In this article, I’ll explain who will be affected by the new fee, how much you can expect to pay and offer a few alternatives for cheaper cell phone service.
Verizon Wireless Is Adding a New Fee to Older Unlimited Plans
CNET recently confirmed Verizon is adding a new $2 fee to some of its older unlimited plans. Current Verizon Wireless customers on older unlimited wireless plans can expect to see the additional $2 "rate plan adjustment" added to their invoices beginning in April 2023.
Currently, Verizon Wireless offers six different unlimited phone plans including Welcome Unlimited, One Unlimited for iPhone, 5G Start, 5G Do More, 5G Play More and 5G Get More. Customers who currently have one or more of these unlimited wireless plans will not see the additional $2 fee.
Instead, the fee will only be applied to customers who have older unlimited plans that are no longer offered. These plans include Beyond Unlimited (and its age 55 Plus variation), Go Unlimited and the older Verizon Unlimited Plan, according to CNET.
The report includes a quote from a Verizon spokesperson explaining that the fee is "to account for the added cost of maintaining these legacy plans." You can check out the full report on CNET's website.
Unfortunately, this is the second consecutive year that Verizon Wireless has asked customers to pay more for the same service. Last summer, Verizon raised administrative fees for customers.
Alternatives to Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is adding this new fee to older unlimited plans in an effort to encourage customers to upgrade to one of Verizon’s newer unlimited plans. These newer plans start at $60 for one line (with the exception of One Unlimited for iPhone).
Do you not want to pay more for the same phone plan?
There is one way that you can avoid the new rate plan adjustment fee without upgrading to a newer, pricier unlimited plan from Verizon Wireless: You can switch to a new provider.
If you're happy with your current mobile service from Verizon Wireless, you can choose a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that runs on the same towers to keep getting the same signal. Here are a few Verizon MVNOs that run on the same towers:
You can check out our full list of the best Verizon MVNOs here.
I recommend Visible as the best overall Verizon MVNO. Its basic unlimited plan costs $30 per month per line. The plan includes unlimited talk, text and data with 5-12 Mbps download speeds. It also includes unlimited mobile hotspot, which has earned this plan the title of cheapest unlimited hotspot plan across Clark.com.
If you aren't tied to Verizon Wireless' service, even more affordable options open up. Tello Mobile offers plans beginning as low as $10 on T-Mobile's network. However, if you're looking to keep your unlimited data, options begin around $25-$30 from other MVNOs. You can check out our full list of the best unlimited data plans here.
For even more options, check out all of our top picks for the best cell phone plan in 2023.
Also, be sure to check out the Clark.com Community to see which phone service providers other readers are switching to.
The post Why You Should Consider Switching From Verizon Wireless appeared first on Clark Howard.