Sometimes, I feel like I can’t keep up with these unlimited data plans. On one hand, I think they’re great (because it’s unlimited data), but on the other hand, it kind of drives me insane because they’re not that straightforward. With that in mind, let’s talk about Verizon’s new unlimited data plan. To say that it’s shaking things up is a bit of an understatement. When it comes to unlimited plans, though, is that they’re not always unlimited. It’s such a weird concept to me. In fact, it’s so weird and complicated, Verizon has created three new categories of unlimited – aboveunlimited, gounlimited and beyondunlimited. Not to mention, these are kind of pricey.
The new plan includes unlimited data with up to 75GB for HD video, 20GB of mobile hotspot data at LTE speeds, five “TravelPasses”, which each offer a day of international data usage per month, and 500GB of Verizon Cloud service. Prices on this one range from $60-$95 per month, which is a bit much, considering Sprint just introduced an unlimited plan for only $15 per month. I’m not saying you can compare apples to apples in this case, but if you look at it from an “unlimited perspective”, it’s hard not to make a comparison. To make matters more complicated, the three unlimited plans also have a “mix and match” feature. Verizon says that the one-size-fits-all method isn’t very helpful for families who have different needs. Which means, on June 18th, you’re going to be able to choose the plan that’s appropriate for you and each of your family members.
In theory, I think this is a good idea. I mean why pay for long distance calling, if you never make long distance phone calls. But in the process of attempting to streamline the process, I think they’ve made it more complicated. Have a look at this table and you tell me how much you’re paying for the plan, in total. Customers can choose how many lines that they need, and that row gives the price of each plan for each member. So for example, if you want two lines and one person wants gounlimited and the other person wants aboveunlimited, you are going to pay $65 + $90. Which isn’t clear when you look at the table.
That, however, is $155 for two people, which again does seem kind of steep. The president of Verizon, Ronan Dunne has dismissed the idea that the plan is too complicated. He states “it’s very simple”. He thinks that this is going to give people more options and more choice. I’m not sure that he’s completely wrong, but I also don’t know that this is the answer. Unlimited data is something that everyone wants, so, unfortunately, these mobile phone companies have the ability to charge whatever they want. The other things you have to consider is whether or not the service or the coverage is better than Sprint. Sure, you might only be paying $15 a month, but are you able to send emails or check Instagram? The test will be whether or not Verizon changes this and how quickly. Stay tuned for an update on that one.