G'morning all!
After hearing someone joke about Verizon's new shared data plans I realized I hadn't looked into them at all. I figured this would be a perfect chance to write an analysis and let everyone know exactly what Verizon has been up to.
I will be doing the research as I type this article, so I will know just as much as you do as you read along. It should be kind of fun, learning together. You ready? Alright! Now let’s get this over with…
After navigating through Verizon’s website and picking a phone I move on to the plan selection, and this is what I am greeted with:
First thing I would like to mention is the notice hidden in the bottom left. Unless I am misinformed, their old overage rate was something like $10 - $12. Very sneaky Verizon, but anyways… It seems they are trying to get us to buy the 2 GB plan as it is highlighted and already selected. Now, if one was buying this phone for just their self and was a typical user this would save them about $10 over their old plan in the same data range. Then I realized that the bar was not scrolled all the way to the left. So I scrolled and was saw:
So it seems that (depending on exactly how much data one uses) they could be saving even more money than before, but Verizon was still trying to get people to pay for 2 GB. But enough of this basic stuff, let’s get on to what most of us would have to pay. Here is a macro of all the plans they offer:
Now on any given month I use between 12 -20 GB of data and that is if I do little to no tethering. But I do just about everything on my phone: I could download ROMs to my PC then transfer them via USB to my Razr, I could que up episodes of South Park on my laptop before work and bring that in every day instead of using Netflix, but I could also ride a rickshaw everywhere and going to the witch doctor to get bled every time I get sick. I’ll just take the time right now to thank the aliens that created us for that temporary unlimited data trick that popped up a few months ago; and that I did it early enough that when Verizon started catching on I wasn’t downgraded back.
As you can see above, I would be paying anywhere from $110 to $150 every month if I had to go with one of these plans. And let’s say I decided to go with the 12 GB, $110 per month plan and keep my data use low. Now let’s say I had a busy month with work and actually used 20 GB of data. Verizon would be sticking me with a $230 bill, a full $120 more for the same amount of data as if I had picked the higher plan. Now that friends, is a giant load of steamy bull excrement.
Before I continue I would like to talk about having more than one phone attached to the plan, as I am sure many of us have. While the numbers will be different, the situation is nearly the same: you would be saving money if your entire family really has no reason to have a smartphone anyways; but if you actually use your device you will most certainly be paying much, much more. Someone who has more experience with the old family plan pricing should chime in if they have any insight to offer.
Now what should the average DR user (read: super-power-user) get from this? Well unless you want to pay full retail for your next phone (in case you haven’t heard, if you use an upgrade you are forced to go by their new plans and give up your unlimited data, if you have it) I would say it is about time to jump ship. But to be honest now is probably the best time to do so.
With Verizon’s recent egregious attempts to block free speech (Google “Verizon owns the internet”), their insistence on locking our bootloaders, spying on our root access, and repeated attempts to renege on their contracts for unlimited data (including this most recent, most successful attempt), there is no better time to head off to greener pastures.
So what are your options? If you don’t mind locked bootloaders and signing another contract with a slightly less-evil company, AT&T is ramping up their LTE services around the US. But the best option in my opinion (and the route I will be taking) is to bite the bullet, <cry> give up your LTE </cry>, and head on over to T-Mobile’s pay-per-month plans. They are the cheapest around and you get the priceless perk of not having to sign a contract (added bonus: if you pick up a Nexus device you will actually get the perks that come with that). You will have to purchase a phone at retail price, or get smart and buy a 1-2 month old phone on eBay for half price.
The decision is yours; your cellular future and freedom are in your hands…
Answered
