Verizon Wireless has the most mobile phone subscribers in the US, but the company uses most of its marketing push for promoting its post-paid plans. You would be forgiven if you didn’t know Verizon also offers prepaid plans.
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In this article, we will take a look at various prepaid Verizon plans and let you know which one might best fit your needs and budget. The carrier offers multiple tiers, from limited data plans to unlimited and family options.
Best Verizon prepaid plans:
Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best prepaid plans regularly.
1. Limited data
Those looking to sign up for a new Verizon prepaid plan are currently in luck. The carrier is doubling its data allotments for a limited time. This means the 500MB, $30 plan now offers 1GB of data. Likewise, they have a $35 plan with 6GB of data and a $45 plan with 16GB of data. These usually offer 3GB and 8GB of data respectively.
Keep in mind all reported prices take into account a $5 discount you get for signing up to Auto Pay. All plans include unlimited talk and text, along with unlimited texting to over 200 countries. The 16GB plan also offers unlimited calling and texting to Mexico and Canada.
2. Unlimited data
If you want the comfort of using a prepaid plan with unlimited data, Verizon offers such a plan for $65 a month with Auto Pay ($70 a month without Auto Pay). Verizon says it can “prioritize your data behind other customers during times/places of network congestion,� so keep that in mind if you plan to use a lot of data on this plan.
You can also get rewarded for showing your carrier loyalty with a $5 per month discount after just three months. If you stick around for nine months or more, the discount doubles to $10 per month. The discount appears to combine with the autopay savings too for a total of $15 off.
The plan includes unlimited talk and text in the US, along with unlimited texts to over 200 countries and unlimited talk to Mexico and Canada, with limited video streaming at 480p resolution. There is no 4G mobile hotspot access available with the Verizon unlimited prepaid plan.
3. Make it a family plan!
Verizon recently revamped its top three family prepaid plans, which offer discounts for adding up to 10 lines. You can save $10 a month for each additional 6GB prepaid plan you add to your account, $15 for each additional 16GB line, and $20 a month for each unlimited prepaid data plan. You can also mix and match prepaid plans, so you get an unlimited plan, but your family gets limited 4G data plans.
4. Travel Pass support in Mexico and Canada for $5 per day
All Verizon prepaid plans can now support the carrier’s Travel Pass for US customers who travel to Mexico and Canada, along with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. They will be able to use their normal talk, text, and data prepaid plans while in both countries for the additional price of $5 per day, and customers will only be charged during the days they use it. In addition, Verizon offers the same Travel Pass support in over 185 other countries for $10 a day.
5. Verizon Wireless tablet and hotspot prepaid data plans
There are also prepaid plans for people who own LTE-based tablets or stand-alone mobile hotspot devices. They begin at $35 a month for 6GB of high-speed data. For $45 a month that limit goes up to 16GB of high-speed data. You can also pay $65 a month for 30GB of data. All plans are raised by $5 if you don’t sign up for Auto Pay.
These kinds of plans are perfect for people who want to go on the road with their tablet or mobile hotspot but don’t want to sign a contract to use Verizon’s network.
While Verizon’s prepaid options don’t get promoted very much, they do offer some competitive options. The main issue with its prepaid plans, for people who already own an unlocked phone, is that not many of them work on the CDMA-based network Verizon uses. Users with those phones should make sure they will support Verizon’s network.