Verizon is one of the major carriers here in the United States.
It is known as a mobile network operator, or MNO, because it builds and maintains its own cellular network.
Verizon purchases spectrum licenses, builds or leases cell towers, and develops its own network infrastructure.
Verizon will also lease access to its cellular network to smaller carriers at wholesale rates.
If you are curious about how these agreements work, check out my article on how some cell phone plans can cost so much less than others.
Verizon offers three cell phone plans to chose from:
Unlimited Welcome is Verizon’s entry-level plan. It costs $65 per month. It includes 500GB of high-speed data and then unlimited data at 4Mbps. The data is deprioritized, which means you may experience slightly slower speeds during times when the network is busy. There is no hotspot data by default, but you can add 100GB of hotspot data for $10. Video streams at 480p quality.
Unlimited Plus is Verizon's mid-tier plan. It costs $80 per month. It includes unlimited priority data, which will give you slightly faster speeds during times when the network is congested. You also get 30GB of hotspot data. Video streams at 720p quality with a 4 Mbps speed cap.
Unlimited Ultimate is Verizon's flagship plan. It is the most expensive at $90 per month. It also includes the most features. You get unlimited priority data, a whopping 60GB of hotspot data, and up to 1080p video streaming with a 8 Mbps speed cap.
All of Verizon's plans include free international texting and free talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data roaming per day in Canada and Mexico.
Verizon also offers extra “perks” that you can purchase for your plan.
Each perk costs $10 per month. Verizon currently offers 9 perks to choose from: the Disney bundle, 100GB of hotspot data, Apple One, Apple Music Family, Walmart+, $15 of +play credit, three TravelPass days, and 2TB of Verizon cloud store.
Verizon offers a $10 auto-pay and paper-free billing discount on all of their cell phone plans.
This $10/month discount has already been factored into the cost of the plans you see on BestPhonePlans.
Verizon also offers a secret referral program. You can earn up to $100 in prepaid debit cards for referring your friends and family members.
Military veterans, teachers, nurses, and students can also enjoy a discount on Verizon’s services. The discount depends on how many lines you have:
No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.
Yes, Verizon offers plans for families.
Families can save money with Verizon’s multi-line discounts.
You can also mix-and-match Verizon’s plans together so that each person gets the features they need.
You can add a smartwatch, tablet, or hotspot device to your Verizon account at any time.
Verizon calls these plans “connected device plans.”
You can add a smartwatch to your plan for $10/month. You can add a tablet plan starting at $20 per month. And you can add hotspot plans starting at $20/month.
Customers on Verizon Unlimited Plus are eligible for 50% off a connected device plan.
You can see all of Verizon’s connected device plans here:
The above data come from the FCC and from Verizon directly.
Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.
You can also check coverage using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.
Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to participate in the project.
The above information comes from the FCC and from AT&T direclty.
You can check AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.
You can also check coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of the cellular networks.
Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.
The above information comes from the FCC and from T-Mobile directly.
Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.
You can also check T-Mobile coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.
You can download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.
Verizon supports VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail, mobile hotspot, video streaming at 720p, 5G access, eSIM, domestic roaming, and international texting.
Verizon also includes unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of free roaming in Canada and Mexico with both of their unlimited plans.
International roaming outside of Canada or Mexico is available at a rate of $10 for 3 days.
You can check your phone’s compatibility with Verizon by using Verizon’s IMEI checker.
Yes, Verizon offers add-ons for both international calling and data roaming.
There are three international calling add-ons you can purchase:
Verizon also offers two add-ons for international data roaming:
If you need coverage while abroad, typically you will save a lot of money by getting an international eSIM plan from another provider, like Airalo or US Mobile.
Verizon offers add-ons for international calling, international data roaming, phone insurance, and more.
Click to expand an add-on below to see more information about it and what cell phone plans it works with:
From Verizon's website:
- Unlimited calls to Canada and Mexico
- International calling to 220+ destinations starting at $0.05 per minute. (This is cheaper than the standard pay-per-minute rate, which starts at $0.49 per minute).
From Verizon’s website:
From Verizon’s website:
Verizon’s Monthly International Travel Plan is intended to be used for longer trips. It bundles a monthly allotment of minutes, texts, and MB of data that remains active on your account until you remove it.
The Monthly International Travel plan is $100 per month in addition to the cost of your regular Verizon plan. This plan works in 185+ compatible countries.
It includes the following features:
If you run out of minutes, texts, or data, Verizon will charge you the following overage rates:
Verizon’s Pay As You Go rates allow you to pay per minute, per text, and per MB of data that you use internationally.
You will only be charged international pay as you go rates if you choose to enable international service on your account, and you decide not to get Verizon’s TravelPass or Monthly International Plan.
If you do not enable international service, then you will not be charged the pay as you go rates.
Verizon’s pay as you go rates are as follows:
These rates may be reasonable for lighter international data users. However, they can be quite expensive for more moderate to heavy use. For example, using 1GB of cellular data costs $2,050 with Verizon’s pay as you go rate system.
Be mindful of Verizon’s pay as you go rates if you choose to enable international features and do not opt for either the daily TravelPass or Monthly International Travel Plan.
Verizon’s TravelPass is an add-on available for their postpaid plans that allows you to use your phone while traveling abroad.
The TravelPass includes the following features:
You can add a TravelPass to your Verizon plan by texting “travel” to 4004, or by following this link.
You can contact Verizon customer service by chatting with customer service on Verizon’s website or mobile app, by scheduling a callback, by calling Verizon, or by going to a physical Verizon store.
Verizon’s customer service contact information:
