Verizon is giving customers who use their LTE-equipped tablets and other devices sparingly more options for connecting to the wireless network, with a collection of five new
prepaid data plans. At the same time, it has been revealed the carrier is going to be increasing the cost of its grandfathered unlimited data plans, with customers expected to pay an extra $20 per month on their subscription starting from November 15.
The new prepaid data plans start from $15 for 500MB of data usable over the course of a week, with 1GB usable for a month priced at $20. The $35 for 2GB, 5GB for $60, and 10GB for $100 levels all allow the data allowance to be used over a two month period. Verizon is also supporting Auto Pay with the plans, so customers can automatically acquire a new allocation when their existing allowance runs out, though they can still buy the packages whenever the data is needed.
Existing grandfathered unlimited data plan users are currently paying $30 per month to include unlimited data on top of their monthly voice and text plan. Under the change,
The Verge reports the same unlimited data component would cost $50 per month, though it will only kick in on accounts that are out of the contracted period and are continuing to pay month-to-month.
The change is likely to make affected subscribers seriously consider their plan, and whether or not to keep continuing to pay for unlimited data. Refreshed in
August, Verizon's plans start from 1GB for $30 per month for the data component, while the 3GB plan costs $45 per month, though for both the grandfathered and current plans, you have to add on extra charges for calls and texts. If the subscriber is only a light data user, they may be compelled to make the change, if only to save on their monthly bill.