I love that it's $10 for 2 GB if you purchase it up front, but if you're on a lower plan and go over on data, they'll hit you $15 per GB!! Not only does the plan itself suck, but they can't even charge a fair rate for overage.............
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Verizon Introduces 'Share Everything' Service Plan for Up to Ten Devices
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I love that it's $10 for 2 GB if you purchase it up front, but if you're on a lower plan and go over on data, they'll hit you $15 per GB!! Not only does the plan itself suck, but they can't even charge a fair rate for overage.............
Awful.
Current: 5 smartphones, unlimited data, unlimited messaging, 1400 minutes (way too many.) $205 WITH fees, after corporate discount.
New plan: 5 smartphones, 6GB data. $224 BEFORE fees, after corporate discount. (Or $240 for 10GB.)
So we would pay MORE to get less data and more minutes, which we don't need.... Horrible move, Verizon.
Current: 5 smartphones, unlimited data, unlimited messaging, 1400 minutes (way too many.) $205 WITH fees, after corporate discount.
New plan: 5 smartphones, 6GB data. $224 BEFORE fees, after corporate discount. (Or $240 for 10GB.)
So we would pay MORE to get less data and more minutes, which we don't need.... Horrible move, Verizon.
There's no $9.99 fee on the first phone line, is there (not on AT&T anyway)? But still, your point is a good one. I guess these plans could work for some who are already paying a lot. But most ppl don't need or have 1400 minutes for two lines. I think my family has that much for 4 lines, and only because AT&T doesn't allow lower with that many phone lines. We don't use nearly that many minutes.
If you upgrade your phone with subsidy on Verizon or join Verizon new this is the plan. AT&T is likely to be the same considering they do plan changes within weeks of each other (because they're pricing fixing jerks).
I would seriously suggest looking at prepaid. You pay more up front but save hundreds over the course of two years.
It has been discussed (and described on Verizon's site) that you will not be forced to one of the new plans.
Huge Point Here: I worked for VZW for almost seven years....and while I'm not exactly surprised of the strategy behind this....I'm quite surprised that it seems as though the choices are unlimited minutes or nothing. Even when the unlimited minute plans debuted, the option remained (and still does currently) to opt for buckets of minutes.
Also....not to mention...I have my parents, who are both near 70, who only use a phone as a phone. I understand blanket pricing...but damn, 30.00 a month for basic, not even-remotely-smart-phone service? Thats flat out ridiculous. I understand the future of cell phone pricing will be ugly...but its got to be more flexible than this, or most of us, out of sheer principle alone, will end up on prepaid service. (Which Btw was been working out pretty well for many Europeans for many years.)
Edit: Didn't check out VZW's FAQ yet. I stand semi corrected. But damn people better use a ton of minutes to justify switching to the new plans.
Last edited:
I'm not sure that's true, based on this:
You're not required to move to Share Everything but if you do, unlimited data will not be retained on your line. As a Verizon Wireless customer you have choices when you upgrade at discounted pricing. You can choose from a standalone data package starting at $30 for 2GB or a Share Everything Plan. If keeping unlimited is important to you, you can choose to upgrade and pay full retail price for the phone.
If you already have Verizon and upgrade you can get a 2GB plan (I'd presume under the old pricing structure), but you cannot keep unlimited data.
My current bill shows that I have the $9.99 Line Access on both.
The only reason I have the 1400 minutes package is because my wife likes to call her family a lot. We certainly don't need 1400, but the 700 minute plan is cutting it too close. When you jump up to the 1400 min plan, then you can add 10 family/friends numbers that you can call for free. It is basically a chicken or the egg situation (700 too small, don't need 1400, but the free family deal is nice).
I think for many families like myself, this could work out well, or at the very least pay about the same thing for the same level of service. The upside would be flexibility in where you spend your allotted data.
For people with unlimited data today, I understand where they're coming from not liking this plan, but they're going to have to understand that unlimited data is a thing of the past. Next time you get a new phone, they're going to yank it right away from you if not sooner.
would be cheaper for us
Right now I pay $220 (before taxes and fees) per month for 1400 minutes, 250 messages for each of our 2 iPhones with unlimited data, and 2 iPads each with 3GB of data.
Moving to the new shared plan, the price before taxes would drop to $200. $40 per iPhone and $10 per iPad = $100 plus the $100 for 10GB of data (perhaps even could get away with going with less data.
Of course we'd be losing the unlimited data but it seems we're not heavy data users as it's rare that we go above 1GB any given month on the iPhones and probably not even 100MB on the iPads.
