This is a guest post from my husband, Bryan. He sells cell phones for a third party retailer in Pittsburgh. He knows his stuff when it comes to phone bills, especially Verizon. This post was not sponsored by Verizon, it is from personal opinion and experience.
As a Verizon Rep for two years now, the most common thing I run into is one question, “can you help save on my Verizon Wireless bill?” These words can be stressful to most salesmen because we unfortunately do not make any money unless you buy something. But to me, I see it as an opportunity to hopefully get a customer for life by providing meaningful and helpful service. Cell phone plans can be pricey, and because I’m married to Jenn of BecauseImCheap.com, I know a thing or two about the importance of saving money. So this list of 12 things will help you save on your Verizon bill. It can be very confusing so take your time! If you live in Pittsburgh area and need anything let me know! My contact information is at the bottom of this post.
Know how much data you really use!
I can’t stress enough how much this factors into your bill. 90% of customers I’ve encountered have way more data than they need and they could totally lower their bill if they just paid attention. Most people think if they lower their plan that they will be charged for changing their plan or extending their contract. This is absolutely not true. You can change your plan at any time from your my
Verizon app for no charge or extension on contract. Just try to make sure you “backdate” it. That means on your current billing cycle, it will be like you were always on this new plan. If you are concerned about those vacation months, just add more data for that month only.
If you use less than 6 Gb between everyone on your bill, move to the new Verizon Plan
On the new
Verizon plans that came out last year, 1gb plans were dropped to $30 for 1 Gb instead of $40 and 3 GB plans are $45. All basic phones are $20 a month no matter what (see below for more details on basic phone savings) and smartphones are $40 if still in contract.
If you use more than 6GB of data, stay on the old More Everything plan
If a phone’s contract is done, and you have more than 6GB of data to share on a plan, you can get $25 off discount on that line. On 4GB more everything or lower plans, you only get $15 off. This discount also applies when you do device payment plans. If you use more than 6GB of data and go to new
Verizon plan, you only get a $20 discount on smartphone lines. To put this in a better light, if you have 4 phones and they are out of contract or on device payment plans and you have the more everything 10 GB for $80 plan (best plan in my opinion) then you get $25 off per line. If you go to new
Verizon plan that’s 12GB for $80 you would think you are getting a better deal right? WRONG! The discount is only $20 per line on new plan. You just raised your bill $20.
Don’t change your plan in a Verizon corporate store or over the phone with a customer service rep
I had a customer on the grandfathered 10 GB for $80 plan and customer service told them they can get 2 extra gigs for the same price. The customer of course jumped on it. Got their bill a month later and realized the bill jumped $50!?! They had 10 lines and now getting only a $20 discount per line instead of their old $25 discount per line, the bill jumped. With it being a month later, there was nothing we could do to put the customer on the grandfathered plan. I tried everything in my power to fix the issue for the customer to no avail. Customers need to know that customer service reps and corporate store employees get paid when they raise your data! They will do all they can to raise those GBs. I personally work at a
Verizon Premium retailer in Oakland down the street from Pitt. I don’t get paid based on upgrading data plans, so I will never push you to raise those gbs unless it makes sense for you.
There is such a thing as a basic phone discount
Customers who have smartphones on a More Everything plan that has 6 GB or get that $25 discount. But what about those basic phones that you pay $30 a month for? Well, there is a $10 basic phone discount that can be put on at any time. You do not need to have this out of contract or on device payment. Now if you use less than 6 GB of data, then go to a new
Verizon plan and that basic phone is just $20. But if you use lots of data, save $10 on those basic phones!
Device payment can save you money
Most customers look at device payment and say “heck no.” Truth is, 2-year contracts are pretty much gone. You seriously can save money in the long run if you do this device payment. Trust me!
I’ll use the
iphone
6s for example because it’s very popular right now.
