Verizon FAQ

[dpham00]

**This is still a WIP. Please feel free to comment or suggestsomething**

Disclaimer: I do not work for Verizon,nor do I have special access to any information. Everything posted here is for referenceonly. Although I make every effort toprovide accurate information, you should always check with Verizon directlybefore making any decision.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Should I chose Verizon? How Do IContact Verizon?
2. Purchasing Phone, Return Period, andUnlimited Data
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/368068-verizon-faq.html#post3493813
3. Plans
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/368068-verizon-faq.html#post3493818
4. Terminating Service and Using VerizonDevices on Another Carrier
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/368068-verizon-faq.html#post3493821

1. Should I choose Verizon? Should Ichose Verizon? How Do I Contact Verizon?
Everyone has a personal preference on carrier. Verizon is typically the most expensivecarrier, and typically provides the best network coverage. However, you should still test coverage atyour specific location before switching. Perhaps another carrier may provide better service at home or at workfor you. Asking for general feedback isfine, but beware that coverage can vary greatly over a short distance. For example, in my house, my signal variesfrom 2 bars to 5 bars depending on where I am. Short of asking from feedback from people in your immediate vicinity, youcan use apps like Sensorly or Root Metrics to see how coverage is beforeswitching to Verizon.

If you are considering switching to Verizon and your currentcarrier provides slow internet, beware that a faster data connection may causeyou to use more data. The task wouldstill use the same amount of data, however, with faster data, you would be ableto complete more tasks in the same time frame.

At this time, all the carriers have revised their plans, andnetwork coverage may have improved. Soplease shop around, perhaps another carrier is better suited for yourneeds.

Verizon Contact Information
-Call *611 from your Verizon phone or dial (800) 922-0204. Minutes will applyif you call the 800 number.
-You can also contact Verizon using the live chat, by mail,or via social media:

Contact Us | Verizon Wireless

 

[dpham00]

2. Purchasing Phone, ReturnPeriod, and Unlimited Data
What phones will work?
At this time, only Verizon certifiedphones will work fully on Verizon, because Verizon still uses CDMA for voice. A 4GLTE device operating on Band 13 would beallowed on Verizon’s network, but would for now be data only. This is why the Nexus 7 worked on Verizon’snetwork, even before it was Verizon certified. However, Verizon will not provide you a sim for a device that is notVerizon certified. Though if you have acompatible sim, then it should work.

Verizon is proposing to implement Voiceover LTE (VoLTE) soon, so things may change at that time.

Also, a number of Verizon’s recentdevices added Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) support on Band 4 LTE. This may provide better performance,especially in locations where the towers have high load.

When Can I Acquire a New Device?
**Please note that some legacy plans maynot be compatible with all of the options below, and may require you to updateyour plan. For unlimited data users, youmay need to use one of the methods mentioned in the unlimited data section**

-If you sign a 2 year contract, then youmust wait 2 years before getting another subsidized phone. In some instances, Verizon may agree to letyou upgrade early, but this is not guaranteed.
-If you are off-contract, you canpurchase a phone on Edge, and the device cost is spread over 2 years. You can upgrade again after you pay off halfof the phone and as early as 1 month after purchase. If you pay off the entirebalance then the phone is yours to keep. If you pay off less than the entire balance, and wish to upgrade againin Edge, then you will have to trade in the device. If you terminate service, then you must payoff the balance of the device on the final bill.
-The device payment plan allows you topay off the phone in equal payments over a year, and is assessed a $2/mofinance charge.

Direct vs. Third Party
When buying a phone, you can either buydirectly from Verizon or through a variety of third party retailers. Some of these retailers are large like BestBuy, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc., and some are smaller stores that are simplyadvertised as Verizon premium retailer. Please be aware that certain retailers may have different policies. Many retailers will charge you an instantdiscount fee of up to $400 (also commonly called a secondary ETF) if you makecertain changes to your account within 181 days. Also, when I attempted to purchase from BestBuy, they did not allow me to keep the 300mb legacy data plan, however, I wasable to keep the plan when buying directly from Verizon.

