Verizon Offers Double the Data for 'MORE Everything' Plans

[MeFromHere]

network "congestion" my ass. look how quick they are to offer more when they look comparatively bad

The pricing of bulk data plans is nearly independent of the congestion issue.

If (as Verizon claims) congestion mainly effects a small percentage of cell sites at peak times of the day, they can offer bigger data plans without incurring much additional cost. They don't have to add any new infrastructure to do this; most of the network already has excess capacity most of the time.

Most customers who get the new larger data plans either won't use the extra data, or will use it at off-peak sites and times. The relatively small number who mostly use peak sites and times may still be throttled at those sites and times.

Verizon clearly thinks the cost of NOT offering better data plans would be too high (in customers lost to the other carriers).

 

[ptb42]

If someone would've told me 20 years ago that my phone bill would approach the cost of a car payment I'd have laughed them out of the room.

I doubt the average car payment today is the same as an average car payment 20 years ago.

Of course I also predicted nobody would ever pay $1.29 for water in a cheap plastic bottle.

I only spend that kind of money in a captive market like the secured area of an airport.

However, you can buy bottled water for 10-20 cents/bottle at a big-box store. We reuse the bottles and refill them from a reverse osmosis filtration system.

 

[MeFromHere]

Technically, they didn't say they doubled all the plans. The title is correct. They are offering double the data for multiple plans.

Did Verizon say anything about doubling? Or was it only MacRumors who said "double the data"?

 

[GIZBUG]

Just left my unlimited data plan with Verizon for T-Mobile unlimited. Much happier, and definitely cheaper (80/month opposed to 120/month)

 

[JonasCalhoun]

I had 2 smartphones, 2 dumb phones on Verizon with unlimited data (still with the 4S). Wanted to upgrade to the 6, it was going to add another $50-$75 to my bill (I'd thought about converting one of the dumb phones to a smartphone), with metered data. Ended up doing the math, and T-Mobile was almost $1k/year cheaper.

I imagine we are going to have a few dropped calls, but for $1000, I can hit 'redial'...

Dan

 

[ptb42]

My extended family (all 6 of us) have iPhones, and we share 4GB of data per month. We have never gone over. Our bill is $320 per month..

Is this on AT&T? If so, increasing to at least 10GB/month would lower your per device fees significantly.

At $100/month for data and $15/device/month, your bill would be $190/month before taxes.

 

[MeFromHere]

Meh, an improvement, but still monopolistic pricing.

For $150/month, there should be no bandwidth caps. If that causes congestion, it's because the telcoms need to funnel a tad more revenue into infrastructure.

Please explain what you mean by these words, since you don't seem to use the conventional meanings:

• "monopolistic"
• "tad"

 

[avanpelt]

Just left my unlimited data plan with Verizon for T-Mobile unlimited. Much happier, and definitely cheaper (80/month opposed to 120/month)

I'm glad it worked out for you. I've looked at T-Mobile's coverage map and there's no way I could get by with T-Mobile based on my travels.

 

[skwash]

Doesn't seem like 1 or 2 years ago I was paying Verizon almost $90/month for 2GB of data for my iPhone (that I couldn't tether with), and then paying them another $30/month for 2GB of data for my iPad. So $120 for 4GB of data.

Nowadays, $115 gets 15GB of data?

Looks like the bubble has already slowly started to burst.

The problem is.. $115 is just for the data. You add another $15-$40 per phone. (depending on if you are on/off contract)

 

[horsebattery]

The problem is.. $115 is just for the data. You add another $15-$40 per phone. (depending on if you are on/off contract)

The additional cost per phone just to have access to the data pool is as asinine as paying for tethering. There isn't enough WTF in response to these practices.

 

[Monique1]

However, you can buy bottled water for 10-20 cents/bottle at a big-box store. We reuse the bottles and refill them from a reverse osmosis filtration system.

My hubby will only drink bottled water. I've been refilling them from the kitchen tap for years. He's an idiot just like all bottled water aficionados.

 

[mac.cali]

The additional cost per phone just to have access to the data pool is as asinine as paying for tethering. There isn't enough WTF in response to these practices.

