Verizon increases grandfathered unlimited data plans from $30 to $50, will take effect in November

Top US carrier Verizon Wireless has been known for relinquishing its unlimited data plans without regret. The carrier’s CEO has said before that unlimited data plans are coming to an end, even as some carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint still offer them. Yet and still, some Verizon customers refuse to relinquish their unlimited data plans – if only because such plans cost $30 a month (not counting unlimited calls and texts).

Now, however, that’s all about to change. According to someone who tipped the source below, Verizon looks to raise the price of unlimited data from $30 monthly to $50 monthly. The rumor was later confirmed by a Verizon Wireless representative, who also told the source that the new $50 monthly fee for unlimited data plans will take effect in November. This will change the current grandfathered unlimited data plans from $29.99 to $49.99 a month, not counting voice and text.

It’s clear why Verizon is doing this: to move the remaining 1% of its unlimited data plan customers over to tiered plans, and the company’s move to offer 12GB of data for $80 (as opposed to the former plan that charged 6GB for $80 before changing that to 10GB for $80) is done with the goal of moving unlimited data customers while remaining competitive in the current carrier market. T-Mobile has pushed the envelope in this regard, slashing prices and moving former Verizon customers who found that T-Mobile’s pricing was better for them, not to mention T-Mobile does have the fastest LTE speeds in the US currently.

At the same time, however, $49.99 per month for unlimited data is still better than my current plan of 10GB for $80 (or 12GB for $80 with the new off-contract plans), and most twenty-something or thirty-something customers won’t make a big deal out of it. At the same time, however, there are a few older customers who will not like the idea of paying $20 more a month just for data when they could use the extra $20 a month to purchase a new smartphone line. Verizon dropped unlimited data plans in 2011, and the carrier believes that it’s time for every unlimited data customer to move into the current carrier world – one where tiered data plans are the norm and unlimited data plans become a has-been.

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