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[Edge Max] For those on Unlimited Data thru Verizon

halon

halon

hakuna matata
Couldn't think of where to put this so it is here for now.

Trying to get everyones opinion from a discussion in another thread.

For those of us with unlimited data, grandfathered, thru Verizon, when/if do you think they will take it away from us? The talk of Lte-advanced came up and I brought up VoLte. It was mentioned that when either of these come about would Verizon say that if you want a phone with these capabilities then you have to get off unlimited data. Which in turn made me think as much as their new ploy called Verizon Max(specifically for those on unlimited) sucks, would it be best just give in and go with it?

Thoughts?

What is known so far:

-6GB/8GB plan (edge max) is legit and currently available for unlimited data customers. $30/6GB, $50/8GB
-Other lines on family/shared plan remain unaffected.
-Corporate discounts apply to edge.
-For month #1, you pay the first installment (total phone cost / 24) PLUS your local tax rate on the total phone cost. Doesn't matter if you return the device, you lose out on the taxes paid.
-$30 upgrade fees are non existent with this plan. No other fees apply.
-Duration of the "edge max" (6GB/8GB) deal for current unlimited data customers is unknown but the smart money says it may run for several months if past practice is any guide.
-Insurance is a must.

Verizon FAQ page

Verizon Edge FAQs | Verizon Wireless

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verizon-max.jpg


edge.png
 
VoLTE will be the death of unlimited. VoLTE billing will still be split out between calls/data under the SE plans (or this new Max or current 2/4/6GB per line and/or the older plans). No way, no how VRZ does away with SE and plop everything under data. There is no way of knowing how much data you'd need to cover calls and actual data. Won't happen. SE (or Max etc.) lives on, unlimited doesn't...just because it's a good time to kill it off.

Edge is sketchy at best. Sure, you can keep getting new phones but VRZ is making out like a bandit (more than usual). You are paying for a new phone you don't get to keep and are still paying subsidized plan prices...win/win for VRZ, lose/lose for you. Edge with Max lets you pay them more for less, thrice now. Once - too much for the phone, twice - too much for plan and thrice - too much for now limited data (although 6GB/$30 is decent). I hate them.

So, should you do it? Entirely up to you. Do you want a new phone with 6GB/month that you can trade in after 6 months (after paying for 1/2 of it)? The up-side is that you can trade phones often, the down-side is that it's expensive. You still have to pay for at least 1/2 the phone no matter what and you have to give it back when you re-up. If you are comfy leasing (never a sound financial option really) your phone for a premium and reducing your data then go for it. A few extra dollars a month for a phone won't hurt as much as paying full retail in one chunk.

My current plan is to pay full retail or Swappa etc. and keep unlimited on my lines, I have no interest in signing any more contracts or deals with the VRZ devil. I'm still getting screwed 'cause I'm paying subsidized pricing but can leave and sell my phones whenever I want. I just wish someone/anyone had the coverage they do, I need it for my traveling son.

I've said it before and will say it again...I abhore VRZ but can't do without them. So, I pay too much knowingly but refuse to change anything 'til they make me. I absolutely refuse to pay more for less and Edge (with or without this new Max) is more for less.
 
I started out thinking no way I'm doing this but the more I've done the math on it, I am now at least considering it. I'm starting to think that upgrading to a flagship device about every year might make sense for me. I mean for a flagship I'd be looking at around a $325 investment per year to pay off half of a $650 phone. If I sell myself what would I get for that phone after a year, maybe $400? But, selling can be a pain. Plus IF I understand it right, there's no $30 upgrade fee each time? If so, when you think about it, that's $60 less than I'd have to spend to activate 2 phones normally. So if I think of that as a loss, then my $400 in the buy my own phone independently scenario becomes $340. Which is near my investment on the plan and no selling/shipping hassles.

I need to verify how and if the $30 upgrade fee applies to the Edge plan vs buying my own phone at full retail and staying independent. Anybody know for sure?
 
I am pming back and forth with a Verizon employee now trying to figure out how edge works with multiple lines. Once i get things straight I will post here. I am trying to figure out if it is worth getting rid of unlimited and upgrading with edge.
 
Nothing I can think of off the top of my head at the moment.


My thought on this whole thing.

