The Verizon Plan -- Better than More Everything?

[ashley8]

I know everybody is probably trying to figure this one out...  But with the side by side comparison chart Verizon is giving me, it looks like the new Verizon Plan will be less money than my current More Everything plan, simply because of the Line Access charge only being $20 versus the $40.  But with ME, I'm also getting a $15 discount -- will I lose that discount on VP?  According to the FAQ, I would retain my current 25GB of storage on the Cloud, so it doesn't appear that I'm losing anything else.

If I DO lose that $15 discount, am I correct in figuring that I'd just be getting an additional 1GB of data for what I'm currently paying?

Thanks so much!

[MiiHere]

At this point don't believe the website! I also did a side by side and it said I would save because it changed my current $40 access line fee to $20, that is not accurate. I am finishing my 2 year contract and until I do, even if I switched, my access line fee would be $40.

It looks like your current plan is this:

$40 - 2GB

$40 - Line access fee

What is the $15 discount for? Month to month?

[LuvmyDee]

I've had this same question. Is your discount only $15? Our discount is $25 bringing the line access fee to $15 for our edge phones.

The first response I received was ambiguous and the second response totally different. I was told I would lose my edge discount in favor of the lower line access fee of $20. However, when I went to my Verizon app and reviewed the changes it showed my two DPP devices at 15$ per month each ($40 DPP - $25 discount = $15). I did not submit it because I hate surprises on my bill and we aren't allowed to switch back. So I'm still waiting for an official answer.

[MiiHere]

I did a lot of chats and calling, but unfortunately only asked about what happens to the month 2 month discount. I would think that the Edge discount would remain the same because while you're not on a 2 year contract, you are on a contracted 2 year payment plan and hopefully the $15 or $25 discount is worked into said payment contract.

The Edge discount was $15 for 4GB or less of data or $25 for 6GB and higher of data when you did the edge plan. My guess is the OP has an edge contract as well - unfortunately I haven't seen much about this here and unless you spend a couple hours calling Verizon multiple times or chatting, or both, you won't get a definite answer as of yet.

Something I would ask if you do contact them is "can you show me?" Anytime I'm told an answer I ask if there is a FAQ page somewhere on it. The last time I did someone just sent me to main plan page so always click it or go to it while talking to them.

[ashley8]

The $15 discount is for Edge installments.

[MiiHere]

If you're only getting a $15 discount off the regularly $40 line access fee, then YES it would be beneficial for you to switch. Only because you'd then be paying exactly the same and getting 1 extra GB.

$45 - 3GB of data

$xx - Monthly device payment amount

$20 - line access fee

The edge discount goes away and is automatically set to the new $20 and it seems right now you are paying $25 for your line access fee. Is that correct? So it would drop $5, but then the plan would increase $5.

Now if you have other lines on the account to consider this might change things.

[LJBraaten]

Here's another thing to consider: if your phone is out of its two year contract, you get an additional $25 discount for that phone on the More Everything Plan based on two year contracts (not Edge). That's a $15 connection fee for that line. That would bring the $80 in the chart above down to $55, which is a $10 savings over the new Verizon plan. If you want a new phone, you can buy one for a discount from a third party vendor and still get your $25 discount for having a phone outside of the two year contract. The way I see it,  the main advantage of the new Verizon plan is that it allows you to pay for a phone on a month per month basis. Although the data is a little cheaper, if you need more than 12 gb per month the next jump is $40 for 20gb., forcing you consider paying a couple of $15 overage fees per GB. There are more data options and more flexibility with the More Everything plan.

[rcschnoor]

LJBraaten wrote:

Here's another thing to consider: if your phone is out of its two year contract, you get an additional $25 discount for that phone on the More Everything Plan based on two year contracts (not Edge). That's a $15 connection fee for that line. That would bring the $80 in the chart above down to $55, which is a $10 savings over the new Verizon plan. If you want a new phone, you can buy one for a discount from a third party vendor and still get your $25 discount for having a phone outside of the two year contract. The way I see it,  the main advantage of the new Verizon plan is that it allows you to pay for a phone on a month per month basis. Although the data is a little cheaper, if you need more than 12 gb per month the next jump is $40 for 20gb., forcing you consider paying a couple of $15 overage fees per GB. There are more data options and more flexibility with the More Everything plan.

