Unlimited LTE Question for current month-to-month users.

[Eric Bishop]

I left AT&T last fall and get an old Windows Phone from a friend with the intent of waiting it out on Verizon on a month-to-month plan until they put out an LTE phone that I liked.

I am currently on a month-to-month voice and unlimited data plan with the phone.

My question is...

Can I upgrade my phone to the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S2 or a similar LTE phone AFTER the July 7th changeover and still keep my unlimited data plan on LTE?

 

[darkcyber]

I left AT&T last fall and get an old Windows Phone from a friend with the intent of waiting it out on Verizon on a month-to-month plan until they put out an LTE phone that I liked.

I am currently on a month-to-month voice and unlimited data plan with the phone.

My question is...

Can I upgrade my phone to the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S2 or a similar LTE phone AFTER the July 7th changeover and still keep my unlimited data plan on LTE?

I am no expert on this matter, but I am going to say that once VZW switches to their new usage base tier plan that if you renew your contract or move to a new phone, you will have to move to the new tier based data usage plan. I am sure there are better and more indepth articles, but here is one from CNN Verizon to end unlimited data option - Jun. 21, 2011

It says current customers will not be affected. That said, all current customers contracts will renew at some point. So, once VZW switches to the new tiered plans and if you get a new phone I do not see you getting the unlimited data. If you want unlimited data, then you will have to get a new phone and get on contract before the switch takes place.

 

[Eric Bishop]

I am no expert on this matter, but I am going to say that once VZW switches to their new usage base tier plan that if you renew your contract or move to a new phone, you will have to move to the new tier based data usage plan. I am sure there are better and more indepth articles, but here is one from CNN Verizon to end unlimited data option - Jun. 21, 2011

It says current customers will not be affected. That said, all current customers contracts will renew at some point. So, once VZW switches to the new tiered plans and if you get a new phone I do not see you getting the unlimited data. If you want unlimited data, then you will have to get a new phone and get on contract before the switch takes place.

The articles also say that current customers will be able to upgrade their phones after July 7th and keep their unlimited data for now, though Verizon has reserved the right to change that in the future. I was asking specifically about month-to-month users, who have never had a long term contract with Verizon.

For example, AT&T customers have been upgrading their phones for a year, without losing their unlimited data plans they had before AT&T went to a tiered plan.

 

[darkcyber]

I was asking specifically about month-to-month users, who have never had a long term contract with Verizon.

For example, AT&T customers have been upgrading their phones for a year, without losing their unlimited data plans they had before AT&T went to a tiered plan.

Ahhh, Ok. Keep us posted on what you find out. That is beyond me. I am on contract.

 

[sic0048]

In Verizon's mind, there is no data contract. Everyone is "month to month" if you want to think of it that way. While your phone might require a data package, you can always change the phone your service is tied to and drop the data plan even when you are under contract.

So contract or not, Verizon will handle the unlimited data plans the same. I'm not convinced we'll have unlimited data forever, but a month to month user won't loose it any quicker than someone on contract.

 

[jessie1290]

Eric, I'm in a similar situation. I've had AT&T forever, want to switch for unlimited. The Bionic or possibly S II (if it works as a phone!) are the only 2 phones I'm interested in. I could activate my husband's old Droid to hold an unlimited spot IF that will work. I wouldn't be "under contract" with a new phone, and I can't seem to get an official answer to my question of: Will I be able to get the Bionic with unlimited, either by buying it outright or signing a 2 year/discounted price contract when it comes out. Also, will I be able to keep unlimted as long as I have my same line, or does unlimited go away with a future upgrade (in which case activating the old Droid won't help at all.) Surely there will be official answers before the 6th. I don't understand why Verizon is not making this clear. I have been told so many things in different Verizon stores. I need to see official answers in writing before I switch. I have an Atrix now that I love, I'm just tired of checking every day to see how much data I've used.

