It seems that open-ended customer relationships are gaining a strong foothold, as Verizon joins other carrier networks in scrapping its two-year contract plans for customers.
Once Verizon implements the new wireless plans for its customers, subscribers will be given a choice to remain on their old plans and let them expire, or try out the new contract-less plans provided by the company. However, switching over to the new plans is permanent — users cannot go back to their old plans should they decide to drop out of the new one. Meanwhile, new Verizon users will automatically be enrolled in a pay-per-usage plan.
Under the new system, users will have a chance to select their own phones instead of having limited choices of handsets per plan. In addition, buyers can also opt to pay for the phone outright, or select an option for monthly installments.
Data plans will also be flexible under the new pay-as-you-go plans. Verizon will now allow the users themselves to pick their preferred data plans based on usage, and they can choose from the smallest 1-GB data plan for $30 a month, or the extra-large data plan for $80. Heavy-duty users can go upwards to 100 GB for $750. Meanwhile, the GB-tag will only serve as a benchmark and not a data cap — users can still go over their limit for $15 per gigabyte.
Verizon will also drop their Friends and Family packages, and will instead charge access to customers per line. Connecting another handset before the contract expires will be charged $40, and $20 once the contract expires. The $20-charge will also be automatically applied for every line connected after the upgrade date. Meanwhile, tablet add-ons will cost $10 and $5 for wearables.
For those who have already purchased their phones outright, the flexible plans will do away with subscription lock-in periods, so customers can opt out of the contract anytime and switch plans or even go to other carriers.
