Although Verizon has long been known as one of the fastest and most reliable wireless providers, they have resisted offering an unlimited data plan long after their competition began doing so. The company overhauled their data plan structure in July of last year, bumping up the prices of their plans, but offering a larger data cap, as well as (finally) offering carryover data on their plans. AT&T quickly countered, offering larger data caps and eliminating data overages, instead throttling speeds when users go over their data allotment. The very next day, T-Mobile and Sprint began offering incredible new ‘unlimited’ plans, offering unlimited text, talk, and data, albeit with video quality throttled down to 480p.
With the increasing availability of, and popularity of streaming video and music services, T-Mobile and Sprint’s unlimited plans were enticing to many people. Likely due to the increased competition from the two smaller wireless providers, Verizon finally caved this morning with a press release announcing “unlimited data on the network you deserve.”
How Much Will Verizon’s Unlimited Data Plan Cost?
The plan, which offers unlimited talk, text, and data, starts at $80 per month for a single line. A family plan starts at $110 per month for unlimited data (although you get a $10 discount for signing up for auto-pay and paperless billing), with a $20 access fee per each additional line – two people on the plan would pay $140 per month, or $70 per person, and a family of four would pay $180, bringing the plan down to $45 per person. A connected smartwatch can be added for just $5 per month.
Here’s the Fine Print
As with any unlimited plan, there are a few caveats. Verizon will begin throttling data after 22GB of usage per month – a significant amount of data, to be fair. According to their press release, to “ensure a quality experience for all customers, after 22 GB of data usage on a line during any billing cycle we may prioritize usage behind other customers in the event of network congestion.” At the moment, it’s unclear whether the 22GB limit applies to each line individually, or the plan as a whole.
Other Available Features
Users can also take advantage of hotspot tethering – up to 10GB per month at LTE speeds before throttling down to 3G speeds. Unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada is also included in the plan, as is a 500MB per day roaming data allowance while in those countries. A $10 500MB LTE “TravelPass” is available for data elsewhere in the world. To cap it off, Verizon offers unlimited “HD” streaming of video on their plan, although video streams will likely be capped at 720p.
It’s about time Verizon began offering an unlimited data plan, and to the surprise of many people, it’s actually a very competitively priced plan. The prices on the plan, it should be noted, were announced as “introductory”, so it’s unclear whether or not the prices will go up in the future. It will be interesting to see if AT&T follows suit – at the moment, their unlimited plan is only available to customers who bundle it with their satellite/TV services.
Featured Image: Verizon
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