Now, if hotspot is included, then potentially we could drop the iPad access fees altogether and just tether them to the iPhones saving an additional $20 each month.
dt
Right now I pay $220 (before taxes and fees) per month for 1400 minutes, 250 messages for each of our 2 iPhones with unlimited data, and 2 iPads each with 3GB of data.
Moving to the new shared plan, the price before taxes would drop to $200. $40 per iPhone and $10 per iPad = $100 plus the $100 for 10GB of data (perhaps even could get away with going with less data.
Of course we'd be losing the unlimited data but it seems we're not heavy data users as it's rare that we go above 1GB any given month on the iPhones and probably not even 100MB on the iPads.
Now, if hotspot is included, then potentially we could drop the iPad access fees altogether and just tether them to the iPhones saving an additional $20 each month.
dt
Current Plan:
Line 1: $60 + $30 = $90 (unlimited)
Line 2: $10 + $30 = $40 (unlimited)
Line 3: $10 + $30 = $40 (unlimited)
Line 4: $10 + $30 = $40 (limited)
Total: $210
Shared Plan:
Lines: $40 x 4 = $160
10 gig data: $100
Total: $260
It would cost me $50 more for our family plan and we would be giving up 3 unlimited datas.
Line 1: $60 + $30 = $90 (unlimited)
Line 2: $10 + $30 = $40 (unlimited)
Line 3: $10 + $30 = $40 (unlimited)
Line 4: $10 + $30 = $40 (limited)
Total: $210
Shared Plan:
Lines: $40 x 4 = $160
10 gig data: $100
Total: $260
It would cost me $50 more for our family plan and we would be giving up 3 unlimited datas.
So what I read is that the upgrade on my account that I am eligible for should be done RIGHT NOW instead of waiting for the new iPhone. Does this make sense?
My line is eligible for an upgrade right now. I was sitting on it until the launch of the new iPhone. But it'd really be in my best interest to go to verizon tomorrow, use my upgrade (and re-sign for another 2 years) and get subsidized. At least that way I will have a subsidized phone to sell when I have to buy the next iPhone outright to maintain my unlimited data.
I currently pay $151.56/mo. This includes:
-- Account Charges ($90 -$20 corp. disc.) = $60.20
-- My Line ($10 + $30 data - $6.60 corp. disc. + fees) = $38.82
-- Wifes line ($10 + $30 data + $7 insurance + fees) = $52.54
This is for
+700 minutes (shared)
+unlimited text
+unlimited data.
If you move us to the new plan we're looking at the following:
-- My Line ($40)
-- Wifes Line ($40)
-- 4GB data ($70)
For a grand total of: $150 + fees or $141.20 + fees if they give me the corp disc. on my $40 device charge.
This is for
+Unlimited minutes
+Unlimited text
+2GB data each
+enabled moblie hotspot(?)
So i'm basically losing unlimited data but gaining unlimited minutes (which we never even use half or our 700 minutes). BUT they'll subsidize my phone price.
IMO there are still a couple of big variables for me to jump.
1. If you go over your data amount, what's the charge (i.e. $10/gb)?
2. If we choose to keep our current plan will they start capping data like other carriers?
Either way, I need to decide soon cause I'm sitting on an upgrade that could potentially be worthless in two weeks if I decide it's better to just buy outright from now on. If that *is* the best scenario, I might as well use my upgrade before these changes take effect and let them subsidize a new 4S that I can turn around and sell when the 5 comes out....
ugh.
My line is eligible for an upgrade right now. I was sitting on it until the launch of the new iPhone. But it'd really be in my best interest to go to verizon tomorrow, use my upgrade (and re-sign for another 2 years) and get subsidized. At least that way I will have a subsidized phone to sell when I have to buy the next iPhone outright to maintain my unlimited data.
I currently pay $151.56/mo. This includes:
-- Account Charges ($90 -$20 corp. disc.) = $60.20
-- My Line ($10 + $30 data - $6.60 corp. disc. + fees) = $38.82
-- Wifes line ($10 + $30 data + $7 insurance + fees) = $52.54
This is for
+700 minutes (shared)
+unlimited text
+unlimited data.
If you move us to the new plan we're looking at the following:
-- My Line ($40)
-- Wifes Line ($40)
-- 4GB data ($70)
For a grand total of: $150 + fees or $141.20 + fees if they give me the corp disc. on my $40 device charge.
This is for
+Unlimited minutes
+Unlimited text
+2GB data each
+enabled moblie hotspot(?)
So i'm basically losing unlimited data but gaining unlimited minutes (which we never even use half or our 700 minutes). BUT they'll subsidize my phone price.