I agree. I would add another line and then pay the ETF just to save the $25 a month. If not it's just like purchasing the phone at retail price with no interest.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I'm loving what T-Mobile is doing to the cellular data market. Not too much longer until cellular data pricing is competitive with fiber optics, and at that point, it won't be the cellular duopoly being disrupted but the regional monopolies of cable/internet providers. I dream of the day I can tell Comcast to shove it. A few days ago I was predicting that was about 10 years away, but I'm wondering if it's really 3-5 years away...

 

[BrentD]

So only on the 12GB and higher plans does this do anything for anyone. Meaning, the majority of their customer base probably doesn't get anything from this.

And why is it that Verizon's site mentions nothing of this offer and the only citation on any of the tech sites reporting this is simply a link to another tech site and not to Verizon?

 

[mvsrt99]

You add another $15-$40 per phone. (depending on if you are on/off contract)

Hmmm I hadn't seen this anywhere. So if you're off contract you don't have to pay the $40 per phone access fee?

 

[RightMACatU]

[Walks into a bank] Hi there, could I please a second car loan?
What for?
I just got an iPhone 6 and I would like to sign up for the full Verizon User Experience package at $375 + all the wonderful additional fees tied to it.

/s

 

[WaxedJacket]

Does Verizon have any worth while plans UNDER $100 a month?

I wouldn't mind switching back with them but AT&T currently has me at 2gb data for $71 a month out the door.

Last I checked Verizon has nothing in that range.

 

[Razeus]

All this does is tell me that these data limits are completely arbitrary.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Does Verizon have any worth while plans UNDER $100 a month?

I wouldn't mind switching back with them but AT&T currently has me at 2gb data for $71 a month out the door.

Last I checked Verizon has nothing in that range.

Verizon beats it. http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/shop/shop-data-plans/single-line-data-plans.html

It's about $67 out the door.

 

[C DM]

Smells of collusion

Or basically competition.

----------

Hmmm I hadn't seen this anywhere. So if you're off contract you don't have to pay the $40 per phone access fee?

Depending on your data allowance you can get $10/month off or even $25/month off with a non-contract phone on one of the current plans.

 

[bmelson0412]

All they do is follow in AT&T 's footsteps. I'm sick of verizon doing that. Just bring back unlimited already! They would make more money and finally kill sprint and t-mobile.

 

[C DM]

Did Verizon say anything about doubling? Or was it only MacRumors who said "double the data"?

So only on the 12GB and higher plans does this do anything for anyone. Meaning, the majority of their customer base probably doesn't get anything from this.

And why is it that Verizon's site mentions nothing of this offer and the only citation on any of the tech sites reporting this simply a link to another tech site and not to Verizon?

Here's information about it straight from Verizon: http://www.verizonwireless.com/news...st-ever-pricing-on-more-everything-plans.html

 

[D.T.]

Hmmm I hadn't seen this anywhere. So if you're off contract you don't have to pay the $40 per phone access fee?

If you’re on a smartphone plan it’s $40/device plus the basic data cost. So we’re on 4GB shared ($70) plus $40 x 2 for our phones.

If you’re not on contract (and not subsidizing the phone), it’s -$10 per device for data plans under 10GB/month, and -$25/per for 10GB and up.

For us, the $20/month discount was less vs. the additional (more than 2x) cost of buying phones outright, so contract/sub’ed is cheaper. For more devices, it’s starts favoring the no contract price.

The only perk for us if we used more data, the 10GB+ discount of -$25 does add up enough, but it’s kind of a break even vs. contract - BUT, it would be 10GB vs. 4GB (if that makes sense).

Keep in mind this is for shared data, there are apparently some new single line plans that are cheaper.

 

[horsebattery]

All they do is follow in AT&T 's footsteps. I'm sick of verizon doing that. Just bring back unlimited already! They would make more money and finally kill sprint and t-mobile.

Do you understand how competition works? Do you also understand why unlimited data (all the time) doesn't work?

 

[ptb42]

My hubby will only drink bottled water. I've been refilling them from the kitchen tap for years. He's an idiot just like all bottled water aficionados.

I don't get it, either.

Disposable water bottles are just a convenience for us. We don't have to worry about saving an empty one, but if we return home with empties in the car we just refill and reuse them. However, we don't use them around the house.

Depending on where you live, municipal water can have a distinct taste or odor (especially in the summer). I really didn't notice until we moved my wife's filtration system into our house, and I drank from it for a month or two. Now, I can really notice.