, fixed wireless and AT&T Phone. Existing customers are covered from November 1, 2026; anyone who signed up or changed service since September 1 may already be on it.

Quick answers

When do AT&T's new terms take effect?

November 1, 2026, for existing customers who keep using or paying for AT&T service. If you got or changed an AT&T product on or after September 1, 2026 and agreed to the new agreement, it already applies to you.

Can I still take AT&T to small claims court?

Yes, but not right away. The new agreement says "Any arbitration or small claims court proceeding cannot begin until after the Informal Resolution Period has ended." You first send a signed Notice of Dispute and give AT&T 60 days (longer if a settlement call is requested). Before, that wait applied only to arbitration.

Can I reject AT&T's arbitration changes?

Only within 30 days of the first notice of the change, by U.S. Mail to Legal Department – Revised Arbitration Opt-Out, AT&T, 208 S. Akard, Office #2900.13, Dallas, Texas 75202, with your name, address, phone, account number and a signed statement. Rejecting keeps the prior arbitration terms; it doesn't remove arbitration. Customers who got the mid-September email are likely past the window.

Who runs AT&T arbitrations now?

JAMS, under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, replacing the American Arbitration Association. AT&T still pays the fees for claims of $75,000 or less that you start, if you followed the notice step.

Source

Detected on the AT&T terms page: https://www.att.com/legal/terms.consumerServiceAgreementInformation.html. Always check the source; this summary is not legal or financial advice.

Other sources:

• AT&T Consumer Service Agreement (new version)
• AT&T Consumer Service Agreement (Prior to September 1, 2026)
• AT&T: Resolving issues and submitting a Notice of Dispute

Provenance: detected in our Oct 25 snapshot of the AT&T terms page. Excerpts marked "Quoted from the documents" come from the sources linked above.