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Verizon Prepaid in 2023: 11 Things To Know Before You Sign Up

I’ve done extensive research on Verizon Prepaid’s plans and features.

Here are 11 things you need to know about Verizon Prepaid before you sign up:

1. Summary: Is Verizon Prepaid Worth It?

Verizon Prepaid is owned and operated by Verizon directly.

It offers prepaid cell phone plans that range from $35 per month for 15GB and go up to $60 per month for unlimited data. A unique feature of Verizon Prepaid is that you can choose between either a $10 auto-pay discount or a $10 loyalty discount after 10 months of service. Free data roaming in Canada and Mexico is also included with all plans.

But Verizon Prepaid is not worth it.

Instead, you can get better plans from US Mobile.

US Mobile is an MVNO that uses the Verizon network for coverage. They offer cheaper plans with more data at better prices than Verizon Prepaid. US Mobile also has great family discounts, which Verizon Prepaid does offer.

Even Visible is an appealing alternative to Verizon Prepaid.

Visible is also owned by Verizon.

Visible’s base plan is $30 for unlimited data. That’s cheaper than Verizon Prepaid’s lowest-cost option, which is $35 for just 15GB of data. Plus, Visible also offers their Visible+ plan which includes free data roaming in Canada and Mexico if you need it. 

Pros

  • Cheaper plans than Verizon Postpaid for single-line users
  • Verizon coverage
  • Free calling and data roaming in Canada and Mexico
  • Ability to go to a physical store for help & support
  • 5G and mobile hotspot included
  • $10 auto-pay or $10 loyalty discounts available (plan prices are listed with $10 discount applied)
  • Some phone deals are available

Cons

  • Plans are more expensive than options from US Mobile and Visible
  • Data is deprioritized on all but the $60 Unlimited Plus plan
  • Video streaming is limited to 480p
  • No family discounts available

1. What is Verizon Prepaid?

2. What is Verizon Prepaid?

Verizon Prepaid is a no-contract prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by Verizon directly. 

You can sign up for Verizon Prepaid service either at a Verizon store or online. Prepaid refill cards to top-up your account balance are available to purchase at many popular retail stores such as Target, Walmart, BestBuy, and others.

Verizon Prepaid
is a
prepaid
carrier, also known an MVNO.
MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, piggyback on existing networks to provide service instead of building their own.
In
Verizon Prepaid
's case, it uses the
Verizon network
to provide service.
Verizon Prepaid
's
prepaid
plans start at $
35
per month for a single line.
Verizon Prepaid
is a
prepaid
carrier. It uses the
Verizon
network for coverage.
Verizon Prepaid
's
prepaid
plans start at $
35
per month for a single line.
Verizon Prepaid plan features and starting price

2. What is Verizon Prepaid?

Verizon Prepaid is a no-contract prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by Verizon directly. 

You can sign up for Verizon Prepaid service either at a Verizon store or online. Prepaid refill cards to top-up your account balance are available to purchase at many popular retail stores such as Target, Walmart, BestBuy, and others.

3. Verizon Prepaid Plans

Verizon Prepaid offers four total plans. 

I think they are expensive and do not include enough data for the price.

You can find cheaper plans that still use the Verizon network for coverage from US Mobile and Visible.

That said, here’s the full breakdown of Verizon’s prepaid plans:

2. What are Verizon Prepaid's cell phone plans?

Verizon Prepaid
offers the following
prepaid
cell phone plans:
Verizon Prepaid 15GB
: $
35
for
15GB
data
Verizon Prepaid Talk & Text
: $
35
for
No Data
data
Verizon Prepaid Unlimited
: $
50
for
Unlimited
data
Verizon Prepaid Unlimited Plus
: $
60
for
Unlimited
data
You can see more details about each of
Verizon Prepaid
's plans here:
No items found.
No items found.

4. Verizon Prepaid Family Plans

Verizon Prepaid does not offer family plans.

If you want a great family plan on Verizon, consider US Mobile.

US Mobile’s Unlimited Basic plan comes out to just $20 per line per month for a family of four. And if you want a slightly better plan, you could upgrade to US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan. This includes 100GB of premium data, 50GB of hotspot data, and two free streaming services of your choice.

And the price for Unlimited Premium is just $30 per line per month for a family of four.

3. Does Verizon Prepaid offer family plans?

Yes,
Verizon Prepaid
offers the following family plans to choose from:
No,
Verizon Prepaid
does not offer family plans at this time. Each plan will need to be on its own separate account.

4. Verizon Prepaid Family Plans

Verizon Prepaid does not offer family plans.

