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Verizon Introduces New Monthly Service Plans, Eliminating Smartphone Subsidies for New Customers

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Verizon today announced that the company will be introducing a new set of smartphone rate plans for its customers while simultaneously eliminating the traditional subsidized two-year contract option for new users joining the network. The new plans come in four sizes of data allotments, and will go into effect officially on August 13.

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Once customers choose the smartphone they want to pay for on its own monthly cost, they will then choose which data option they need for their plan. The new plans are going to apply to both single lines but can also be shared with up to ten devices on one plan. Verizon likens the new plan options as a simplified version of its former offerings.
Many things in our lives come in familiar sizes. Morning coffee? A medium, please. New t-shirt? That’s a large – at least for now. From small to XL, everyone understands these common sizing options.

Beginning August 13, our newest price plan will offer four easy sizes of data to match how our customers use wireless service. These new data options come in sizes just like other things we buy:

-Small: $30/month for 1GB of shareable data

-Medium: $45/month for 3GB of shareable data

-Large: $60/month for 6GB of shareable data

-X-Large: $80/month for 12GB of shareable data
Click to expand...
With the new plan structure, monthly device access charges will be priced at $20 for smartphones, $10 for tablets and Jetpack MiFis, and $5 for "connected device lines" such as smart watches. These device access charges are, of course, in addition to one of the four data options each customer will pick and any financed cost for the devices themselves. Verizon hopes that the new offerings will result in "a simpler and more streamlined bill" for its customers in the future.

New customers will have to choose between paying the full device cost up front or using interest-free financing to spread the costs out over 24 months, as subsidized pricing with a two-year contract will no longer be available to new customers. Existing customers will be able to move to the plans or retain their existing plans, with some restrictions that have yet to be detailed.

Article Link: Verizon Introduces New Monthly Service Plans, Eliminating Smartphone Subsidies for New Customers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/07/verizon-introduces-new-plans/
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Just ran the numbers, and this would actually cost my group (family) $5.00 MORE per month. Jesus they're proud of their network....

After the phones are paid for though, we'd be saving about $75 per month. That's one of the reasons I switched to Verizon; AT&T wouldn't lower my bill after the phone subsidy had been paid off (24 months).
 
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Klae17 said:
I pay $140 for 5 lines on T-Mobile and each line has 10 GB. EACH. Thanks T-Mobile
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Be thankful you're in an area where T-Mob works consistently. Not being a smart ass either...the way this industry has and always will work is that if the network sucks (on a national level I mean) you'll get a ton for your money.....where it happens to work.
 
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This was a long time in coming. So many people didn't understand the "subsidized" pricing model and continued to use their smartphones after 24 months not realizing they were continuing to pay for subsidies with no benefit. Not all, but many, I'm sure.

Better to break out the phone and service costs separately, which allows consumers to see the differences and be more informed shoppers.
 
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Waxhead138 said:
Be thankful you're in an area where T-Mob works consistently. Not being a smart ass either...the way this industry has and always will work is that if the network sucks (on a national level I mean) you'll get a ton for your money.....where it happens to work.
Click to expand...

It does, and I have wifi everywhere, gym work home Starbucks. Not only that, free music streaming and international roaming.
 
John.B said:
This was a long time in coming. So many people didn't understand the "subsidized" pricing model and continued to use their smartphones after 24 months not realizing they were continuing to pay for subsidies with no benefit. Not all, but many, I'm sure.

Better to break out the phone and service costs separately, which allows consumers to see the differences and be more informed shoppers.
Click to expand...

The problem is that these prices don't seem to line up with the unsubsidized pricing of competitors. Like, you can get 5GB of data from Straight Talk using Verizon's network for $45/month. But Verizon wants to charge you $65/month? How does that make sense?
 
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Holding onto my wife and my two unlimited plans that cost us a total of $145/mo never felt so good.
 
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Are the prices in the article including access for one smartphone plus the data or are those prices just for the data?

Surely they can't be just for the data as that would be a colossal ripoff compared to the plan they've been marketing the hell out of for the last several months -- 2 smartphones, 10 GB of data = $80/month.

So now is it 2 smartphones, 6 GB of data = $100/month?

I hope everyone that wanted to jumped on that 10 GB deal. I thought for sure that would become their new standard price for 2 smartphones and 10 GB of data. I figured they'd throw that bone to their customers since they seem to have no interest in giving them rollover data.
 
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willdude said:
The problem is that these prices don't seem to line up with the unsubsidized pricing of competitors. Like, you can get 5GB of data from Straight Talk using Verizon's network for $45/month. But Verizon wants to charge you $65/month? How does that make sense?
Click to expand...
That's because straight talk and services similar where they piggy back off carriers like ATT, T-Mobile and Verizon. Is that they have less overhead cost because they lease the networks. The top three all have store fronts. That's why the cost is a bit higher
 
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Klae17 said:
I pay $140 for 5 lines on T-Mobile and each line has 10 GB. EACH. Thanks T-Mobile
Click to expand...
I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile last year and while I agree T-Mobile is a bargain, you get what you pay for. While the coverage is decent where I live (Silicon Valley), indoor coverage is often lacking and rural coverage (e.g., weekend road trips) is often horrible. And their billing system is really third class. Out of about 16 months I have been on T-Mobile, at least half had billing errors.

I strongly suspect that when and if T-Mobile catches up to competitor in terms of coverage, you will be paying substantially more (at least for new customers).

Having said all that, T-Mobile is single handedly responsible for driving down prices (or sweetening the deals) of competitors.
 
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$30 bucks a month for just one gigabyte of data? Are they serious? The large plan equals to be $10 per 1 gig yet if all you want is one gig they charge you $30, 3 times as much?
 
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Verizon actually doing something good for customers? I'm shocked.

I think the masses are finally finding out how much they're getting ripped off by subsidized phones.
LordBeelzebub said:
$30 bucks a month for just one gigabyte of data? Are they serious? The large plan equals to be $10 per 1 gig yet if all you want is one gig they charge you $30, 3 times as much?
Click to expand...
They're pricing it that way so people will get the $45 a month deal. This practice isn't new. Still a deal coming from previous Verizon plans.
 
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