Verizon confirms unlimited iPhone data plans no longer offered come Thursday
Starting Thursday, new smartphone customers with Verizon Wireless, including those who buy an iPhone, will no longer be able to purchase the carrier's unlimited data plan, AppleInsider has confirmed.
This Thursday, July 7, is when Verizon will begin offering its "usage-based" billing for mobile customers, spokeswoman Debra Lewis said. The change will not affect current smartphone customers of Verizon.
In addition, current smartphone customers who are upgrade-eligible will be allowed to move to another smartphone and retain their plan. But new customers or current customers who do not have a smartphone plan will only be able to buy a "usage-based" plan, Lewis told AppleInsider on Tuesday.
"We have lots of different ways for customers who may not be accustomed to this kind of stuff to check their usage in terms of data alerts, online tools, data calculators, things like that to help people decide what is the right plan for them," she said.
New smartphone customers will be able to choose from four different capped monthly data plans: $10 for 75MB, $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. Users who go over their monthly allotment will be charged $10 per gigabyte, or $10 per 75MB on the entry-level plan.
Users will also be able to add the "Mobile Hotspot" tethering feature to an iPhone or other compatible smartphone for $20 per month. That plan will also net them an additional 2GB of data.
Tuesday's news confirms an earlier leak that Verizon would switch to a usage-based model starting on July 7. Current smartphone customers can buy an unlimited plan from Verizon for $29.99 per month.
Verizon's transition comes more than a year after AT&T implemented its own tiered data plans, which cost $25 per month for 2GB, or $15 a month for 200MB. AT&T customers and iPhone users also have the option of a tethering plan that offers 4GB total for $45 per month. AT&T charges an overage of $10 per gigabyte.
This Thursday, July 7, is when Verizon will begin offering its "usage-based" billing for mobile customers, spokeswoman Debra Lewis said. The change will not affect current smartphone customers of Verizon.
In addition, current smartphone customers who are upgrade-eligible will be allowed to move to another smartphone and retain their plan. But new customers or current customers who do not have a smartphone plan will only be able to buy a "usage-based" plan, Lewis told AppleInsider on Tuesday.
"We have lots of different ways for customers who may not be accustomed to this kind of stuff to check their usage in terms of data alerts, online tools, data calculators, things like that to help people decide what is the right plan for them," she said.
New smartphone customers will be able to choose from four different capped monthly data plans: $10 for 75MB, $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. Users who go over their monthly allotment will be charged $10 per gigabyte, or $10 per 75MB on the entry-level plan.
Users will also be able to add the "Mobile Hotspot" tethering feature to an iPhone or other compatible smartphone for $20 per month. That plan will also net them an additional 2GB of data.
Tuesday's news confirms an earlier leak that Verizon would switch to a usage-based model starting on July 7. Current smartphone customers can buy an unlimited plan from Verizon for $29.99 per month.
Verizon's transition comes more than a year after AT&T implemented its own tiered data plans, which cost $25 per month for 2GB, or $15 a month for 200MB. AT&T customers and iPhone users also have the option of a tethering plan that offers 4GB total for $45 per month. AT&T charges an overage of $10 per gigabyte.
Comments
$10 for 75MB $50 for 5GB Are they serious? I'm sorry but these companies have lost their minds. I just rather not have a phone. 5GB for $25 maybe $30 is reasonable if messages come with it. Anything else is insanity.
I agree.... Also to have to pay $20.00 more for tethering is insane....
When they try to force me off my unlimited plan in the future, I will terminate the service...
Say what you will about AT&T, but at least from a price standpoint, their entry-level $15 for 250 MB is way more generous than Verizon.
I agree.... Also to have to pay $20.00 more for tethering is insane....
When they try to force me off my unlimited plan in the future, I will terminate the service...
Where are you planning to go? Unless there is something new that we have not heard about, your choice is to pay or not have a smart phone.
No matter how the companies try to spin this, not only is this bad from a cost perspective for the consumer, it just adds a ton of questions and headaches that we didn't have to deal with when it was an all-you-can-eat plan.
I'm not opposed to the loss of unlimited data, but $10 for 75 MB?
Say what you will about AT&T, but at least from a price standpoint, their entry-level $15 for 250 MB is way more generous than Verizon.
I agree.