If you want a great family plan on Verizon, consider US Mobile.

US Mobile’s Unlimited Basic plan comes out to just $20 per line per month for a family of four. And if you want a slightly better plan, you could upgrade to US Mobile’s Unlimited Premium plan. This includes 100GB of premium data, 50GB of hotspot data, and two free streaming services of your choice.

And the price for Unlimited Premium is just $30 per line per month for a family of four.

No family plans are available at this time.
No family plans are available at this time.
No family plans are entered into our database at this time.
No family plans are available at this time.

5. Verizon Prepaid Smartwatch, Tablet, and Hotspot Plans

Verizon prepaid does not offer smartwatch plans.

They do offer tablet and hotspot plans.

The plans for tablets and hotspots are the same. They are considered “data plans.” The data plans are $40 for 5GB, $60 for 25GB, $80 for 100GB, and $100 for 150GB. 

If you are an existing Verizon Prepaid customer, you get a $30 per month discount on any data plan you add to your account.

Compare data plans below:

4. Does Verizon Prepaid offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

5. Verizon Prepaid Smartwatch, Tablet, and Hotspot Plans

Verizon prepaid does not offer smartwatch plans.

They do offer tablet and hotspot plans.

The plans for tablets and hotspots are the same. They are considered “data plans.” The data plans are $40 for 5GB, $60 for 25GB, $80 for 100GB, and $100 for 150GB. 

If you are an existing Verizon Prepaid customer, you get a $30 per month discount on any data plan you add to your account.

Compare data plans below:

Verizon Prepaid 35
Verizon
VZ
AT&T
ATT
Sprint
SP
T-Mobile
T-Mo
$
35.0
/mo.
6GB
LTE
Priority
Data
Deprioritized
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Hotspot
Supported
No
Hotspot
Hotspot
Plan
 / 
Tablet & Hotspot
Plan
Tablet
Plan
Phone
Plan
5G Access
5G Access
5G
Access
eSIM
eSIM
Roaming
Roaming
Intl Data
Intl Data
Intl Data
Verizon Prepaid 45
Verizon
VZ
AT&T
ATT
Sprint
SP
T-Mobile
T-Mo
$
45.0
/mo.
16GB
LTE
Priority
Data
Deprioritized
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Hotspot
Supported
No
Hotspot
Hotspot
Plan
 / 
Tablet & Hotspot
Plan
Tablet
Plan
Phone
Plan
5G Access
5G Access
5G
Access
eSIM
eSIM
Roaming
Roaming
Intl Data
Intl Data
Intl Data
Verizon Prepaid 65
Verizon
VZ
AT&T
ATT
Sprint
SP
T-Mobile
T-Mo
$
65.0
/mo.
30GB
LTE
Priority
Data
Deprioritized
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Unlimited 2G
Data
Hotspot
Supported
No
Hotspot
Hotspot
Plan
 / 
Tablet & Hotspot
Plan
Tablet
Plan
Phone
Plan
5G Access
5G Access
5G
Access
eSIM
eSIM
Roaming
Roaming
Intl Data
Intl Data
Intl Data

6. Verizon Prepaid Discounts & Referral Programs

Verizon Prepaid offers two discounts:

  • The $10 auto-pay discount
  • The $10 loyalty discount

The $10 auto-pay discount is available immediately and it gives you the best possible price on Verizon’s Prepaid service. 

However, if you do not wish to use auto-pay, then you can take advantage of the $10 customer loyalty discount.

The way the customer loyalty discount works is that after 3 months of service you save $5 off your wireless bill. Then, after 9 total months of service, you save an additional $5 off your bill. That’s a total of $10 in savings after 9 months of service. The discount applies as long as your line is not disconnected.

You can only choose one discount with Verizon Prepaid, either the auto-pay or the loyalty discount. 

You cannot take advantage of both discounts.

5. Does Verizon Prepaid offer discounts or have a referral program?

6. Verizon Prepaid Discounts & Referral Programs

Verizon Prepaid offers two discounts:

  • The $10 auto-pay discount
  • The $10 loyalty discount

The $10 auto-pay discount is available immediately and it gives you the best possible price on Verizon’s Prepaid service. 

However, if you do not wish to use auto-pay, then you can take advantage of the $10 customer loyalty discount.

The way the customer loyalty discount works is that after 3 months of service you save $5 off your wireless bill. Then, after 9 total months of service, you save an additional $5 off your bill. That’s a total of $10 in savings after 9 months of service. The discount applies as long as your line is not disconnected.

You can only choose one discount with Verizon Prepaid, either the auto-pay or the loyalty discount. 

