On June 18th Verizon Wireless will launch a new unlimited data plan named "Above Unlimited." It will cost subscribers $95/month plus taxes and fees. It will be the third unlimited data plan in the Verizon lineup which is sure to cause confusion among customers. Also starting on June 18th, the carrier will allow those with multiple lines to mix and match unlimited data plans for a discount.
The New Above Unlimited Plan
The new "Above Unlimited Plan" will come with more data and extra features not found in Verizon's two other unlimited data plans. Above Unlimited will include the following:
- $95/month
- 75GB of 4G LTE data before data prioritization policies get applied that temporarily slow down data speeds during times of heavy network traffic
- Unlimited domestic talk and text and unlimited calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
- Free talk, text and data roaming while in Mexico and Canada
- Video streaming limited to a resolution of 720p
- Unlimited mobile hotspot with the first 20GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- 5 TravelPasses per month which allows you to use your talk, text and data in over 130 countries at no extra cost
- 500GB of Verizon Cloud Storage
Verizon's two other unlimited data plans are called Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited.
Go Unlimited
- $75/month
- Unlimited 4G LTE data
- Unlimited domestic talk and text and unlimited calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
- Free talk, text and data roaming while in Mexico and Canada
- Video streaming limited to a resolution of 480p
- Unlimited mobile hotspot with data speeds limited to 600 Kbps
Beyond Unlimited
- $85/month
- 22GB of 4G LTE data before data prioritization policies get applied that temporarily slow down data speeds during times of heavy network traffic
- Unlimited domestic talk and text and unlimited calling and texting to Mexico and Canada
- Free talk, text and data roaming while in Mexico and Canada
- Video streaming limited to a resolution of 480p
- Unlimited mobile hotspot with the first 15GB at 4G LTE data speeds
Verizon has actually created a "nice" infographic shown below to "help" customers compare and choose a plan. It also shows how much you'll pay for having multiple lines.
For multiple line customers you can mix and match plans. So one person can subscribe to Above Unlimited for $95/month, while a second line with Go Unlimited can be added for $65/month.
Verizon's Video Announcements Of Above Unlimited And Mix And Match Plans
Editor's Take
I think Verizon may be starting to create a mess here with the different unlimited data plans that they are offering. The fact that they all have the word unlimited in them is sure to lead to questions among the average consumer. To make it worse, the Go Unlimited plan is advertised as having unlimited 4G LTE data, while Above Unlimited has 75GB. I'm sure this will lead to Verizon reps having to answer questions like "why would I want to pay $20 more a month for a plan that doesn't have unlimited data?" And "why is it called unlimited if it says it has 75GB of 4G LTE data?"
Of course we know that Verizon's Go Unlimited plan doesn't actually include any fixed amount of 4G LTE data before data prioritization policies get applied. Data prioritization policies are always applied to the plan. This means that any time Verizon's network becomes filled with a lot of traffic, customers will have their data speeds temporarily slowed down until there's less traffic on the network. I seriously have to question how much the average shopper really understands that, and how it differs between the other two plans. Perhaps it's something most don't care about.
Verizon's Above Unlimited plan is now the most expensive unlimited data plan on the market. It's actually tied in base price with a plan from T-Mobile, but T-Mobile's plan includes taxes and fees, Verizon's does not. T-Mobile's plan is also a plan that has paid add-ons added to it, Verizon's does not.