Verizon Wireless has updated its prepaid wireless plans. Highlighted changes include more data on one plan, the removal of another, and all plans are now priced $5 cheaper when auto-pay billing is enabled. Auto-pay billing and on time payments were previously used to reward subscribers with data carryover. However data carryover is no longer offered. Subscribers that currently have data carryover will be grandfathered into their plan if they so choose, but they won't be eligible for the $5 auto-pay discount.
Verizon Prepaid Updated Plans
With the changes highlighted, here are what the updated Verizon Prepaid wireless plans look like.
- $30/month - 500MB LTE data
- $35/month ($40 w/o Auto-Pay (AP)) - 3GB LTE data. Additional lines priced at $25/month with AP.
- $45/month ($50 w/o AP) - 8GB LTE data, previously included 7GB. Includes unlimited calling to Canada and Mexico. Additional lines priced at $30/month with AP.
- $65/month ($70 w/o AP) - unlimited LTE data, previously priced at $75/month. Mobile hotspot has been removed, previously included hotspot at 3G data speeds. Includes unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada. Additional lines can be added priced at $45/month with AP. At any time the network becomes congested, data speeds may be temporarily reduced.
A $60 per month plan with 10GB of data has been removed.
All plans include video streaming limited to a maximum resolution of 480p, unlimited talk, text, international text and data with the specified amount of data at 4G LTE data speeds before throttling to 2G data speeds. Mobile hotspot is included on all plans except the unlimited LTE data plan. Taxes and fees are not included in the prices shown. In my area taxes and fees add about 10% to the total cost of the plans.
Other changes include that Verizon will now allow you to add up to 10 lines per account. Previously only 5 could be added. Multi-line customers can mix and match plans and still get the discounts described above. For instance, if line 1 is the $40 plan ($35 with auto-pay) and line 2 is unlimited data, the price for line 2 will be $45/month after the auto-pay and multi-line discounts are applied.
Tablets and Verizon Wireless Jetpack hotspot can both now be added as a line to your account at the same price it costs to add a smartphone.
More About The Plan Changes And Editor's Take
I suspect the plan changes will be welcomed by a majority of Verizon Prepaid wireless subscribers since they are now priced lower. However, not everyone will be pleased. BestMVNO has confirmed with a Verizon representative that the hotspot data has been removed from the unlimited LTE data plan. It does still show up as being available on Verizon's prepaid wireless plan web page, however it is listed in the FAQs that it is no longer available. Verizon Wireless needs to update its site with the change.
The removal of hotspot data from Verizon's unlimited LTE data plan is a bit odd. It comes at a time when competing providers are adding more hotspot data to their prepaid plans. Metro By T-Mobile unlimited plans recently got more hotspot data, as did Boost Mobile's. Boost Mobile is owned by Sprint. Verizon Prepaid is now the only major carrier brand or prepaid brand to not offer hotspot data on an unlimited plan.