As has been said here this is absolutely ridiculous and my hope is that AT&T doesn't follow suit. I don't know what Verizon was thinking when they came up with this tiered plan because it's just a plan rip off for their customers.
New smartphone customers will be able to choose from four different capped monthly data plans: $10 for 75MB, $30 for 2GB, $50 for 5GB, and $80 for 10GB. Users who go over their monthly allotment will be charged $10 per gigabyte, or $10 per 75MB on the entry-level plan.
They're not caps if you can keep buying more. A better word is "tiered" or "pay-as-you-go".
If Apple remains married to this idea for long there will be quite a bit of downside on their stock price methinks. Certainly, I'm not going to join the ranks and will keep my Razr and anyone paying those prices will have to be daft!
Apple has no say in the matter. It was part of the deal. They don't let the carriers have a say on the hardware so the carriers don't give them a say on the service plans
Will I be able to add tethering in the future without "upgrading" to a tiered plan, or will they pull an AT&T on that one
When you add a service like tethering, you have to switch to the tiered data plans, and you lose being "grandfathered in."
My solution: I will probably always keep my current original iPhone data plan and keep jail breaking and using MyWi for tethering...that's the only way to get back at these obnoxious conglomerates.
If anything, they are going to piss off Apple (as we just saw with the new iMessage services, which undermines their ridiculous messaging rates.) A couple years down the road and I bet Apple will become the provider and buy minutes/data in bulk and sell directly to the consumer.
For example, I typically use about 120 MB a month, with occasional peaks to 300 MB. I guess I could get the $10 plan, which would be $20 most months, but sometimes as much as $40!
Here in China, I used to subscribe to China Unicom's US$14 for 300 MB plan, but downgraded it to the US$7 for 150 MB plan. Note that this amount also includes basic service and a number of voice minutes. Overage rates for both data and voice are very reasonable. And I'm free to tether, knowing that it just uses up my data allowance. The whole concept of usage-based data billing plus an extra charge for tethering makes absolutely no sense.
The U.S. definitely needs more competition, not less as will occur if the AT&T/T-Mobile USA merger is approved.
I'm damn glad I don't live in the States. I have unlimited data on my 3G WiFi router (unlocked) for $25. And In the States we're about to lose another player in the field? No, thanks! Sprint could definitely use this latest change in their argument against the pending duopoly.
My Clear cellular modem (4G) in the US costs $30/mo. unlimited (and grandfathered), comparable to your plan. My grandfathered Verizon mobile data cost is also $30.
Not to say US mobile phone plan costs are as good as Europe. But I wonder if tiered pricing will also come to Europe, where pay-as-you-go seems to be more common.
Like many, I've always thought that if I have a data plan, texting should be a part of that, not a separate fee. The amount of data even in the heaviest of texting users, is nothing in comparison to browsing, or streaming audio or video. I doubt if even the heaviest texting user sends more than a couple handfuls of MMS messages a month.. its all text.
Why not just $10/ gig and an additional $10 for each gig over that? (messaging and tethering included.)
With that pricing, everyone would get a smart phone, everyone would get a data plan, everyone would use messaging, everyone would pay at least $10/month, everyone would pay as they go, everyone would save money, and . . . the carriers would make more money and have a much better reputation and image.
But no. Because they are scumbags at their core (like banks,) they prefer to play tricky pricing game, etc.
The first carrier to do this will make a lot of money.
If any of you have unlimited data (AT&T or Verizon), DON"T EVER GIVE IT UP. You will NEVER get it back AND you'll be at their mercy (AT&T or Verizon) for RIPOFF pricing!
I have it on both the iPad and iPhone. I do wonder if T will grandfather when the LTE iPhones launch. MIght be just the excuse they need to null it.
I still refuse to have an iPhone (contract and monthly fees) and just continue to own APPL stock instead.
Why not just $10/ gig and an additional $10 for each gig over that? (messaging and tethering included.)
With that pricing, everyone would get a smart phone, everyone would get a data plan, everyone would use messaging, everyone would pay at least $10/month, everyone would pay as they go, everyone would save money, and . . . the carriers would make more money and have a much better reputation and image.
But no. Because they are scumbags at their core (like banks,) they prefer to play tricky pricing game, etc.
The first carrier to do this will make a lot of money.
I totally agree, I wish it was that simple