We have been Verizon customers since they were GTE Mobile Net. In other words, we’ve been customers since a cell phone was the size and weight of a brick. Currently we have a family plan with 4 iPhones. I’d elected a 4 Gig data package since we are not major data hogs. In fact, we’d never even reached 2 Gig in a billing cycle.
Well, a few months ago H and I were traveling and using the hotspot option for things like locating hotels, restaurants and other types of travel related items. We also used this option when the hotel Wi-Fi was just too slow. Toward the end of our trip I received a warning indicating we were about to exceed our data allowance. As it turned out there were only a few days left in that billing cycle and we were at the end of our trip so I wasn’t worried.
Once back I called Verizon to ask how much it would be to increase the data allowance. Turns out we qualified for a special deal which would increase us from 4 to 6 – with no increase in cost! Hmmm…I asked how one would know this…and was told…you had to call in to find out.
Fast forward 6 months…DS is out of the country for a year. I call Verizon to suspend his line and thus save the monthly fee. Guess what…there is ANOTHER promotion for which we qualify. Turns out, once a line is out of contract it can drop from a $40/month fee to $15/month. Well, THREE of our lines have been out of contract for 5 months. The other line was out of contract for many months before a recent upgrade. A quick calculation determined I’d overpaid about $450!! Again, I asked…how would on know this promotion exists?
First I was told that Verizon sends out notification emails. When pushed, the representative admitted they really don’t notify about these cost savings. One would have to log into ones account and see a splash screen, or call customer service and ask. Um, ask about what? Something one doesn’t know exists? I requested overpayment applied to the account retroactively. The response…we can credit you $50. WHAT!!!
After several more minutes of being told how much our business is valued and how much they appreciate my time and apologize for the long wait…blah blah blah. I finally wrangled them into a $250 refund.
The lesson…call them every few months and ask them about hidden cost saving options.
Another oddity: their “Edge” program has been replaced by “Device Purchase” and it rewards you for having a larger data plan. I’m getting a new phone - will wait until Sept - and, in conversation with a rep, learned that an iPhone Plus 64GB would be about $36/mo but that’s before a credit based on your data contract. If you have up to 4GB, you get a $15 monthly credit and if you have 6GB or more, you get a $25 credit a month. This means to me they’re a) driving people toward larger data plans, b) their network capacity and efficiency can handle that and c) they’re making more off their data plans now.
Also a loyalty discount and some employer discounts,and some concession on even low end data plan costs. I am off contract right now, so your topic is timely. I believe the individual reps have the ability to offer more, but with their own daily limits. If one can’t offer something, it is sometimes worth the hassles to call back in and try another. (I hate calling them, how complicated it is to get through and then the usual wait time.) But I got my kids off my plan, they went with Sprint, and complain about the service.
@dietz199 Thank you for saving me money on my monthly Verizon bill!!!
I read your post and called Verizon to ask about this discount after phones are beyond the 2-year contract. The customer service representative explained that this out of contract discount of $15 per month (bringing the per-line cost from $40 per month to $25 per month) began February 5, 2015, but that you indeed have to call and ask for it.
I have 2 (out of 5) phones that had 2-year anniversaries last December. I asked about a retroactive credit and after checking with her manager, she was authorized to give me a $60 credit (so I have ‘only’ overpaid $180). I wish I had been able to get a larger credit. Maybe I will try calling again…
I also asked about a free increase in my data and she said there were no current promos/discounts on data.
Thanks again for posting your advice/experience with Verizon and the out-of-contract phone $15/per month discount.
AT & T does the same sort of pricing/data plan structure. I’m always annoyed new customers are worth more to cell phone/DirecTV, Frontier internet, etc than their current long-term customers. Oh, if only I had some choice as to carriers for these in my area…and each carrier is different (only ATT works for phone, only Frontier for internet, etc.) so there are no bundling deals.
Waiting to see if the AT & T/DirecTV merger results in a better deal for me. No, wait…I already know the answer
The OP said she went from $40 down to $15. When I called today I was told the discount is $15 and that the out-of-contract phones would go from $40 to $25 with a $60 retro credit.
If your data plan is 5 GB or fewer, the out-of-contract monthly line discount is $15.
If your data plan is 6GB or more, the out-of-contract monthly line discount is $25.
Since I have 2 (out of 5) phones out of contract and a 17% employer discount, going forward it will cost me $3 less per month to have 6 GB rather than 3GB since I get $25 x 2 lines discounted rather than $15 x 2 lines discounted.
In addition, the most number of retroactive months you can get a credit for is 3 months. I was only given 2 months, so in this phone call I got another credit for the 3rd month. The retro credit is based on the GB plan you had at that time. If 6 GB or more during the previous months the credit is $75 per line, if 5 GB or less, the credit is $45 per line.
OK, I called Verizon, 2 of my lines are on standard phones so the new rate is $10 less per each line. They would not give me a 3 month retroactive discount but after speaking with 2 supervisors, they are giving me a 10% decrease in those 2 line access charges. I thought that was a good compromise until I just read about their new rate restructuring!
I will have to go back an check whether or not my line rate went from $40 to $25 or to $15. We have the 6 Gig plan but never use that much. Might make sense to drop down to 5 Gig and save the additional $35/month.
I’m going to wait a few days before calling…their lines are probably jammed.
I found this out a few weeks ago - was looking to increase data on my daughter’s Verizon phone plan and found out that the 3G price was the same as the 2 G price (because of the new promotion) - told me on the phone it was a brand new promotion?
