Verizon is nearly synonymous with cell phone service. The carrier, which has been in the wireless game since 1995, has more than 100 million customers. And its wireless network spans nearly the entire United States, which means Verizon has service in places other carriers don’t. That access can come at a premium, though. Verizon cell phone plans tend to be more expensive than the competition. The plans also lack extra features, such as rollover data or unlimited music streaming. But the sacrifice may be worth it if Verizon offers the best coverage in your area.
At A Glance
- Plans start at $50 for 1GB of data
- Strengths: Good coverage, solid customer service
- Weaknesses: More expensive than competitors, charges for data overage
Verizon cell phone plans
Verizon’s current plan offerings come in sizes ranging from Small (1GB) to XX Large (18GB). All of them include unlimited minutes and text messages but charge $15 per gigabyte of data overage.
- Small (1GB): $50
- Medium (3GB): $65
- Large (6GB): $80
- X Large (12GB): $100
- XX Large (18GB): $120
Prices include a charge for the data package plus a $20 “line access” charge. The price breakdown for the Medium plan, for example, is $45 for the 3GB of data plus a $20 line access charge for a total of $65. Taxes, fees and monthly device payments are an additional charge. The carrier does have a handful of larger data packages, including 50GB for $395 and 100GB plan for $770 per month, but Verizon does not offer an unlimited data plan. You can make any size Verizon plan a family plan. Additional lines are $20 each, and you can have up to 10 lines sharing one plan.
Verizon prepaid plans
Verizon’s prepaid plans come in two forms: smartphone or basic phone. Both are billed monthly, as are traditional plans. The main difference with a prepaid plan is that it doesn’t require a credit check. You pay in advance for your service, but avoid taxes, fees and possible overage charges. As a bonus, customers who sign up for automatic payments can get an extra 1GB of data free on select prepaid smartphone plans.
Verizon’s basic prepaid plans include talk and text, and in some cases Web access, which is far more limited than the data access available on smartphones.
Verizon’s smartphone prepaid plans all include unlimited minutes and text messages. The $30 plan allows for data access only when connected to Wi-Fi. Verizon’s other prepaid smartphone plans operate similarly to traditional plans, in which customers purchase a set data package and can add to it if necessary. Additional data on the smartphone plans starts at $5 for 500MB.
- Prepaid smartphone plan, Wi-Fi only: $30 per month
- Prepaid smartphone plan 2GB: $45 per month
- Prepaid smartphone plan 5GB: $60 per month
- Prepaid basic phone plan: $15 per month for a combination of 300 minutes or text messages
- Prepaid basic phone plan: $30 per month for unlimited talk and text
Current Verizon deals
Verizon’s promotions typically require customers to activate a new phone or upgrade their current one. Existing customers may not be eligible for promotions and may also have to switch plans to take advantage of an offer. Verizon’s current deals include:
- An extra 2GB of data per month, per line on the Verizon Plan XL and larger plans.
- A Visa prepaid card valued at up to $650 for new customers who trade in their phone and switch to Verizon.
- $100 off a new iPhone 6 Plus 16GB or 64GB (gold only) when purchased on a 24-month payment plan.
How Verizon compares on price
| Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Sprint | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB or less | $50 (1GB) | $45 (300MB) | N/A | $40 (1GB) |
| 2-3GB | $65 (3GB) | $55 (2GB) | $50 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) |
| 4-6GB | $80 (6GB) | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) |
| 8-10GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | N/A |
| 12-15GB | $100 (12GB) | $115 (15GB) | N/A | $80 (12GB) |
| 16-20GB | $120 (18GB) | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 22-25GB | $140 (22GB) | $190 (25GB) | N/A | $100 (24GB) |
| Unlimited | N/A | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $95 | $70 |
How Verizon compares on features
| Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile | Sprint | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited 2G data | Yes | Yes | ||
| Unlimited video streaming | Yes | Yes | ||
| Unlimited music streaming | Yes | |||
| Rollover data | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited 2G data: What happens when you max out on your monthly data limit? Verizon charges $15 per 1GB of data used beyond your selected plan, as does AT&T. Both carriers round up, so even if you exceed your plan by only 300MB, you’ll still be charged for a full 1GB of overage. Sprint and T-Mobile, on the other hand, do not charge for data overage — but they do bring your speeds down to a crawl. If you exceed your allotted amount, these carriers slow your data to 2G speeds until your next billing cycle. The difference in speeds means uploading 30 pictures would take more than 20 minutes, instead of about one minute.
Unlimited video streaming: On Verizon, you can stream video without it counting against your data plan, but only via the Go90 app. Any video streamed through other apps, such as Netflix or HBOGo, will use your plan’s data. With T-Mobile, however, customers can stream video from multiple apps without dipping into their data package. The carrier’s Binge On feature allows unlimited streaming from Sling TV, Hulu, HBOGo and more than a dozen other services.
Unlimited music streaming: With Verizon, music streaming counts against your data plan. T-Mobile is the only major carrier that offers unlimited music streaming. Customers on T-Mobile’s Simple Choice plans can stream music via Spotify, Google Music, Pandora and a handful of other services without using their data package. This can make a big difference for music fans, since streaming 60 minutes of music a day will eat up roughly 2GB of data over a month.
Rollover data: Verizon plans do not include rollover data, so any unused data is lost at the end of the month. AT&T and T-Mobile both let customers roll unused data over to the following month. Rollover data is good for 30 days with AT&T and for up to 12 months with T-Mobile. T-Mobile offers rollover data only on its 6GB and 10GB plans, but AT&T includes the feature with all of its current plans.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
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