Verizon to raise prices of unlimited, grandfatherd data plans by $20
Less than one percent of customers still have unlimited data.
Verizon doesn't want to be the bad guy and completely get rid of its old unlimited data plans, so it's pursuing a new strategy: price customers out of them. The Verge has learned that Verizon will soon raise the monthly cost of grandfathered unlimited data plans by an additional $20 per line to $49.99. A friendly tipster clued us in on the change, and when contacted for comment, a Verizon spokesperson confirmed the news. The new rate will apply beginning in November.
To be clear, $49.99 is the cost of unlimited data alone and is added on top of your monthly voice and text plan. I've got the Nationwide Talk & Text 450 plan ($59.99), so this change would raise my monthly payment to $109.98, and that's before Verizon's extra fees and charges. If you've got more or unlimited voice minutes, you'll pay more each month. For customers determined to remain on the unlimited plan, Verizon will now let them purchase new smartphones through its monthly device payment plan; previously, you could only buy phones outright at their full retail cost. That's one upside in this news.