New Verizon Unlimited Plans

[Irie1]

My wife and I have an old (1999!) Verizon Unlimited plan. We have been grandfathered through all changes.

It's time to add 1 of my kids. We can add her line for $40 a month but only 2GB data per month.

We can switch to the "new unlimited plans" add her unlimited line and still save about $50 a month. Seems like a no brainer, but is it worth doing?

I live and work in SF. I'm concerned with the throttling or "network de-prioritization" as they call it. I'm also concerned with the quality of video streaming 480p vs. 720p vs. 1080p

Has anyone made this particular switch? Would you recommend it? I would hate to lose the "old" unlimited plan and not be able to switch back if speeds are less than what I currently have.

Thank you

 

[Ry]

I made the switch.

I save money.

The old plan is overrated.

 

[Joe378]

I made the switch 2 years ago and have no regrets.

 

[Irie1]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I will be making the change soon.

 

[Hghlndr]

You won't regret it...
Supposedly VZW is coming out with another "new" unlimited plan this week in response to the negative feedback over the CA fire throttling... let's see. Good luck!

 

[Irie1]

Thanks for the feedback. I will wait a couple of weeks, to see if anything develops with this response to the CA fire fiasco. Where did you hear this information?

 

[Mooncatt]

I'm also concerned with the quality of video streaming 480p vs. 720p vs. 1080p

Since no one else really addressed this, I will. I can barely tell the difference between 480p and 720p on my V20 unless I pause it and then see a slight pixelation. 720p@60fps does have a noticeable improvement due to the frame rate, but not the resolution. I see zero difference between 720p and 1080p or above on a phone screen. So paying extra for higher video streaming is barely worth it to me. Just pause YouTube and let it buffer the 720p stream if you really need it.

 

[Almeuit]

I keep seeing that but I think people are mistaken. The article they released said a new plan for first responders. I haven't seen anything mentioned on the consumer level.

You won't regret it...
Supposedly VZW is coming out with another "new" unlimited plan this week in response to the negative feedback over the CA fire throttling... let's see. Good luck!

 

[Hghlndr]

Thanks for the feedback. I will wait a couple of weeks, to see if anything develops with this response to the CA fire fiasco. Where did you hear this information?

Yeah... .Oops! Either in my over-zealousness when reading a published article about the new plan... I thought it stated for existing unlimited plan members as well. When looking to answer your question, couldn't find the article I read... apologies for misleading you!

 

[spamcop01]

Another option to consider: Total Wireless. They are a Verizon MVNO (Google it). They don't have unlimited data, but their plans are very cost-effective with decent amounts of data. I don't use much data, so I get a single line with unlimited talk and text for $23.70/month with auto-refill (plus taxes & fees works out to $26 and change) . I then buy 5GB's of add-on data for only $10. The data does not expire as long as you keep your service active. No contracts and cancel anytime. Check your Verizon bills to see how much data you all actually use. A multi-line shared data plan might also work for you. I'm not sure if the data expires on the multi-line shared data plans since I only have a single line plan...

 

[Irie1]

Since no one else really addressed this, I will. I can barely tell the difference between 480p and 720p on my V20 unless I pause it and then see a slight pixelation. 720p@60fps does have a noticeable improvement due to the frame rate, but not the resolution. I see zero difference between 720p and 1080p or above on a phone screen. So paying extra for higher video streaming is barely worth it to me. Just pause YouTube and let it buffer the 720p stream if you really need it.

A little update... we made the change to the new unlimited plans on 9/22. So far, I have not noticed anything different or experienced any slow down in speeds. Happy so far.

 

[recDNA]

Since no one else really addressed this, I will. I can barely tell the difference between 480p and 720p on my V20 unless I pause it and then see a slight pixelation. 720p@60fps does have a noticeable improvement due to the frame rate, but not the resolution. I see zero difference between 720p and 1080p or above on a phone screen. So paying extra for higher video streaming is barely worth it to me. Just pause YouTube and let it buffer the 720p stream if you really need it.

I don't watch YouTube. On Netflix and Xfinity Stream I can tell the difference. Even while watching Netflix as it kicks up from 480 to 720 to 1080p I can see each step. Also my old unlimited plan is WAY cheaper than new one.