Last year, I wrote an article, “Get your Verizon Droid or iPhone before July 7 (2011)” to urge new Verizon customers to act quickly. Now, they’re at it again! Last year, on July 7, Verizon ended the unlimited data plan for new customers. This year (we don’t know exactly when) they will end it for existing customers. Meaning, if you have an unlimited data plan now, when you upgrade your phone and sign a new 2 year contract, you will lose that unlimited data – there will be no ‘grandfather’ rights. They will be implementing tiered and family sharing plans instead. For more details, see this PCWorld Article.
So, if you are eligible for an upgrade, do it NOW. I just upgraded my Droid1 for a new Droid Razr Maxx 4G (a great device!) yesterday, and they continued my unlimited data plan with no questions asked. I now have unlimited Internet access for two more years.
If you’re wondering why an unlimited plan is such a good thing, read my article from last year where I go into much more detail. But, check out the current plan costs. For $30/mo now you only get 2GB of data per month. Although that’s enough for basic email and web-browsing on your phone, it’s not nearly enough if you like watching videos on your phone, or if you like to share your phone’s Internet connection with other devices – like many of us RV travelers do.
Current Verizon Pricing
Although I believe that an unlimited data plan is worth fighting for, it’s not as important as it used to be. It used to be that overages were charged at .25/megabyte. That added up QUICK! If you went over your allotment by just 1GB, your overage charge would have been $250! Now, the overage fee is a flat $10/GB. So, if you have the $30 for 2GB plan and you use 10GB in one month, your bill will be $110. That’s bad, but not heart-stopping like the per megabyte charge.
This tip by Geeks on Tour: a membership website with hundreds of Tutorial Videos on topics of interest to travelers, such as how to use Android smartphones, managing digital photos with Picasa, Route-Planning with Streets and Trips, and sharing your travels with a website using Blogger or with friends on Facebook. You can subscribe to our free e-newsletters, or become a paid member and be able to view all of the videos in the Learning Library.
I just learned a valuable lesson regarding WiFi. I just switched from cable to Direct-TV and in doing so lost my WiFi from my cable carrier. In search of WiFi I found Verizon had a Hot-Spot with 5mg of data at $50 a month and $10 for each mg over 5mg, My first bill was $30 over and my bill this month will be $40 over. Sticker shock. I now manage my data very carefully and I am going back to my prior cable carrier for WiFi only for $45 a month and 150mg of data. I will keep my hotspot for now but will have it turned off for a six months period. You are allowed 2 three month periods a year
One other note – if you wish to drop your hotspot altogether it will cost you $160 or you give your device to someone else that might have use for it.
I also lost my unlimited data with Verizon when I recently updated my smartphone. Couldn’t do this before because my contract date was after the deadline.
When I investigated updating my Droid 2 to a Droid Razr Maxx last week. I learned that I can keep my unlimited data plan but will have to pay full retail price for the phone. In the past Verizon has discounted the price of the new phone with the new contract. It seems now you have a choice: 1.Get a new plan and a discounted phone or 2. Pay full price for the phone and keep your plan.
My phone is working fine and I see no need to replace it. This might change if I ever find myself in an area that supports 4G, just not in one yet. I also couple my Droid with a Wilson antenna and amp. I have great success with pulling in signal in marginal or weak areas.
I went online today to Verizon to check out the Maxx and see about upgrading. I found out that today, June 5th, is the last day to continue Unlimited Data, not July 7th, as you thought, Chris. Now I don’t know what to do. We travel for about six or seven months a year and I do a blog with pictures etc. What will be, will be, I reckon. Thanks for the tip anyway.
Go to MyVerizon and do a “live chat” so you can record (save) their conversation. Sometimes you get different answers from different people. Emphasize you are rolling over an existing unlimited data plan. I was told that I could keep my unlimited plan until THE NEXT TIME I upgrade. Order the Maxx online (Verizon, Amazon, or Costco) after you do a price comparison. Some people on the Droid Forum are getting extra discounts or deals on accessories. Check this link: http://tinyurl.com/7cskcla
For those of you who don’t use a whole lot of internet time on your cellphone, you might want to check out Consumer Cellular. I just recently got my smart phone from them and am very happy with it. I get 300 minutes of talk time for 20.00 a month, 1000 messages and 100MB of data for an extra 10.00 per month.
With taxes, my cellphone bill is about 33.00 a month. And I never come near 1000 messages or 10MB of data per month. they do have bigger plans if you are an internet nut. And the customer service is excellent. Always a live person on the line, and no one from another country. Can’t beat that. This is a great company. They use the AT&T carrier.
As you know, I got my Razr Maxx and was grandfathered for unlimited data on the phone but not on my new 4G aircard upgrade. They told me they had already stopped unlimited data and I needed to pick a tiered plan (per your chart) for the aircard. Verizon customers should review their actual 6-month average online at MyVerizon.com to pick the best plan. Be advised they do “round up” so if you use 5.1GB they will bill you for 6.0 GB.