Verizon just changed their plans, and you could save some extra money
Surprisingly, Verizon just announced some changes to their plans and these changes actually make them a little bit cheaper, but there are some important details that all Verizon customers need to be aware of.
First, these new plans will be available to switch to on August 5th, so it is important you for you have all of the details!
Do I have to change my plan?
If you have an old Verizon plan, as of now, you are not required to switch your plan. There are actually some benefits to staying on the old Verizon plans, and there are also some benefits to switching plans, which is why we want to give you all of the details!
Why did they change their plans?
With 5G coming, Verizon had to think of a way to introduce new plans that introduce us to 5G pricing. 5G is going to cost a little more, so Verizon introduced us to some future changes by offering these new plans with temporary free 5G access.
Most of you don’t have 5G, but the good news is, even if you don’t have 5G, these new plans might be for you. They can still save some money, and don’t forget, if one unlimited plan is best for you, and another for your other family member or friend, you are allowed to mix and match these plans!
I should also mention, that these new plans are cheaper!
Assuming you keep autopay, switching from the old plan to the comparable new plan can save you roughly $5 per line if you switch to the new plan.
You also have the option of switching to a more expensive new plan, and since the plans have gotten cheaper, it won’t cost you too much more to do so.
One important note
If we were to compare all 4 previous unlimited plans to the new 4 unlimited plans, this article could take you all day to read. There are so many nuances among all of the plans, that it can be confusing.
To make it as simple as possible, we will start by comparing the features of the old Go Unlimited plan with the Start Unlimited plan (which is comparable). Then we will compare those plans with some of the newer and more expensive options.
If you are currently on one of the more expensive unlimited plans, don’t worry! This article has a lot of important facts about all of the unlimited plans to help you make a decision on what plan you need!
The new plans
The 5G factor
As you can see in the chart above, one way Verizon placed the groundwork for 5G was by offering free 5G access temporarily for the 3 highest tiered unlimited plans. The cheapest unlimited plan charges $10 a month per line to access 5G.
Honestly, most people don’t have access to 5G anyway and most people don’t have 5G phones. This “temporary free access” may expire before you even get the chance to use 5G, so I wouldn’t worry too much about this free promotion unless you’re in a 5G area with a 5G phone of course.
Should you switch from the Go Unlimited plan to the Start Unlimited plan?
Here are the facts about each unlimited plan:
Start Unlimited
The “Start Unlimited” plan is very comparable to the old “Go Unlimited” plan. There are some key differences though:
Price
Compared to the old Go Unlimited plan, the Start Unlimited plan is a little bit cheaper.
You can save $5 per line if you switch from your old Go Unlimited plan, and you switch to the Start Unlimited Plan.
Assuming you have the auto pay discount with Verizon, if you have 4 lines with Verizon, the old Go Unlimited plan would cost you $160 per month before taxes, fees, and phones. The Start Unlimited Plan will only cost you $140 per month. For a family of four, this could be great news and great savings. But with a cheaper plan, comes one missing feature
Mobile Hotspot
Currently, the Go Unlimited plan comes with mobile hotspot. This isn’t talked about by many tech websites. Many sites are talking about the surprising price cut, but for only $5 less a month, Verizon is taking away your ability to have unlimited hotspot. Perhaps they are wanting to limit congestion on their network.
Honestly, if you are trying to decide to switch from the Go Unlimited plan to the new Start unlimited plan, your use of mobile hotspot should be your main factor. If you use mobile hotspot, it probably isn’t worth switching over to the new plan. If you do not use mobile hotspot, saving $5 per line per month is probably worth it to you.
What are the disadvantages of both of these plans compared to the more expensive plans?
With so many plan options, it can be tough to decide what plan you should go with.
The Go Unlimited plan, and now the newer Starter Unlimited plan, are the cheapest options. You might be wondering what features you are missing out on by not upgrading to a more expensive plan. Here are some things you may be missing:
Lower video quality
First, even though these plans don’t charge you for extra data, which means you can use as much data as you want, your video quality is limited to 480p. In laymen’s terms, your video quality will look more similar to DVD quality rather than blue-ray quality.
