Verizon Price Increase Has A Silver Lining (?)

[Jeff]

I assume most with a Verizon grandfathered unlimited data plan have heard by now that there bills after 12/15/2015 will include a $20 per month increase on the data charge.


I was in our local Verizon store yesterday and learned that once we start paying the additional charge we can start buying phones on a two year contract again without having to switch plans. A small peace offering.

[ramblinbob]

Like you said " A small peace offering" but still something. Thanks for the info.

[Sam!]

you still have to be diligent when upgrading that they don't attempt to roll you out of the plan. I still upgraded before because there was ways around it if the sales person was willing to help you keep your plan.

[SargeW]

I had not heard that Jeff. Did you get an email from then telling you that?

[garyb1st]

We have an air-card with unlimited coverage.  It's 3G and we'd like to upgrade to 4G.  Up till now we haven't been able to.  Would love to see some viable options. 

[SargeW]

I looked at that too. But as soon as I jump to 4G I lose my grandfathered status. At least that was the story last time I checked.

[docj]

I had not heard that Jeff. Did you get an email from then telling you that?

This statement was included in numerous news articles about the rate increase. 

It's my understanding that the two-year payout of the phone does NOT entail a contract extension.  Several months ago Verizon decoupled contract length from phone prices.  It stopped giving "discounted prices" for phones that had always been coupled to contract extensions and started simply letting people pay out the full cost of a phone over several years.  It's my understanding that grandfathered unlimited customers are simply being given this same "right."

[SargeW]

Right, but that doesn't answer the OP statement. The increase in grandfathered rate plans is not connected with 2 year contract plans.

[ramblinbob]

We have an air-card with unlimited coverage.  It's 3G and we'd like to upgrade to 4G.  Up till now we haven't been able to.  Would love to see some viable options.

I had a 3G phone and upgraded to 4G keeping my GF status, don't know if it's different with an air card. It cost me $20.00 a month extra and this was before the new price increase, but I do intend to use it heavily.

[garyb1st]

Verizon doesn't have universal plans.  They very by area.  Several times I've found unlimited service in smaller cities.  We never signed up for unlimited coverage because it wasn't available in L.A..  When traveling in Canada several years ago, I wasn't aware of the significant roaming charges.  When my normal $130 monthly Verizon bill jumped to more than $600 because we were in Canada for 2 weeks, I called Verizon and complained.  Long story short, they back dated our plan and added Global Coverage for the phones, (another $60 a month for two months. no longer available) which was twice our regular rate for the phones.  (not the Internet)  We paid that for two months and then went back to our old plan.  Only difference our old plan was now unlimited.  I was sure Verizon would catch this and revert our plan to our pre Global Coverage non-limited program.  Never happened.  We've had unlimited for 5 years.  Of course we spend $60.00 a month for 12 months and only use it for maybe 3 or 4, so not really a great deal. 

[Sam!]

I recently upgraded to galaxy s5 and got a new contract so that locks me in for two years of no cost increase. 

[8Muddypaws]

I noticed on my iPad that they now have a 5GB plan for $50 but it doesn't expire for 60 days.  That will actually save me money in the long run.  My previous plan was $40 for 4GB every 30 days.

[Jeff]

I had not heard that Jeff. Did you get an email from then telling you that?

Sorry Marty I have been on the go. I heard this online so went into our local store. Supposedly as soon as you make the first additional payment (or are billed for it) a code will be added to your plan to prevent VZ from switching your plan off the grandfathered status when you upgrade your phone.


As I understand the system if you are on the Edge plan there is no contract extension because you are paying for the phone monthly but most of us that are grandfathered are on older plans that use a 2 year commitment to pay for the phone.

[rebelsun]

I dropped Verizon several years ago, because after a rate increase, and an incentive from Sprint, as a group discount, which Verizon wouldn't match, or even come close to, in order to keep a long time loyal customer, I switched carriers.

