Verizon is killing off its discounted phone program and is introducing a "simplified" data plan that could cost you big bucks per month.
If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer, there’s bad news: your bill may be about to get a lot more expensive.
Verizon is ending its policy of providing a discounted smartphone to those who sign up for a two-year contract: now, you’ll just have to pay the full price for a phone up front or sign up for a payment plan, according to a USA Today report.
In addition, on Aug. 13 when the new plans take effect, you’ll have to select one of four data plans: $30 per month for 1 gigabyte of shareable data, $45 per month for 3 GB, $60 per month for 6 GB, and $80 per month for 12 GB.
A Verizon spokesman said according to the report that Verizon was “simplifying the experience” for customers, who will now be able to easily see what they are paying for.
A Verizon customer’s bill will also include $20 per month for every smartphone line, and $10 per month for tablets or mobile hotspots, as well as $5 per month for other connected devices, such as a smartwatch.
Killing off the “free” or discounted smartphone marks the end of an era, and Verizon is the first to move away what has been the practice for nearly as long as cell phones have been around. It shows how expensive smartphones have gotten compared to the cell phones of the past, with the iPhone 6 retailing at $649. Before, customers would only have to pay $200 up front or even get a free smartphone if they simply signed a two-year contract, but no more.
Smartphone usage has become a basic human need in the eyes of the U.S. government, which has subsidized access for poor households, according to a Quartz report, and an estimated 64 percent of adults in America using smartphones, compared to just 35 percent in 2011.
