Amid stiff competition from T-Mobile and Sprint, Verizon announced the launch of an unlimited plan on Monday. As if that wasn’t enticing enough, the company is offering brand new iPhone 7 and other coveted devices to switchers who sign up for its unlimited plan. Verizon’s unlimited plans start at $80 for one line, and go up to $140 for two lines, $160 for three lines, and $180 for four lines.
Get free iPhone 7 or other comparable devices
The unlimited plan itself comes with a few strings attached, even though the company claims to offer unlimited data, calls, and texts. For instance, if you end up using more than 22GB of 4G data in a given month, your further usage would be deprioritized behind other users. Also, the company has limited the hotspot tethering to 10GB for 4G LTE. Beyond that, you’ll fall back to 3G.
To get the free iPhone 7 or other comparable devices such as the Galaxy S7 and Google Pixel, you have to bring your phone number from a competitor to Verizon, sign up for the unlimited plan, select device payment, and trade-in one of the below 15 eligible devices:
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- Galaxy S6
- Galaxy S6 Edge+
- Galaxy S7
- Galaxy S7 Edge
- Galaxy Note 5
- LG G5
- LG V20
- HTC 10
Verizon’s plan not as good as that of T-Mobile, Sprint
Verizon requires that you stay with the carrier for at least two years. If you choose to leave early, you will be required to pay a prorated portion of the cost of the new handset. The initiative may boost sales of smartphone vendors such as Apple and Samsung. Verizon’s smaller rivals T-Mobile and Sprint offer much less expensive data plans. Both the carriers targeted Verizon in their Super Bowl ads.
With its latest plan, Verizon is trying to play catch-up with companies that could barely compete until a few years ago. Sprint’s unlimited plan costs as low as $60 per line and $150 for four lines. It has also launched a promotional campaign that offers five lines for $90 per month for 12 months. T-Mobile’s unlimited plan costs $70 per line and $160 for four lines. What’s more, T-Mobile has stopped adding taxes and surcharges to the bill, which further brings down the cost for users.
Verizon to get WiFi calling with iOS 10.3
Verizon will finally start supporting WiFi calling with Apple’s iOS 10.3 software update, which is still in beta. Verizon will be the last major US carrier to support WiFi calling on iOS. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers already enjoy integrated WiFi calling feature.
Developers who tested the beta version of iOS 10.3 on Verizon said they were able to take calls on any device linked to the same iCloud account as their iPhone. It means if you are away from your iPhone, you can take WiFi calls on your iPad, iPod Touch or Apple Watch even when they are not on the same WiFi network as your iPhone.