I know Edge/Max is a horrible deal. But, we may not have a choice? I could hold out and then eventually be told you want this phone you can't be on unlimited and be stuck paying more for less GB then what they are offering with Max. What are the chances when that happens they have restructured the pricing scheme again? I guess you could just switch or would automatically be switched to it?

Ugh. This is all such ********..
 
OutOfPhase said:
How's does edge work with a share everything plan or if it even does?
Click to expand...


me: ok. so i also have another smartphone and a standard flip phone on a family share plan. how would all that be affected?
rep: They would not be affected and would keep their current plans and features.



I'm still chatting. If you have any more, get them in quick.
 
Here's a dirty secret I haven't seen posted yet anywhere...the full tax in your state is charged up front. So on a $600 phone at 8%, you're in for $48 in taxes plus the first month's charge for the phone. Maybe that's common practice in the "leasing" world because to me that's what this is really. More of a lease but they assume a full purchase.
 
halon said:
How long will Max be offered?
Click to expand...

Rep: And I am sorry but I do not know how long the Max data plan will be offered
Rep: We are only told it is a limited time promotion
Me: like are you thinking majorly limited or several months kinda thing? I'm not eligible yet and i'd hate to miss the boat due to poor timing. :(
Rep: Oh I see. :) If I were to guess, I would say it will be around for a few months. We offered a "twice the data" promotion back when we first started coming out with 4G phones and that lasted for about 5 months I believe.
Click to expand...
Note: I prodded a little here. The first 2 lines are the official answer. Everything else is conjecture and opinion and should be treated as such. But it's true, I'm not yet eligible.
 
Shortlist of points I came up with per my chat session:


  • 6GB plan (edge max) is legit and currently available for unlimited data customers.
  • Other lines on family/shared plan remain unaffected.
  • Corporate discounts apply to edge. I did, however have some unknown $6 monthly credit I was frankly unaware of in terms of it's origin. It will go away if I do all this. :dontknow:
  • For month #1, you pay the first installment (total phone cost / 24) PLUS your local tax rate on the total phone cost. Doesn't matter if you return the device, you lose out on the taxes paid.
  • $30 upgrade fees are non existent with this plan. No other fees apply.
  • Duration of the "edge max" (6GB) deal for current unlimited data customers is unknown but the smart money says it may run for several months if past practice is any guide.
Hope this helps. I'm still undecided. :D
 
iowabowtech said:
Shortlist of points I came up with per my chat session:


  • 6GB plan (edge max) is legit and currently available for unlimited data customers.
  • Other lines on family/shared plan remain unaffected.
  • Corporate discounts apply to edge. I did, however have some unknown $6 monthly credit I was frankly unaware of in terms of it's origin. It will go away if I do all this. :dontknow:
  • For month #1, you pay the first installment (total phone cost / 24) PLUS your local tax rate on the total phone cost. Doesn't matter if you return the device, you lose out on the taxes paid.
  • $30 upgrade fees are non existent with this plan. No other fees apply.
  • Duration of the "edge max" (6GB) deal for current unlimited data customers is unknown but the smart money says it may run for several months if past practice is any guide.
Hope this helps. I'm still undecided. :D
Click to expand...

Guess its the best they have offered, still not good enough for me though.
 
This just occurred to me, or at least I have been pondering it for a bit. Let's say you do the Edge thing but keep your phone for 2 years without trading up. Now you own it, or have at least paid for it in full...do you actually own it or would you have to turn it in to get another? I'm guessing, since it's VRZ, you never ever own it and have to turn it in even though you bought it.
Thoughts? Anyone ask?
 
halon said:
I thought you were talking with a Verizon employee?
Click to expand...

I am but had not herd back from them until this morning. This is a quote from a PM between myself and him.


no the 6 and 8gb plans are for nationwide singe line data plans only if you move over to share everything there are no incentives... although i think share everything is usually the better plan now a days for anyway that uses wifi routinely
Click to expand...

I was thinking about this but wanted the 6 gigs for share everything not individual. I guess I will be holding onto my unlimited and bionic a little longer.
 
