I am looking to buy a new Samsung Galaxy S10 plus at BestBuy. The phone will be activated upon purhcase. They tell me Verizon will charge me a $40 upgrade fee. I have been a Verizon customer for over 10 years. Does anyone know if Verizon would waive the upgrade fee if I request it? Of course the request would come after the fact that is after I had already bought the phone. Any suggestions or words of advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
No they won't. If you don't want to pay the upgrade fee, you need to get the unlocked version and simply insert the old SIM card from your old device into the new device. I'm not sure if Best Buy sells the unlocked version, but you can purchase it directly from Samsung.
probably not if you buy from best buy!!
No, they will not waive the fee! It's a one-time charge that everyone has to be pay.
Speak with "chat" and they'll waive 50%.
Yes, they did that for me. But, the whole concept of an upgrade fee, when the old phone was listed in my account as "eligible for upgrade" is disgusting! If there is a fee for it when it is eligible, what happens when it is not eligible? Really wacky system in place.
@scififan1 wrote:Yes, they did that for me. But, the whole concept of an upgrade fee, when the old phone was listed in my account as "eligible for upgrade" is disgusting! If there is a fee for it when it is eligible, what happens when it is not eligible? Really wacky system in place.
Upgrade eligible these days means you can finance the phone instead of paying full retail up front. This isn't unique to Verizon, all carriers do this.
Complaining about it and the cost of new phones is the equivalent of complaining about steak costing more than a pack of ramen. No one is forcing anyone to upgrade.
Don't want to be charged the fee? Buy an unlocked phone at retail. Don't want to pay full retail? Finance and deal with the fee.
Reps aren't supposed to credit and could get in trouble if done frequently. Unless you're willing to support them, stop wasting their time asking to credit a valid charge.
Spoken like a true Verizon sales person
if you want to save some of the upgrade fee by the phone online through chat and they will waive 50% better than nothing... What a rip off...
We appreciate all of our customers and want to help save money in any way we can. The activation/upgrade fee applies when any device is activated to cover the costs of bringing on a new line of service or device and powering our network.
Using our self-service option can help cut these fees in half. Also, you can also check if your current device qualifies for our Device Trade-In Program to help offset some or all of the fees. If you trade in your old device, you can get a bill credit or Verizon gift card for the appraised value of the old device.
JenelleR_VZW
When a person already has a phone on your network, and is merely swapping out a SIM card into the new one, there is NO additional work that happens on your network. Therefore, there is no need to charge anyone a huge fee like that. It's not a NEW line, it's changing a device on an EXISTING line.
Can you trade in your phone at Best Buy to reduce the Verizon device payments or get a Verizon gift card?
Also, I just returned to my Verizon plan after leaving for 2 days. I paid an activation fee for both phones on the plan. Both of our phones are upgrade eligible. Why am I being billed for a 2nd activation fee when upgrading my phone? I really dont get it.
Carollarsen Can you tell us if you see an upgrade or activation fee? Regarding Best Buy, you will need to check the promotion they are currently offering. Also, you can save 50% of the upgrade fees when you process it online or using your My Verizon App. DoloresK_VZW
But it's Not a "new line" same line, new phone
All carriers charge them. You're welcome to pay upwards to over a grand out of pocket for a new phone if you want to save a one time $20 charge.
A valid charge - are you serious? I'm being charge the upgrade for replacing a stolen phone that was already on Verizon. I replaced an iPhone 8 with an identical iPhone 8 and Verizon wants to charge me an upgrade fee for the replacement phone. Nothing like getting robbed twice!
How does Verizon consider calling this an upgrade fee when I am replacing a stolen phone that was already on Version with an identical phone? No upgrade in hardware or capability.
Very sad to see a company try to use the words "upgrade" for "replacement" to siphon money from customers.
Yes, it is a valid charge. Verizon charges a fee when you purchase a phone from them. You are simply complaining because it is called an "upgrade" fee. Instead of having multiple fees for exactly the same thing("upgrade fee", "phone purchase fee", "phone replacement fee", etc...) Verizon simply uses the same term as an umbrella of this type of fee. Technically, you "upgraded" from not having a phone to having a phone. Regardless if you purchase a phone that is EXACTLY what you previously had or a better/newer model, you will be charged this fee.
NEXT time you want to purchase an iPhone, purchase it directly from Apple and choose the "unlocked" version. This way you will not be charged an "upgrade" fee. Then you can simply move the SIM card from your old device to your new device. The only difference between the "unlocked" version and the "Verizon" version is that the "Verizon" version comes with a Verizon SIM card. In the past, Verizon didn't charge for new SIM cards you request to be sent to you. I don't know if that is still the case, but you could have purchased the unlocked version and then requested to have a new SIM card to be shipped to you. Them you may or may not have had to pay for a new Verizon SIM card, depending on their current policy. Purchasing the Verizon version of the device means you didn't have to go thru the extra steps in order to get a new SIM card.
My apologies, shaneswartz. This fee is standard across any carrier. I know you technically did not upgrade. This fee is charged anytime a phone is purchased and activated on your line. The phone's make or model would not matter. This fee goes towards activating the device on our network, and also invested into improving our network as well.
MarshallP_VZW
Valid charge!? How much are they paying you to say that? garbage!
"Complaining about it and the cost of new phones is the equivalent of complaining about steak costing more than a pack of ramen."
That is an inaccurate comparison. Do you pay an upgrade fee on top of the food being purchased? An upgrade costs Verizon nothing. Do you pay an upgrade fee for a new car?
We would really hate to lose your business. Your satisfaction is our number one priority. Please tell us more on how we can turn things around?
ChristianP_VZW
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