Return/Exchange Policy
Generally speaking, if you buy a phone,you can return it within the return period, which is 14 days directly fromVerizon. Please note, some third partymay be longer or shorter. Costcoreturn/exchange policy is 90 days. Ihave read of a situation where a store did not allow someone to return thephone, saying that the phone was final sale. No matter what the return/exchange policy is, if bought on contract, thecontract is locked after 14 days. Meaning that you can return after 14 days, then your upgrade would notbe reset.

Buying Used
There are various avenues to acquire a used device – ACMarketplace, eBay, Swappa, CraigsList, etc. While you can save some money, there are some things that you should doand be aware of:
-Do thorough research and inspect your phone thoroughly tomake sure that you do not get a fake. Fakes these days are sometimes very good and hard to distinguish basedon a cursory check. Check with the forumfor the device that you are interested in, it may contain tips on how to spot afake.
-There have been instances where someone would sell a phone,and later report it stolen. Theunsuspecting buyer would not be able to use the phone that they just purchased.
-Be aware of the warranty terms, some devices only havewarranty for the original purchaser. While some manufacturers may service the phone at no charge even if youare not the original purchaser, beware that they may not legally be requiredto, and may end this practice at any time. Most devices have warranty information online.


Keep UDP When Upgrading Via the TransferUpgrade Method:
This method allows you to keep unlimiteddata by transferring the upgrade to a line without unlimited data. The non-unlimited line must be on contractfor this method to work. If not, thenyou will have to upgrade the non-unlimited line first before upgrading theunlimited line. This option works onlineonly. I would advise against in-storepickup as the store may mess it up and cause you to lose unlimited data.

The steps are as follows:
-Log into your my Verizon account onlineand select upgrades.
-Select transfer upgrade to transfer theupgrade to a non-unlimited line, and complete order as normal
-When the phone is received, activate iton the non-Unlimited line.
-The phone can now be moved to anotherline or sold

More details can be found here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/227608-instruction-how-keep-unlimited-data-verizon.html

Keep UDP Via Using the Old Sim Method:
This method can be done on single lineplans.

The steps are as follows:
-Go to Best Buy online and purchase aphone shipped to your house. Make sureto select keep existing data plan
-When the phone is received, use the simfrom the old phone to activate the new phone. DO NOT USE THE SIM THAT CAME WITH THE PHONE.

More details can be found here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...nlimited-data-get-phone-subsidized-price.html

 

[dpham00]

3. Plans
More Everything Plan:
The More Everything Plan (MEP) is the current plan offered. Key points are as follows:
-Smartphone lines are $40/mo
-Basic lines are $30/mo
-Hotspots are $20/mo
-Tablets are $10/mo
-Data plans start from $15 for 250mb, 2 GB for $60, 10 GB for $100. See the link below for the detailed price breakdown.
-There are basic phone only and data only plans. There are also single line plans
-When buying a smartphone on Edge (full retail, spread over 24 months), your line access charge will decrease by $20/mo for the duration of the time when you are on Edge. Edge allows you to upgrade anytime after a month, as long as you pay off at least half of the phone. You must return the old device, if it has not been fully paid off.

More details can be found here:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e.../landingpages/more-everything/&token=ZXO6W0ig

Single Line Plans
Single Line plans starting at $45 for unlimited talk and text and 250mb data:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ns/single-line-data-plans.html&token=rgQWNpgn

Legacy Plans:
Perhaps the most famous would be Verizon’s Unlimited Data Plan. Legacy plans are not available to new accounts. However, if you would like a legacy plan, you are still able to assume liability of an existing account. This can be acquired on eBay or similar. There are a number of Legacy Plans, however a few of the common ones will be discussed below:

Legacy Individual Plan:
The legacy individual plan starts at 450 minutes. More info can be found here:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...subTypeId=1&catId=323&zipRdr=y&token=myNiLjFZ

Legacy Family Share Plan:
This plan can be used for up to 5 lines and starts at 700 minutes. It includes unlimited mobile to mobile (Verizon only), and unlimited night and weekend minutes. Texts and data packages can be added on separately

Prepaid
Verizon’s current Allset plan allows for smartphones to have unlimited talk and text and 500 MB for $45/mo. You will not get subsidized devices on this plan nor will you get 4GLTE

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...nlimited-calls-texts-500mb-data-45-month.html

Taxes and Fees:
These vary by location. If you have more than one line, then each line can be assessed taxes at different locations.