This is how you used to buy phones:
- iphone 6s 16gb: $214 with PA tax
- Upgrade fee: $40
- Total: $254 for phone on a 2-year contract
You paid a subsidized price for the phone. The bill stays the same except for that 1-time upgrade fee. And you got that phone for 2 years. Sounds good, but what if I told you that you can pay so much less for that very same phone? You’d be interested right? Well, you can!
Device payment option:
- Full retail price for iphone 6s 16 GB $600
- Price you pay in store: $46.20 (which is the tax on full retail)
- No upgrade fees
- $660 (cost of device plus tax) / 24 months = $27.50
- $27.50 – $25 discount = $2.50
- $2.50 * 24 months = $60
- So that $60 + $46.20 = $106.20 for an iphone via device payment option
That’s a savings of $147.80!
Also starting with the iphone 6s, you can get a new iphone every year. Every other phone you have to wait 2 years to upgrade or pay out full retail of phone to upgrade. With iphone 6s, as long as you get an iphone every year and turn in your current iphone in great condition, you can get the new one and seriously only pay $74 for an iphone year. That’s pretty insane if you ask me…
Do not get a tablet on device payment
The worse mistake I made was getting an iPad Air 2 on device payment. What makes it even worse is that I got 2…
I could’ve done this:
- 2-year contract price for iPad Air 2 128 GB with tax $780.03
- Activation fee: $40
- Monthly payment: $10 * 24 months = $240
- Total: $1,060.03
But like an idiot, I did this:
- $929 full retail
- Tax: $65.03
- Monthly fee $10 over 2 years: $240
- Total: $1,234.03
I spent $200 more than I could have… raised my bill by $100 a month and have been crying inside ever since. Don’t be like me!
If I would have just bought a wifi only iPad at the Apple Store it would have cost $747.93. It would have saved me almost $500! Don’t be like me…
Anyways, I’m sure you want to know more about how to save on Verizon Wireless bills so let’s move on.
Verizon offers free tablet, take them
These tablet are android based and 7-12 inches. They do everything a high-level Samsung tablet can do except a few bells and whistles the average user doesn’t utilize anyways. These tablet have SD card slots which will allow you to add more storage, unlike iPad. There are also a few other benefits over iPad: they’re free, the camera is better at 8mb, have dual speakers and access to the huge Google Play Store.
Cost in store: Free (larger screens may cost, but 99% of the time there is a rebate available)
Activation fee: $40
Cost over 2 years at $10 per month: $240
Total: $280
Full retail price: $300-$600 depending on model
Free movie and tv is available if you get a free tablet
Android is more open market than Apple. Through a little research it is possible to get free TV and movies on android tablet. Oh and did I mention Verizon’s own Go90 app lets you stream for free without using any data? Yep. Free TV and movies, legally.
Don’t stream movies on tablet while using hotspots unless you have unlimited data
Watching movies on tablet, phone, or laptops via a mobile hotspot uses buttloads of data. Music comes second in large data usage but watching just one movie can use 2 GB of data if you are streaming it. Use wifi as often as possible to save on Verizon Wireless bill. Trust me, overage fees suck!
Get your phones on device payment
The iphone deal is the best indeed, but with device payment there is no contract, low upfront cost, no upgrade fees and most importantly if you keep your phones more than 2 years you still keep that monthly discount and your bill goes down. But honestly if you can afford it and you keep your phones more than 2 years, just buy them at full retail. You’ll get that month to month discount and keep the bill low.
Be nice to your sales rep – make an appointment and be sure to buy from them if they are good to you
Customers that come in right away and demand something or are rude, won’t often get far with a sales rep. We want nothing more than to get you new phones and make you happy. Your happiness means repeat business and word of mouth which keeps us with a job and our families fed. But if you come in with a horrible attitude and your rep didn’t cause it.. well you kind of set the tone from the start. Be calm cool and collected and we’ll do our best to help you. Be nice and we will go out of our way to help. That can mean more savings to you! Or freebies. A little kindness always goes a long way.
