Verizon Wireless has announced major changes to its service plans and how customers manage them.
The new Verizon Plan goes hand-in-hand with a completely new My Verizon app for mobile devices. For example, the app makes it easy for customers to see how much data they’ve used each month through a tool called The Feed, and add more data to their plan if needed. The app provides a simplified bill that’s easier to see, understand, and pay each month.
Verizon hopes the app’s built-in support feature will serve as a stand-in for store visits or support calls for managing customer issues. (Customers can still visit or call whenever they wish.) In addition to the app, Verizon has adjusted its service plan pricing and data allotments. In general, the company added 30% more data to each monthly data bucket along with a modest price increase for each plan.
The S plan costs $35 per month and includes 2 GB of LTE data, while the M costs $50 for 4 GB, the L costs $70 for 8 GB, the XL costs $90 for 16 GB, and the XXL plan costs $110 for 24 GB. Access charges and device payments are extra. Verizon’s new plan includes carryover data that automatically rolls over each month. Unused data can be accessed for one month only.
A new Safety Mode feature, available from the app, allows people to switch to unlimited 2G mode (128Kbps) if/when they reach their LTE limit. With Safety Mode enabled, users won’t be charged overages for exceeding their LTE data cap. A tool called Data Boost lets people add data when needed at the cost of $15 per 1GB. The Verizon Plan also adds unlimited calling and texting to Canada and Mexico.
The trick is that using many of these features costs extra on the S, M and L plans. For example, Safety Mode costs $5 to use each month when activated, as does unlimited calling to Canada/Mexico. Roaming in Canada/Mexico costs $2 per day. Carryover data does not cost anything to access. The XL and XXL plans don’t charge extra fees for using these services.
Customers can remain on their current Verizon Wireless plan if they so desire. The My Verizon app is free to download from the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. The new app and associated features will be available starting July 7.
