Verizon's "Share Everything" plans coming June 28

[Tilted]

Still trying to figure out how this will impact a family with limited calling and data but unlimited txt who wishes to upgrade to two smartphones w/$30 data package each and one dumb phone that never uses data. I've tried to do the math but it's so convoluted that it's hard to figure out what the "true" cost will be. Not wanting to wait for the new plan, we're visiting the Verizon store tonight to see what they say.

If you went with the new Share Everything plan, you'd pay $40 for each smartphone, $30 for the basic phone, and $50 for 1GB of shared data. So, the total would be $160 + taxes/fees. If you wanted more data, you'd pay $10 for the second GB and then $10 more for each 2GBs beyond that.

The way I read Verizon's information (and based on passed experience), people that want to keep their current price plan can do so even if they upgrade to new phones. They won't be able to keep unlimited data, of course, unless they pay full price for the phones though. I talked to a customer service representative from Verizon yesterday trying to confirm this. She said that she thought that was how it would work - that you could keep your old price plan and wouldn't have to switch to the Share Everything plan when you upgrade - but she wasn't sure yet as they had not gotten all of the details themselves yet. I would be surprised if Verizon didn't let people keep their current price plans (minus unlimited data) even after (discount price) upgrades. They aren't going to want to force existing customers, for whom the Share Everything plan might be unattractive, to seek service elsewhere. Perhaps I (and the CS rep I spoke to) will turn out to be wrong.

 

[nomoney]

I read somewhere and now I can't find it; that on this new plan the add-a line for dumb phones will no longer be 9.99$ a line, but now 30$? That in itself is crazy. I have two smarts and two dumbs on my plan now; the dumbs are only costing me 20$ a month now - with the new plan they'd raise to 60$ a month. Thats crazy.

 

[RoseRed]

I read somewhere and now I can't find it; that on this new plan the add-a line for dumb phones will no longer be 9.99$ a line, but now 30$? That in itself is crazy. I have two smarts and two dumbs on my plan now; the dumbs are only costing me 20$ a month now - with the new plan they'd raise to 60$ a month. Thats crazy.

What if all I have are dumb phones?

 

[nomoney]

What if all I have are dumb phones?

guess 30$ a phone :shrug:

 

[glhs837]

What if all I have are dumb phones?

Your about 2 years away from being like a payphone

 

[RoseRed]

guess 30$ a phone :shrug:

Seriously?

Your about 2 years away from being like a payphone

 

[nomoney]

Seriously?

pretty sure. so you have dumb phones now; you're paying 9.99$ plus whatever plan you have picked for minutes/texting. With the new plan I'm thinking it would just be the 30$ a phone (plus taxes and fees) but no extra plan charges. *I THINK*

 

[Tilted]

What if all I have are dumb phones?

With the new plans, you'd pay $70 for the first one and $30 for each additional one - that's for unlimited talk and messaging (and 300 Mb of data). Or you could pay $40 for the first one and $30 for each additional one for 700 shared minutes (with all the usual freebie minutes) and no free messaging (or data). You could then pay $10 for 1,000 messages per line.

See the second page of this pdf.

 

[foodcritic]

Your about 2 years away from being like a payphone

Thats so 15 seconds ago.....

 

[dustin]

bottom line: the only reason verizon is doing this is because they believe they will make more money... and that is their goal... as it should be.

Nickel and I will end up having our bill go up (she has iphone and I have dumphone). Going to try to hold out until we *need* to upgrade to go to new share plan.

I'm hearing walmart's plan isnt bad but you have to crack your iphone???

 

[b23hqb]

So what's everybody gonna do? All providers will follow the path to more profits.

The way it is, and will be.....All the providers will follow the leader to more money for themselves.....

 

[glhs837]

Dont mind paying more money, just generally like to recieve more of whatever the product is in return.. Repackage my 5oz, $3 product into two 2.5oz containers, and charge me $2 each, then your screwing up.

 

[Tilted]

So what's everybody gonna do? All providers will follow the path to more profits.

The way it is, and will be.....All the providers will follow the leader to more money for themselves.....

I'll most likely switch to a Share Everything plan as soon as they're available. We have 2 lines on my account and needed unlimited minutes for one of them. By the time you add $30 for data for each, a texting package, and the taxes / fees, we're over $200. The Share Everything plan with 1GB of data will represent a significant savings for us - it should be $130 plus the taxes / fees. The only thing we lose is the unlimited data which isn't very important to us on phones, the great majority of our data use is on iPads.

The carriers are, of course, trying to generate as much revenue (per customer) as they can, within reason. They have infrastructure to pay for and phones to subsidize, and they're obviously trying to make profits. But at the same time they want to keep and attract customers. It's a pretty competitive industry and they have to fight reasonably hard for market share. It isn't like they're making huge margins on the revenue they generate.

This latest push - the Share Everything plans - is about pushing more of their customers toward smartphones / data service and away from basic phone service and extricating themselves from the revenue limiting effects of legacy policies (i.e. unlimited data plans). Data is where their revenue is going to come from going forward. The basic cell phone service market is pretty mature now and there's less and less differentiation opportunity there, so they have to compete largely on price which means lower margins and lessened ability to make money.

These new plans will be good for some people and bad for others, it depends on people's circumstances, needs, and wants. But one big picture effect will be to make data service a bit more attractive relative to basic phone service alone for a lot of people. You won't be able to get a bunch of basic phones on one account as cheaply as you had in the past. But you can add data service to a bunch of phones more cheaply than you could in the past. The choice to go from basic phone service to basic phone service plus data is a little easier to make now, it doesn't cost as much. More people will make that decision more quickly. That's important to the carriers' viability going forward, the basic phone service business is dying.

 

[ICit]

...

I just switched plans, and a few other things...

my bill went from 219.00 to 130.00



and just to think when this came out i was all about it....

and I even went with a higher data plan just in case.

 

[Tilted]

...

I just switched plans, and a few other things...

my bill went from 219.00 to 130.00



and just to think when this came out i was all about it....

and I even went with a higher data plan just in case.

I switched as well, and my savings are similar.

 

[awpitt]

...

I just switched plans, and a few other things...

my bill went from 219.00 to 130.00



and just to think when this came out i was all about it....

and I even went with a higher data plan just in case.

I've been working the numbers and the new plan might work well for me also. I'm going to wait until my first post upgrade bill comes in, then I'll compare it to the new plan's pricing.

 

[ICit]

I switched as well, and my savings are similar.

I would be cheaper but seeing that i have never been close to using even close to 2gigs..... i went with a 4 gig plan just for the fact i now can have a wifi thingy and my ipod can connect.. so i can download more songs when i want to!

 

[Pete]

I would be cheaper but seeing that i have never been close to using even close to 2gigs..... i went with a 4 gig plan just for the fact i now can have a wifi thingy and my ipod can connect.. so i can download more songs when i want to!

How many smart phones, how many regular phones?

 

[ICit]

How many smart phones, how many regular phones?

its just me.... so one smart phone, one wifi hotspot, and a 4 gig plan

 

[Chasey_Lane]

its just me.... so one smart phone, one wifi hotspot, and a 4 gig plan

Holy crap that's expensive. I have 2 smart phones and a dumb phone and my bill is about $120 per month. I have unlimited data w/both smart phones and unlimited text messaging them as well.