 

[Eric Bishop]

In Verizon's mind, there is no data contract. Everyone is "month to month" if you want to think of it that way. While your phone might require a data package, you can always change the phone your service is tied to and drop the data plan even when you are under contract.

So contract or not, Verizon will handle the unlimited data plans the same. I'm not convinced we'll have unlimited data forever, but a month to month user won't loose it any quicker than someone on contract.

Man, I hope you're right. I've been in my local Verizon store about a dozen times in the last two months, and I don't know if the Revolution, Charge or Thunderbolt are phones I can deal with for 2 years. If I could stay on my BlackBerry until the Bionic comes out, I'd much prefer to do that. Though, there's a decent chance I'd still get the Charge in a few months, especially if the Cyanogen guys dive into it.

It would be really great to get unlimited LTE on a phone I could be happy with.

Eric, I'm in a similar situation. I've had AT&T forever, want to switch for unlimited. The Bionic or possibly S II (if it works as a phone!) are the only 2 phones I'm interested in. I could activate my husband's old Droid to hold an unlimited spot IF that will work. I wouldn't be "under contract" with a new phone, and I can't seem to get an official answer to my question of: Will I be able to get the Bionic with unlimited, either by buying it outright or signing a 2 year/discounted price contract when it comes out. Also, will I be able to keep unlimted as long as I have my same line, or does unlimited go away with a future upgrade (in which case activating the old Droid won't help at all.) Surely there will be official answers before the 6th. I don't understand why Verizon is not making this clear. I have been told so many things in different Verizon stores. I need to see official answers in writing before I switch. I have an Atrix now that I love, I'm just tired of checking every day to see how much data I've used.

Well, the leaked Verizon training materials do say that current customers will be able to keep their existing plans when they upgrade their phones and renew their 2-year contracts. So, that seems like a pretty clear indication that we SHOULD be ok, but I want to be as certain as possible before I pass on the Charge AND unlimited data just because I wanted to wait for the Bionic. After all, waiting just means that it will be long before I can get my next phone.

 

[sic0048]

I would check to make sure that the Blackberry data plan and the smartphone (like Android) data plans are the same. That would be my concern, but I am pretty unfamiliar with Blackberry.

 

[Eric Bishop]

I would check to make sure that the Blackberry data plan and the smartphone (like Android) data plans are the same. That would be my concern, but I am pretty unfamiliar with Blackberry.

That's a good point. BlackBerry has web, email, apps, etc. Their interface isn't as good as Android, but I don't believe there was a separate plan when I signed up. There doesn't appear to be different plans for BlackBerry vs. Android through Verizon on their online site or on Amazon Wireless, Wirefly, etc.

 

[jsflying]

I have the same question about month to month. I'm considering buying an old Motorola X or something just to lock in the unlimited data, if that means I can upgrade later and keep the plans that I'm already on.

 

[jessie1290]

I went by a Verizon store at the mall today and stopped in to see if there was any news on this. The guy there said they have still not been give the answers to these kind of questions (but they have been getting lots of them). He told me to call customer service, whch I did and They don't know the answer either! They did take my name and number, took down my exact questions and promised to call me before the weekend. I have no experience with Verizon, so I don't know if I should expect a call or not, but why would Verizon make these changes without having the answers to common questions readily available and in print?

 

[Martimus]

I went by a Verizon store at the mall today and stopped in to see if there was any news on this. The guy there said they have still not been give the answers to these kind of questions (but they have been getting lots of them). He told me to call customer service, whch I did and They don't know the answer either! They did take my name and number, took down my exact questions and promised to call me before the weekend. I have no experience with Verizon, so I don't know if I should expect a call or not, but why would Verizon make these changes without having the answers to common questions readily available and in print?

I suspect what you'll ultimately determine is that Verizon's front line customer service folks typically don't get this sort of info until right before the program starts. As such it's not uncommon for updates to leak and make it to the Android community (us) before it makes it to customer service...