You cannot take advantage of both discounts.

No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.

7. Verizon Prepaid Coverage

A lot of people wonder how good Verizon Prepaid coverage is.

Verizon Prepaid coverage is about the same as Verizon Postpaid coverage.

Both give you coverage on Verizon’s LTE and 5G Nationwide networks. Some plans will also include access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, too. The 5G Ultra Wideband network delivers substantially faster speeds, lower pings, and overall better performance. Verizon aims to cover 200 million people with its 5G Ultra Wideband network by the end of the year.

There is a minor difference between prepaid and postpaid coverage, though.

And that difference may be in the availability of domestic roaming

Domestic roaming is where your phone will switch to a partner network for coverage in an area where the native network does not have service. For example, Verizon has roaming agreements with other network operators in small parts of:

  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Kentucky
  • Michigan
  • North Carolina
  • Utah
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

User @yeswap on Twitter, who runs the amazing website PrepaidCompare.net, gives us more information:

That means Verizon Prepaid includes:

  • Unlimited data, VoLTE, and texting on 21 LTEiRA partners
  • Unlimited text, $0.20 per minute of voice, and no data on Extended Network partners

And Verizon Postpaid includes:

  • Unlimited data, VoLTE, and texting on 21 LTEiRA partners
  • Free unlimited text, unlimited talk, and unlimited data on Extended Network partners

So there will be minor differences in coverage between Verizon Prepaid and Verizon Postpaid.

Here’s a coverage map and more information:

6. What network does Verizon Prepaid use?

Verizon Prepaid
uses
Verizon
to provide coverage.

Verizon coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks Verizon as having the #1 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 96.0.

Verizon’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, and 66.

Verizon’s 5G bands are n260 and n261.

The primary bands Verizon uses for coverage are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the Verizon network.

Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

Verizon coverage map from CoverageMap.com
Community-contributed Verizon coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

AT&T coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks AT&T as having the #2 best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 95.6.

AT&T’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, and 66.

AT&T’s 5G bands are n5 and n260.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the AT&T network. The primary bands AT&T uses are marked in bold.

You can AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

AT&T coverage map from CoverageMap.com
Community-contributed AT&T coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

T-Mobile coverage information

RootMetrics currently ranks T-Mobile as having the third best coverage and data speeds across the United States with an overall performance score of 90.3.

T-Mobile's LTE bands are 2, 4, 12, 25, 26, 41, 66, and 71.

T-Mobile's 5G bands are n41, n71, n260, and n261.

The primary bands T-Mobile uses are marked in bold.

You want to make sure your phone has as many compatible bands as possible for the best coverage, data speeds, and performance on the T-Mobile network.

Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.

You can also use third-party maps like CoverageMap.com.

Community-contributed T-Mobile coverage as reported by CoverageMap.com

You can contribute to the CoverageMap.com project by downloading the SpeedSmart app and running a speed test while connected to a cellular network.

7. What features does Verizon Prepaid support?

What features does Verizon Prepaid NOT support?

8. What phones work on Verizon Prepaid?

Most phones that are unlocked will work on
Verizon Prepaid
.
An unlocked phone means it isn't tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Consider contacting your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked, or what the steps are to request to have it unlocked.
You can also consider purchasing an unlocked phone below that is compatible with
Verizon Prepaid
:

9. Does Verizon Prepaid support international calling or data roaming?

10. What plan add-ons does Verizon Prepaid offer?

No plan add-ons are available at this time.

11. How do you contact Verizon Prepaid customer service?

Should you sign up for

Verizon Prepaid

?

What is

Verizon Prepaid

?

Verizon Prepaid
is an international eSIM carrier. This means that they offer international data-only eSIM plans that are perfect for traveling abroad. An international eSIM plan gives you cellular data so you can use your phone when you travel abroad. You don't get any minutes or texts. International eSIM plans need to be activated on phones that support eSIM, like the iPhone XS or newer, Pixel 3 or newer, and the Galaxy S20 or newer.

2. What is Verizon Prepaid?

Verizon Prepaid is a no-contract prepaid cell phone carrier that is owned and operated by Verizon directly. 

You can sign up for Verizon Prepaid service either at a Verizon store or online. Prepaid refill cards to top-up your account balance are available to purchase at many popular retail stores such as Target, Walmart, BestBuy, and others.

What are

Verizon Prepaid

's plans?

Verizon Prepaid
offers a wide selection of international eSIM data plans to choose from. They have options that work in all of the countries below. Click a country to see the available plans:
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Verizon Prepaid

News

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Verizon Prepaid
.

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