I really hope this guest post helps you teach you how to save on Verizon Wireless bills. And that you are equipped to get the best deal for your family. If you are in the Pittsburgh area and would like to work with me directly, I’d love to have you! I work at Verizon Wireless TCC in Oakland. It’s 3601 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh PA 15213 and you can reach me at the store at 412-586-4367 (ask for Bryan).
Marianne Duyan
December 18, 2016 at 3:17 amBryan, I need you! My hubby and I are on a grandfathered unlimited plan ($80 for the plan, + $9.99 line access each plus $49.99 surcharge (each) for the unlimited now. Plus our daughter is on our account with a separate plan; $50 for 5 GB plus $9.99 access fee. Each of the three lines has $6.99 in surcharges, taxes, fees added and $9 each for Asurion insurance. My husband’s company gets us a 20% discount (I think on the main plan and two of the line access?). We end up getting $18 off the main account fee and $10 off on two of the lines. Our monthly bill with the fees and insurance is about $270. Our phones are over 3 years old, we all got Samsung galaxy S4 phones and they’re all having issues so it’s time for new phones. My husband needs to keep the unlimited. He uses anywhere from 25-60+ GB per month (usually 20-30 GB but in July he streams the Tour de France constantly). I use about 3 GB, my daughter uses 5 GB. What’s the best scenario to get new phones and hopefully lower the monthly bill? We are considering jumping ship, but hubby really wants to keep Verizon. As you can see, we could really use your help!
Csrolyn
October 20, 2016 at 3:26 pmI was with Sprint before I came to Verizon and had dropped called all the time and some areas I couldn’t even use my phone and sometimes couldn’t even use in parts of my home don’t have that problem now so glad I changed …my bill is way higher than i would like for it to be but I get good results.
Audrey
February 26, 2016 at 8:53 pmI wouldn’t have believed the payment plan deal if I hadn’t seen it for myself recently when I went to Best Buy. I have a new phone and my monthly bill actually dropped! Go in, be cool to the rep and they will make sure you get the best deal for you.
Yona Williams
February 24, 2016 at 10:55 pmFunny I am seeing this…we’ve been thinking about switching around our family plan with Verizon, but one member is very squirrely about our grandfathered plan. He says that Verizon will snatch it from us the first chance they get. I wouldn’t make any changes to a plan through corporate or over the phone. I guess it’s really good whatever it is, but we need to find data plans in the future that accommodate us all.
Janna
February 24, 2016 at 2:38 amI’m currently on Verizon but I’ve been wanting to change providers for sometime now. The amount of data we get for the price doesnt seem to be benefitting us. But these are great insider tips on how to save on verizon bill!
Tami
February 23, 2016 at 10:57 pmWe’ve been considering a change in providers. We’ve never been verizon customers, but these tips would help us to have a decent price. Maybe we will change our providers now that we know the best kept secrets1
Sage
February 23, 2016 at 2:30 amI had a Verizon contract in the US and they were a nightmare to deal with! I hope things have changed.
Fortunately in Denmark, mobile companies are a lot less tricky to deal with. Cheap devices are harder to come by, but that’s fine by me because I’m allowed to change companies freely when they’re not the best fit for my needs. With that kind of consumer freedom, they’re a lot less less likely to pull any shenanigans.
Jennifer
February 22, 2016 at 10:38 pmThese tips are very helpful. I am not with Verison but these are great tips regardless of the provider. Looking at my monthly bill is most an enjoyable experience. I was thinking about switching companies because my bill is much higher than I would like it.
Jessica Harlow
February 22, 2016 at 7:22 pmIn terms of coverage, we’ve always had great luck with Verizon. I really think it’s the best carrier in our area and I love the prepaid plan!
Leslie
February 22, 2016 at 3:24 pmI went with Verizon’s prepaid option. My phone bill is $45 a month with unlimited texts and talk. Since I have wifi everywhere I go I hardly use any data except on runs. It’s great! I’m also saving $440 a year switching from sprint.