No premium data
Another downfall to the Get More Unlimited plan and the previous Go Unlimited plan involves “Premium data”. Essentially, if you are in a very busy area or it is a busy time of day, Verizon may put your internet speed at a lower priority than someone who is on a higher tier plan. This might mean that you may end up only getting 10 Mbps in a place where 70 Mbps are possible. Sometimes you will get the full speed, but there will be times where others will be prioritized above you.
In most cases, if you have good signal strength, you should still be able to watch youtube with no issues, and you shouldn’t notice a significant difference. So most people might not be concerned with this issue.
5G access isn’t free
Verizon is currently trying to incentivize people to go on more expensive plans by offering free 5G access, temporarily. I’m sure Verizon thinks that offering 5G access to people for free will incentivize them to go to their more expensive plans. They are only offering this temporarily, and since this is only temporary, it appears they do plan to charge all plans for 5G in the future
Most people are still a year or two away from good 5G access, and most people don’t even have phones capable of using 5G. Just keep this in mind when Verizon mentions this temporary promotion.
No high-speed hotspot
The Starter Unlimited plan doesn’t come with any hotspot at all, and while the old Go Unlimited plan has unlimited hotspot, it is still limited to a speed of 600 kbps.
The more expensive plans Verizon offers have at least some form of high-speed hotspot, which should be helpful to you if you need high-speed data on other devices.
Is it worth switching from the Go Unlimited plan to a more expensive plan?
If you were on the Go Unlimited plan before, is it worth upgrading your plan now that prices are lower?
Well, you have a few options:
- You can switch to the Starter unlimited plan and save $5 a month per line. You will lose your hotspot, but outside of that, nearly everything will be the same as before.
- You can upgrade your plan to the Play More Unlimited plan or the Do More Unlimited plan for only $5 more per line than what you’re paying now. What do you get for an extra $5 per line? Both plans will give you unlimited hotspot with up to 15 GB of LTE data. One big difference between the two plans is video quality. The Play More Unlimited plan has higher video quality, with videos streaming up to 720p, but the Play More Unlimited plan only comes with 25 GB of premium 4G LTE data (data that is not de-prioritized based on congestion) while the Do More Unlimited plan has 50 GB of premium 4G LTE data, but the Do More Unlimited plan has a lower video quality, only reaching 480p (DVD quality).
- You can upgrade to the Get More Unlimited plan for $15 more per line per month than you pay now.
If you value video quality and you don’t mind only getting 25 GB of premium LTE data, the Play More Unlimited plan is only $5 more than the current Go Unlimited plan, and if you value hotspot and faster data $5 more isn’t a bad price to pay for that upgrade.
If you don’t care about video quality and you simply want faster data all the time, the Do More Unlimited plan comes with 50 GB of premium LTE data, and again, for only $5 a month extra, that is a pretty good price to pay.
One other difference if it isn’t confusing enough already is Apple Music and tablet/jetpack discounts.
The Do More Unlimited plan comes with Apple Music for 6 months and 50% off a tablet line or a jetpack line. The Play More Unlimited plan comes with Apple Music free, but it doesn’t come with any extra tablet or jetpack discounts.
What about the Get More Unlimited plan?
Getting tired yet? The details are very exhausting, but we don’t want to leave out details about Verizon’s most expensive plan.
So what about the Get More Unlimited plan?
If you are willing to pay an extra $20 per line compared to the cheapest option, or an extra $15 more per line compared to the old Go Unlimited plan, you will get a few extra features.
You will get free Apple Music, 50% off any tablet or jetpack plan, 75 GB of premium data, and 30 GB of LTE hotspot data.
In most cases, I don’t think many people will need this plan, but if there is someone in the family that doesn’t have wifi access and needs the highest speeds at all times, this plan may be right for them. Most people only use 5 or 10 GB of data per month, but if you know someone that uses 75 GB of data in a month and demands the highest speeds, that person may need this plan.
Luckily, Verizon allows you to mix and match these plans, and you are able to have one person on the Get More Unlimited, and everyone else on the Starter Unlimited.
Any Questions?
This is a lot of info, so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Also, if you like our page and the news we provide, feel free to follow us on Facebook by clicking here and pressing “like” by our page.