Since the OP only has a 2 GB plan and is only getting a $15 discount on the line access fee, your calculations don't really apply.

As it works out, they would STILL be paying the same amount for an additional 1 GB/month of data. For people currently getting 25 GB of cloud storage, they would retain that.

In this case, the new Verizon PLAN would appear to be the better value.

[SBKohn]

I'm struggling with the same decision, to stay with the More Everything Plan, or switch to the Verizon Plan. I also receive a 20% Corp Discount and that helps since I have a 20GB data plan currently. My instincts tell me that the older plans are better, otherwise Verizon wouldn't encourage people to change. I've been with them for over 20 years and unfortunately, there is no such thing as a Loyalty Program anymore. Any suggestions are appreciated. Here is my current profile:

3 -  Iphones (6, 6 and 5c) on the "old" Verizon "Edge" Plan, which each have about 9 months left, since they were purchased last Christmas. Each line receives a $25 discount on the $40 activation fee

1 - Iphone (5s) that is paid for and eligible for an upgrade. This line pays the $40 fee (unlike $15 above)

1 - Basic phone (mom's) which is also eligible for an upgrade, but doesn't have a $40 fee 'cause it's a flip phone

1 - Old Verizon Jetpack which is also eligible for an upgrade

Everyone's comments about Verizon Cloud data are true. You lose quite a bit of Verizon Storage with the Verizon plan....if you use it. Also, they replaced the old "Edge" plan with a Device Payment Plan which is a 24 month, rather than a 20 month plan. Doesn't seem like much, but they added 4 months to their "payoff".

My dilemma is I want to get at least one, or two 6s phones and am struggling with the best way to do it. Verizon Customer Service is nice, but they can't really do a complete analysis and advise the best Total Cost solution, particularly over a one or two year (going forward) period. Can/do I purchase a $199 iPhone 6s (or two) with my upgrades available and give one to the (current) 5c line and one to the (eligible) 5s line? Should I continue paying that Edge plan (for the 5c) and hope I retain the $25 discount when it's done. Or, enter into a new Device Payment Plan, pay full retail over time? Can I even do that with the Basic Phone upgrade and not activate that line, but instead give it to the 5c line? And what about the 5s upgrade? Do I use the new Device Payment plan, or buy a new phone? It seems that if and when I switch to the Verizon Plan, I get a $20/line discount (as opposed to the current $25 discount), but they tell me that the $20 discount remains after the phone is paid off?  One person said the same is true for my current Edge plan lines, meaning the $25 discount remains after the contract expires, yet another one said it goes away.

Verizon's plans are ridiculously confusing and albeit nice, the Cust Svc reps are not equipped to handle "complex" situations. When you're spending +/- $350/month, someone should pay attention other than the consumer.

Maybe it's time to switch to ATT and have them give me everything for free, just for switching?

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

SBKohn

Getting the best value for your service is very important. I share your concerns and want to make sure you get the best solutions. I’d like to address some concerns. Switching plans can greatly benefit some customers, while staying on the plan you have can be better for others. In some cases, the costs are the same or only penny’s apart. Going from 20 month payments to 24 month payments still nets you the same amount paid at the end. Using our payment plan will still save you money in the long run versus a 2-year contract pricing. When you purchase a phone with a 2 year contract, your line access will be $40.00 regardless of plans you choose. This can add additional costs over a 2 year agreement than using device payments.

For example, lets look at the iPhone 6s 16GB. With a 2-year contract your total will be $1,199.99 ($199.99 + $40.00 (upgrade fee) + $960.00 (2 years of line access)). Compared to the same phone with device payments $1,129.99 ($649.99 + $480.00 (2 years of line access)). That is a savings of $70.00 over 2 years!

Lets break down the cost of the new plan. From your details, it appears all 5 lines are not under contract. At $20.00 per line this would be $100.00. 20GB is $120.00 and a jetpack would be $10.00. Total (before taxes/discounts/etc) is $230.00. Each device you would like to purchase on device payments would have their own separate cost: http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/ Your corporate discount would still apply to the $120.00 data charge.

Also, if you are already using the 25GB Verizon Cloud promotion on your More Everything plan, it will transfer over to the New Verizon pricing. It will only be available on the lines that already had it and any change to the Verizon Cloud feature would remove the promo.

ChristopherM_VZW
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