Verizon on Thursday took a bold new step in its never-ending quest to make life less enjoyable for subscribers with grandfathered unlimited data plans. Per The Verge, Verizon is raising the price of its grandfathered unlimited data plans by $20 a month so they’ll now cost $49.99 starting in November. While $49.99 for unlimited data doesn’t sound too awful, remember that your data plan is only part of what you’re paying for every month.
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“To be clear, $49.99 is the cost of unlimited data alone and is added on top of your monthly voice and text plan,” The Verge’s Chris Welch writes. “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.”
There is some good news here, however: If you want to keep your grandfathered unlimited data plan when buying a new phone from Verizon, you’ll now be able to do so if you use one of Verizon’s monthly installment plans. Before you had to either sign a two-year deal with Verizon that would end your unlimited plan or keep your unlimited plan by paying the full cost of the device up front.
But make no mistake, Verizon really, really wants you to give up your unlimited data plan so you can learn about the joys of mobile data caps. Because everyone loves data caps, don’t they?