This seems to be another "cost sharing" business decision by Verizon to raise rates for long term grandfathered customers, to get them to drop their grandfathered unlimited plan, which I'm told is going from $29.99 to $49.99 per month, making the price of unlimited data plans increase by 40%.
If true, that is a big price increase!

[rebelsun]

I looked at that too. But as soon as I jump to 4G I lose my grandfathered status. At least that was the story last time I checked.

I found this article very interesting, as it relates to 3G vs 4G LTE.
They claim, rates should be decreasing, but instead they increase for customers on 4G, while the carriers make higher profits!

[SargeW]

I wonder if it will be different since my grandfathered plan is not on a phone, but on a USB air card modem.  I haven't upgraded that piece of equipment in 8 years. If I replace it, which I have twice, I just buy a new 3G USB modem, and call them with the serial #.  The switch is made with no change in plan or terms. 

[Molaker]

I wonder if it will be different since my grandfathered plan is not on a phone, but on a USB air card modem.  I haven't upgraded that piece of equipment in 8 years. If I replace it, which I have twice, I just buy a new 3G USB modem, and call them with the serial #.  The switch is made with no change in plan or terms.

Me, too.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Jeff]

While I do not like $20/mo increases any more than anyone else we use 35-50 GB a month while on the road using a hotspot for 5-6 months a year do it still is less costly than any other VZ plan for that much Data.


As someone else stated they will have to pry our unlimited plan out of my dying clutched fingers.

[garyb1st]

I wonder if it will be different since my grandfathered plan is not on a phone, but on a USB air card modem.  I haven't upgraded that piece of equipment in 8 years. If I replace it, which I have twice, I just buy a new 3G USB modem, and call them with the serial #.  The switch is made with no change in plan or terms.

Sarge, we probably have the same air-card.  Got ours in late early 2009 after buying our trailer.  Why did you replace it twice?  Are there better units available?  Also, don't most modems have both 3 and 4G? 

[Molaker]

Sarge, we probably have the same air-card.  Got ours in late early 2009 after buying our trailer.  Why did you replace it twice?  Are there better units available?  Also, don't most modems have both 3 and 4G?

I'm not Sarge, but my air card is a MiFi 2200 which is 3g and 1XRTT only.  I picked up a spare off eBay some time back just in case.  Sure hope that's not a wasted effort.

[garyb1st]

While I do not like $20/mo increases any more than anyone else we use 35-50 GB a month while on the road using a hotspot for 5-6 months a year do it still is less costly than any other VZ plan for that much Data.


As someone else stated they will have to pry our unlimited plan out of my dying clutched fingers.

Our aircard costs $60/mo.  It is unlimited but we're only on the road 3 or 4 months and use Time Warner at home.  It's like paying $180 to $240 a month for those few months.  From that perspective, not such a great deal.  Recently Verizon announced we could get an additional 2 GB on our smart phone for one year, for another $20 a month.  Not sure what happens after one year.  The best plan they offered with the "free" 2 GB was for 20 GB a month.  How are you getting 35 - 50? 

[SargeW]

Sarge, we probably have the same air-card.  Got ours in late early 2009 after buying our trailer.  Why did you replace it twice?  Are there better units available?  Also, don't most modems have both 3 and 4G? 

I have a Novatel USB760 Gary. Over the years my card would develop connections issues, and for the fairly low cost of buying a new one, it was worth it to trade it out.  If you buy a 4G card, it will default back to 3G whenever 4G is not available. But the older 3G cards do not have the ability to go 4g.  We use the card both on the road, and when at home I put it in the home router so it see's use 24/7.  After a while the electronics just start wearing out.

As for the unlimited plan on my USB  modem, it is quite different  from the 4G plan that we have on our cell phones. I have a 4G 3 gig shared plan on our cell phones that the DW and I use. That is just about what we use monthly between the two of us.  We have the ability to use them as a hot spot, but to do so would use up that 3 gig of data in a heart beat.