Watch on Verizon now $10/mo for connection fee. Down from $20/mo.

[wilberforce]

I'm asking people with Verizon Wireless, which I believe is U.S. only.

I asked Verizon, and they said taxes and fees would be lower on a smartwatch compared to a phone, but some of the posts on this thread has lead me to believe otherwise. For instance, I have $4.42 in taxes and fees added on to my smartphone lines. In the posts above, I'm seeing anywhere from $3-$4.85 extra, which is barely less to more money than what I pay for a smartphone in taxes and fees.

On my $10 connection fee from Verizon, in Alameda, California, I have 47c in surcharges and taxes/fees - much less than on the phone lines. The biggest portion of the tax on my Verizon bill is from "Alameda City UUT" - so obviously the tax could vary greatly by location.
My $10 connection fee is for a cellular iPad, so not sure if that is different from a smartwatch

 

[Alan Gordon]

On my $10 connection fee from Verizon, in Alameda, California, I have 47c in surcharges and taxes/fees - much less than on the phone lines. The biggest portion of the tax on my Verizon bill is from "Alameda City UUT" - so obviously the tax could vary greatly by location.
My $10 connection fee is for a cellular iPad, so not sure if that is different from a smartwatch

That's not bad at all. Out of curiosity, what kind of taxes/fees do you have on your smartphones (for comparison's sake)? Mine's $4.42.

 

[wilberforce]

That's not bad at all. Out of curiosity, what kind of taxes/fees do you have on your smartphones (for comparison's sake)? Mine's $4.42.

$8.86 taxes, fees and surcharges on two iPhones. Total bill is about $100/month, btw

 

[Alan Gordon]

$8.86 taxes, fees and surcharges on two iPhones. Total bill is about $100/month, btw

... and you really only get charged 47 cents for the iPad?

I was told by a Verizon rep that the Apple Watch taxes and fees would be cheaper than the phonelines, but if I add an Apples Watch to my Cart on Verizon, it's showing an estimated next bill charge showing surcharges, taxes and fees being a combined $4.26, which is barely cheaper than the $4.42 I pay on the phones. I'm not paying $14.26 per month for cellular service for an Apple Watch. It's not worth it to me.

 

[wilberforce]

... and you really only get charged 47 cents for the iPad?

I was told by a Verizon rep that the Apple Watch taxes and fees would be cheaper than the phonelines, but if I add an Apples Watch to my Cart on Verizon, it's showing an estimated next bill charge showing surcharges, taxes and fees being a combined $4.26, which is barely cheaper than the $4.42 I pay on the phones. I'm not paying $14.26 per month for cellular service for an Apple Watch. It's not worth it to me.

See screenshot below. First subtotal is for the plan, next two are for the two iPhones, and last is for the iPad. I don't want to screenshot my actual phone numbers here. Again, not sure if taxes on a smartwatch (which can send and receive calls) are same as on an iPad (which only uses cellular data) - this may be an important distinction to the tax collector.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Again, not sure if taxes on a smartwatch (which can send and receive calls) are same as on an iPad (which only uses cellular data) - this may be an important distinction to the tax collector.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm assuming that's the thing. I feel like the VZW person didn't know what they were talking about when they said it would be cheaper than a smart phone, because I really feel like 18 cents isn't cheaper enough to make that statement.

 

[bluespark]

Honestly, even $10 seems like a complete money-grab. No one is using their Watch for enormous amounts of data for which they wouldn't otherwise use their phone. I suspect that any carrier that treated Watch service as a free or very low-priced add on for its loyal phone customers would end up with loyal phone customers and a ton of goodwill.

 

[muzzymate]

If Tmobile didn't have a $5 with autopay plan for the Watch with 500MB a month, I probably wouldn't even bother. While sure, 500MB for only $5 is a lot per GB, I don't think my or my wife's watch has ever gone over 150MB in a month. However, it's really nice to be able to leave my phone at home while doing my workouts or hanging out with friends, but still be reachable by text or phone call. And if we ever did go over, unlimited 2G speed is fine for how we use it. Taxes for us per line is really reasonable to with it only being a total of $0.27, most going to 911 services.

 

[Alan Gordon]

Honestly, even $10 seems like a complete money-grab. No one is using their Watch for enormous amounts of data for which they wouldn't otherwise use their phone. I suspect that any carrier that treated Watch service as a free or very low-priced add on for its loyal phone customers would end up with loyal phone customers and a ton of goodwill.

Yes, if VZW for instance had the Watch included in the Do More Unlimited plan instead of just 50% off connected devices, I would consider getting it instead of the Start Unlimited plan since it also includes HotSpot data, which I've used maybe three times in the last 10 years. It's a difference of $10 in plan prices. However, if I were to get the Do More Unlimited plan now, it would be an additional $10 over the Start Unlimited plan, then an additional $5 for the watch service, and then $4.26 for the watch taxes, fees, and surcharges making it almost $20 higher, $5 higher than if I stayed on Start Unlimited and got Watch service.

If Tmobile didn't have a $5 with autopay plan for the Watch with 500MB a month, I probably wouldn't even bother. While sure, 500MB for only $5 is a lot per GB, I don't think my or my wife's watch has ever gone over 150MB in a month. However, it's really nice to be able to leave my phone at home while doing my workouts or hanging out with friends, but still be reachable by text or phone call. And if we ever did go over, unlimited 2G speed is fine for how we use it. Taxes for us per line is really reasonable to with it only being a total of $0.27, most going to 911 services.

While I like the idea of being able to stream Apple Music via the Apple Watch while walking (exercising), I'd probably go for that if Verizon offered the same deal, but $14.26 for service isn't that great a deal for me.