Clementine_3 said:
This just occurred to me, or at least I have been pondering it for a bit. Let's say you do the Edge thing but keep your phone for 2 years without trading up. Now you own it, or have at least paid for it in full...do you actually own it or would you have to turn it in to get another? I'm guessing, since it's VRZ, you never ever own it and have to turn it in even though you bought it.
Thoughts? Anyone ask?
Click to expand...

Yep I did ask. You own the phone at 2 years. At 25 months, you just pay the price of your plan minus any charges for phones. Which is better than old school subsidized plans because we keep paying the inflated rate even when we go into month to month.

Whenever you want to upgrade following the 24 months, you just start paying the extra $ for the new device. (again, first month buying the device also adds entire tax burden for the purchase)
 
iowabowtech said:
Yep I did ask. You own the phone at 2 years. At 25 months, you just pay the price of your plan minus any charges for phones. Which is better than old school subsidized plans because we keep paying the inflated rate even when we go into month to month.

Whenever you want to upgrade following the 24 months, you just start paying the extra $ for the new device. (again, first month buying the device also adds entire tax burden for the purchase)
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but aren't you still paying the inflated rates with EDGE, or did she say that there would be a reduction in your service costs before applying the phone? If not, then you're paying for the subsidy and the phone at full retail and in essence paying for it twice?
 
jhawkkw said:
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but aren't you still paying the inflated rates with EDGE, or did she say that there would be a reduction in your service costs before applying the phone? If not, then you're paying for the subsidy and the phone at full retail and in essence paying for it twice?
Click to expand...

I think this might be the case jhawk. They don't want to admit that the cost to recoup a subsidized phone is built into the current rate structures. But we all know it is. Therefore, if we do this plan, we're essentially taking on the costs for a new device while continuing to pay a rate that includes the previous subsidy.

Unfortunately though, that's the case if you bring your own phone too. After 24 months, the plan rate doesn't go down I don't believe. So if you're paying independently for your own device, you're still getting hit for double right?
 
iowabowtech said:
Unfortunately though, that's the case if you bring your own phone too. After 24 months, the plan rate doesn't go down I don't believe. So if you're paying independently for your own device, you're still getting hit for double right?
Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct, the plan rate is the same regardless.
I have 2 phones not on contract, 2 phones still under contract and pay the same for all of them. I've bought phones outside of VRZ and through VRZ, same same same. Hate them.
The only benefit to not upgrading every 2 years (Edge excluded here) is that you don't have to sign a contract. You actually lose when you bring your own or don't re-up when you're eligible because you are paying for subsidizing even though you aren't using it. Hate them.
 
iowabowtech said:
I think this might be the case jhawk. They don't want to admit that the cost to recoup a subsidized phone is built into the current rate structures. But we all know it is. Therefore, if we do this plan, we're essentially taking on the costs for a new device while continuing to pay a rate that includes the previous subsidy.

Unfortunately though, that's the case if you bring your own phone too. After 24 months, the plan rate doesn't go down I don't believe. So if you're paying independently for your own device, you're still getting hit for double right?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I believe so. The only one who drops the rate that I'm aware of would be T-Mobile. The only potential benefit of bringing you're own device, assuming you buy used, is avoiding sales tax I suppose.
 
So as I really break this all the way down, I'm giving them at least SOME credit for the fact that my current rate was based off the state of the economy 2 years ago, inflation included. When I look at the cost of things today, it seems to me I'm paying a lot more for everything than I did a few years ago. Was just having this conversation with the wife interestingly enough.

To break it down into real numbers (although probably not quite accurate because my memory isn't what it used to be :D). I think I remember paying $249 for the gnex on contract? I think the full price was $649. So I basically subsidized $400. Even if my numbers aren't perfect, I think the overall subsidy amount is darn close. So, 400/12 = $16.66 that I'm paying per month for my gnex.

Now, moving forward in 2014, is that a fair addition to my bill? Probably not really. But IF I felt like I was getting a competitive deal back in 2011, then I would expect at least some increase 2 years later. It's kind of one of the reasons behind these contracts of the past...they inflate to hedge against future costs.

Idk, I need to think about this some more but I'm not ruling it out. 2 years is too long for me to keep a device. You know one thing I didn't ask about...do they still replace devices if something happens to it for up to a year? That's an interesting thought because if not, it'd pretty much force insurance.
 
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