eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Verizon Wireless just unveiled several new mobile phone plan options for new and existing customers, including a free 1GB boost to their 1GB to 3GB More Everything plans, or a $10-per-month price drop if they keep their current data package.
But there’s a big caveat to the offers—they won’t be automatically activated on customer bills. Instead, existing and new customers have to ask for the free data boosts or for the price discounts by calling Verizon or visiting the company’s Website.
Also announced are new monthly access fee discounts for customers who move to Verizon Edge plans, which allow users to spread the cost of their new phone out over 24 months, rather than having to pay for it up front. Customers who have an Edge plan with less than 4GB of data will get a $15 discount per month, while customers who have an Edge plan with more than 6GB of data will receive a $25 discount per month under the plans. These discounts are being offered for a limited time. Edge plan customers also don’t face upgrade or activation fees for their devices under the plans.
In addition, new customers who port their old mobile phone number over to service with Verizon will receive a one-time $100 credit on their bill for a limited time, according to the company.
The changes are being made as Verizon works to stay competitive in the rough and tumble mobile marketplace, where its key rivals in the United States—AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile—are often dropping prices and boosting data allotments in a constant war for customers.
Under the new plan terms, a Verizon MORE Everything plan that formerly offered 1GB of shared data at $40 a month will now be increased to 2GB of monthly shared data, or the customer can take a $10 monthly price drop, whichever option they prefer, David Samberg, a Verizon spokesman, told eWEEK. The extra data or $10 monthly access discount offers also apply to existing $50 monthly 2GB or $60 monthly 3GB shared data plans.
Several larger shared data packages are also now being offered, including a new $70 monthly plan featuring 6GB of included data, a new 12GB plan for $110, a new 14GB plan for $120 and a new 16GB plan for $130 per month.
“Just about a year ago, Verizon Wireless expanded what customers experience with a shared data plan when we introduced MORE Everything on the best 4G LTE network,” Nancy Clark, chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless, said in a statement. “As the market leader, we are committed to delivering customers the solutions and value that make sense for their lifestyles.”
The latest Verizon data plan moves follow recent promotions by AT&T and T-Mobile, which are now offering rollover data features that allow their customers to keep unused data and roll it over for future use. AT&T is only allowing rollovers into the following month, while T-Mobile is offering rollovers that can accrue for up to 12 months at a time.
Back in January, Verizon confirmed to eWEEK that it had no interest in offering similar data rollover benefits to its customers, despite the moves of its competitors.