No More Contracts: These Are Verizon’s New Data Plans
Verizon announced that they will be completely revamping their entire smartphone contract and data plan system. Under the new system, everything is simplified—everyone will get unlimited talk and text, contracts will be eliminated, data will be shared amongst all devices (up to 10 on a plan), and data plans come in four tiers: small, medium, large, and x-large.
There will additionally be per-device line access fees: smartphones cost $20 per month, tablets and Jetpack lines will be $10, and small devices such as wearables will cost $5 per month.
- Note: T-Mobile and AT&T offer data rollover.
- Note: Data is not shared between lines on T-Mobile, though T-Mobile and AT&T do offer data rollover
With the new changes, Verizon will be a contract-less carrier — you’ll pay as you go — and charges will be transparent. Going camping to a place park where your T-Mobile phone won’t get any signal? You’ll soon be able to grab an old CDMA or LTE phone and get a month of Verizon data and unlimited talk/text. Switching to Verizon has been made simpler, whether it is for one month or one year.
However, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there is a caveat: the penalty for going over your purchased data plan allotment will be $15 per GB.
* Prices represent unlimited voice and messaging for Project Fi and Cricket only; additional charges apply for US Mobile and Ting.
This new strategy puts Verizon directly on the attack against T-Mobile—which loudly proclaimed itself as theUncarrier back in 2013—as well as the numerous MVNOs that run their virtual networks on top of the big carriers. Unlike the others, though, Verizon won’t be competing on price; rather, they’ll be hoping existing customers will continue to pay a premium to use their nationwide network—and just maybe, without 2-year contracts to scare them away, they’ll convince some frustrated customers from other networks to join Big Red.
Is this a step in the right direction? Does it make you change your mind about Verizon? Sound off below!
Edit: Graph two, “Comparison of US Smartphone Plans (Four Lines),” has been updated to reflect T-Mobile’s per-user data scaling. As expected, the Un-Carrier’s offerings still clock in slightly cheaper than those of Big Red.