 

[dpham00]

4. Terminating Service and Usage on Another Carrier
You can terminate service with Verizon at any time, however, the following charges may be incurred:
-Early termination fee, up to $350 per smartphone line, for devices on contract. It is reduced by $10/mo for smartphones. Basic phones are assessed a $175 ETF, reduced by $5/mo.
-Instant discount fee (secondary etf) charge of up to $400 if the device was acquired on contract and termination occurs within 181 days of purchase. This fee is assessed by certain third party retailers only.
-Balance on any device purchased on a payment plan (including Edge), which may exceed $800.


Using Verizon Devices on Another Carrier

A number of Verizon’s 4GLTE smartphones are either factory sim unlocked or unlocked by update. This includes the Galaxy S3, S4, Note 2, Note 3, HTC One, One Max, LG G2, Droid Maxx, Ultra, Mini, Moto X, iPhone 5,5S,5C. There may be other devices, I only listed some of the more popular ones. Even though a phone is sim unlocked, it may not support all the bands that your carrier needs. The 5S and 5C are the two devices that I know supports all bands for AT&T and T-Mobile. Please research your device to make sure it supports what you need.

If you plan to use a 4GLTE device on Page Plus then you would need to flash it because Page Plus only allows for 3G devices.

Discounts, Promotions and Loyalty plans
Discounts: If you work for certain employers, then you may qualify for an employee discount on both the plan and accessories purchased. The website for this is:

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...m/b2c/employee/eleuLanding.jsp&token=7JGlJ_C-

Promotions
Promotional pricing on phones come and go from time to time, and pricing may be different between Verizon and its third party retailers. The phone deals thread can be found here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon/308704-verizon-phone-deals-thread.html

Promotional Plans:
From time to time, Verizon will offer some promotional plans. All promotions here are not listed, so ymmv. I have heard of the following recently:
-Add 1gb data to your More Everything Plan for 1 year
-For legacy accounts, Verizon may double your data.
-If you are currently on the Unlimited Data Plan, then you may be offered the 6GB data plan. Please beware that the 6 GB data plan does not get employee discounts.

Loyalty Plans
Verizon has some plans that are supposed to reward its loyal customers. Loyalty plans typically require a one year contract, though if your contract is more than a year, then no additional time is added. I have also read that Verizon may allow new accounts onto loyalty plans. These plans are not listed on Verizon’s website, so ymmv.
-$60 loyalty plan with unlimited talk, text, and 2GB data. This plan does not include tethering and employee discounts do not qualify.
-$50 loyalty plan, similar to the one above, but with 1gb data
-550 minute legacy loyalty family share plan – This plan offers a $10/mo reduction over the 700 minute legacy family share plan. Employee discounts do apply
-There may be other plans available.

 

[raichur0xx0rz]

It's small, but perhaps call out the Edge program a little more so that it's easier to see (or edit the ToC so it shows as a sub-section of 'Plans'). It's just heavily advertised so people may be looking specifically for it.

EDIT-

I would also consider putting 'Direct vs. Third Party' as a subsection under Where to Get a Phone.

So it would be like:

Where to Acquire a Phone

• Verizon Corporate Store
  [Details]
• Third-Party Franchise Store
  [Details]
• Internet (Used)
  [Details]

And then maybe a Pros/Cons of each. You already have the info there, but maybe having it organized similar to that would be a bit more clear.

 

[Phoenix111]

Maybe you could add a small section too on adding lines to your plan if you have unlimited data lines on old family share plans. I know there was some confusion over this as some here said this can be done, while I chatted with three Verizon Reps online (for whatever that's worth) and two of the three said it would cause you to lose unlimited data.

 

[SmithlandCart]

Keep UDP Via Using the Old Sim Method:
This method can be done on single lineplans.

The steps are as follows:
-Go to Best Buy online and purchase aphone shipped to your house. Make sureto select keep existing data plan
-When the phone is received, use the simfrom the old phone to activate the new phone. DO NOT USE THE SIM THAT CAME WITH THE PHONE.

More details can be found here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...nlimited-data-get-phone-subsidized-price.html

This method is working with Moto Maker, too since they use Best Buy's system.