IMO there are still a couple of big variables for me to jump.
1. If you go over your data amount, what's the charge (i.e. $10/gb)?
2. If we choose to keep our current plan will they start capping data like other carriers?
Either way, I need to decide soon cause I'm sitting on an upgrade that could potentially be worthless in two weeks if I decide it's better to just buy outright from now on. If that *is* the best scenario, I might as well use my upgrade before these changes take effect and let them subsidize a new 4S that I can turn around and sell when the 5 comes out....
ugh.
Even AT&T's limited data plans are more fair than this. This isn't if you have unlimited data, this is if you use a decent chunk of data (like even 2 GB) and you don't use the phone that much this SUCKS (For me and my roommate we have the smallest plan and usually get rollover minutes cause not only do we not use the phone much, most of the people we call are on AT&T so they don't cost us minutes to call... that is something to consider when getting a phone if you call a lot, is a majority of the people you call on one network that you wouldn't be charged the minutes to call).
The only way I could see this being a good plan is for some one who doesn't use data that much at all (1 GB shared amongst even 2 people is a small amount if you use your smartphone much at all) and calls a lot.
What's sad about this is that it's actually a GOOD IDEA, but the prices are too high and the data caps too low. They've turned something potentially awesome into just another ridiculous ripoff.
It doesn't make sense. With all the competition we have now, prices should be going DOWN, not up. It's obvious these companies are colluding; why doesn't the government do something about this?
It doesn't make sense. With all the competition we have now, prices should be going DOWN, not up. It's obvious these companies are colluding; why doesn't the government do something about this?
Still too expensive. It would be great if the contract you signed simply included your phone or device, but having to pay a nominal fee per device just to use these new family plans makes it seem more like you're renting it as opposed to benefitting from it.
AT&T will probably end up doing something similar as well and will most likely have prices just as high. All of this competition between carriers has not decreased cost so much as it has successfully established how much they can charge people and effectively setting their prices higher and higher wulie getting rid of more reasonable options.
I can't tell you how many times AT&T reps have suggested I get rid of my now obsolete 2GB plan that I pay $25 in favor of the 300MB plan that will cost me $20.
T-Mobile and Edge data speeds are looking better and better every day.
AT&T will probably end up doing something similar as well and will most likely have prices just as high. All of this competition between carriers has not decreased cost so much as it has successfully established how much they can charge people and effectively setting their prices higher and higher wulie getting rid of more reasonable options.
I can't tell you how many times AT&T reps have suggested I get rid of my now obsolete 2GB plan that I pay $25 in favor of the 300MB plan that will cost me $20.
T-Mobile and Edge data speeds are looking better and better every day.
VZW Prior Quote
Didn't Fran Shammo from VZW not more than a few weeks ago, posted by MR, come out and say that if one had unlimited 4G going into an upgrade that it would be grandfathered in? This seems to contradict
that.
Edit: Nevermind. My memory is a complete fail today. Guess it was wishful thinking.
Didn't Fran Shammo from VZW not more than a few weeks ago, posted by MR, come out and say that if one had unlimited 4G going into an upgrade that it would be grandfathered in? This seems to contradict
that.
Edit: Nevermind. My memory is a complete fail today. Guess it was wishful thinking.
Last edited:
Yea, no.
Seriously, if anyone on Verizon gets forced out of the Unlimited Data plans either via contract renewal or jacked up subsidized pricing. I highly recommend you switch to Sprint and vote with your wallets. They will get the message, but it requires you guys to actually do something about it.
Seriously, if anyone on Verizon gets forced out of the Unlimited Data plans either via contract renewal or jacked up subsidized pricing. I highly recommend you switch to Sprint and vote with your wallets. They will get the message, but it requires you guys to actually do something about it.
Last edited:
Yeah, it only offers possibly attractive value if you already want unlimited voice and texts. For anyone who doesn't (like you and me) you're "paying" for something you don't need or, put differently, you're paying a heck of a lot more for data.
Unless you're using your phone for business, who needs unlimited voice anymore?
Another figure to be considered is the phone subsidation.
I believe verizon does 22 month contracts and I believe for our beloved iPhone, they subsidize around $400.
So, $400/22mo. is about $18.18 per month that you'd be "saving" by switching to the shared plan (and not having to buy your own new phone).
I believe verizon does 22 month contracts and I believe for our beloved iPhone, they subsidize around $400.
So, $400/22mo. is about $18.18 per month that you'd be "saving" by switching to the shared plan (and not having to buy your own new phone).
I think I read somewhere that it is based on tower usage and not just a blanket thing. Can someone else confirm this?
