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 $55 for 2GB 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 (2GB) to XX Large (24GB). All of them include unlimited minutes and text messages. The new Verizon Plans options, released July 7, 2016, also include carryover data and a feature called Safety Mode, which prevents overage by slowing data speeds when you’ve hit your plan limit. Safety Mode is free on X Large and higher plans, and $5 per account on smaller plans, but you have to enable the feature for it to work.
- Small (2GB): $55
- Medium (4GB): $70
- Large (8GB): $90
- X Large (16GB): $110
- XX Large (24GB): $130
Prices include a charge for the data package plus a $20 “line access” charge. The price breakdown for the Medium plan, for example, is $50 for the 4GB of data plus a $20 line access charge for a total of $70. Taxes, fees and monthly device payments are an additional charge. The carrier does have a handful of larger data packages, including 50GB for $245 and 100GB plan for $470 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:
- Get three free months of HBO Now when you buy a smartphone or tablet.
How Verizon compares on price
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB or less | $45 (300MB) | $40 (1GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 2-3GB | $55 (2GB) | $50 (3GB) | $50 (2GB) | $55 (2GB) |
| 4-6GB | $75 (5GB) | $65 (6GB) | $65 (6GB) | $70 (4GB) |
| 8-10GB | N/A | N/A | $80 (10GB) | $90 (8GB) |
| 12-15GB | $115 (15GB, during promotion) | $80 (12GB) | N/A | N/A |
| 16-20GB | $155 (20GB) | N/A | N/A | $110 (16GB) |
| 22-25GB | $190 (25GB) | $100 (24GB) | N/A | $130 (24GB) |
| Unlimited | $100 (must have DirecTV or U-verse) | $75 | $95 | N/A |
How Verizon compares on features
| AT&T | Sprint | T-Mobile | Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited 2G data | Yes | Yes | Optional | |
| Unlimited video streaming | Yes | Yes | ||
| Unlimited music streaming | Yes | |||
| Rollover data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited 2G data: What happens when you max out on your monthly data limit? On most plans, Verizon charges $15 per 1GB of data used beyond your selected plan. On the newest Verizon plans, however, customers can enable Safety Mode, a new feature that slows your data to 2G speeds if you exceed your allotted amount for the month. The difference in speeds means uploading 30 pictures would take more than 20 minutes, instead of about one minute. Safety Mode is free on new X Large and larger plans but is $5 per account on smaller plans. You can turn Safety Mode on and off via the new MyVerizon mobile app.
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.
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’s newest plans include carryover data, so any unused data rolls over to the following month. AT&T and T-Mobile also let customers roll unused data. Rollover data is good for 30 days with Verizon and 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.
» MORE: 3 steps to finding a cheap cell phone plan
The bottom line
Verizon has the top-rated network in the country. It also has some of the most expensive cell phone plans out there. If you get reliable service with AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile, you could save as much as $20 per month by choosing a provider other than Verizon. But if Verizon offers the best coverage in your area, the extra expense may be worth it.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.
This article was updated July 7, 2016. It was originally published Feb. 23, 2016.
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