[Update] Verizon's New Family Data Plans Begin: It's Called the Share Everything Plan

[Trusstopher]

as a PP stated, that doesn't include line charges.

I think this might be more realistic based on the basic 450 plan of $40 (since we all agree minutes aren't that important, but this is a STARTING point)

1 phone who used 2GB was $70 ($30+$40), it will be $100 (60+40 line charge)
1 phone who used 5GB was $90 ($50+$40), it will be $120 ($80+$40)
1 phone who used 10GB was $120($80+$40), it will be $140 ($100+$40)

lowest current plan is $70 for 700 minutes for 2 lines plus $10ea after.
2 phones who used 2GB each was $130 ($60+$70), it will be $140 ($60+$80)
2 phones who used 5GB each was $170 ($100+$70), it will be $180 ($100+$80)
2 phones who used 10GB each was $230 ($160+$70), it will be impossible but limited to $180 ($100+$80)

$70+10line
3 phones who used 2GB each was $170 ($90+$80), it will be $200($80+$120)
3 phones who used 5GB each was $150 ($150+$80), it will be impossible but limited to $220 ($100+$120)
3 phones who used 10GB each was $320 ($240+$80), it will be impossible but limited to $220($100+$120)

4 phones who used 2GB each was $210($120+$90), it will be $250($90+$160)
4 phones who used 5GB each was $290 ($200+$90), it will be impossible but limited to $260($100+$160)
4 phones who used 10GB each was $410 ($320+$90), it will be impossible but limited to $260($100+$160)

Exactly... thank you for doing the research I was too lazy to do :biggrin:!

 

[WishRyder]

Before it gets lost in my rambling post, this needs emphasis:

For any family plans with more than 2 phones, the new "per phone" cost completely negates the point of being able to drop the additional data packages. An additional smartphone alone now costs the same amount as an additional smartphone on an existing family plan WITH data package. Standard phones, forget about it. The cost tripled for them.

Additional line smartphone BEFORE (with Data):
9.99+29.99 = 39.98

Additional line smartphone NOW (BEFORE data plan):
40.00

Additional regular phone BEFORE:
9.99

Additional regular phone NOW:
30.00

Ok, now for a detailed breakdown of my particular plan. I thought surely, with my family plan, I could MAYBE save some money, even with a capped data plan. Currently, I pay for a family play with 5 phones. Myself, my girlfriend, my mom, my dad, and my grandma. This is only 2 smartphones and 3 basic phones. Right now, The primary line pays 65.00 for 1400 shared minutes, and the additional lines are only 9.99 per month. I have two unlimited data plans at 29.99 each, two 5000 sms plans at 20.00 a piece. We never go over our minutes, never over our sms/mms limits, so "Unlimited call/txt" isn't a huge issue. Surely with 3 standard phones, I'm in the clear, right? Wrong...

CURRENT PLAN:

65.00 (Primary line)
39.96 (9.99x4 Secondary lines)
59.98 (29.99x2 Data plans)
40.00 (20.00x2 sms/mms packages)
_____________
204.94

NEW PLAN

80.00 (40.00x2 Smartphones)
90.00 (30.00x3 Standard phones)
100.00 (10GB data package)
____________
270.00

The closest way I could come close to "breaking even" on this great new deal, is if I only got the 1GB data package, which would drop me to 220.00, which is still more than I currently pay (and 1GB? We're not HEAVY data users, but no way, no thanks). We would need at least the 4GB plan, more likely the 6GB plan, which would now be at least 250.00.

Can someone explain to me why they aren't charging 10.00 a month for standard phones? Or why it isn't more of a linear $10/GB?

 

[neoterixx64]

What does all this mean for business customers?

 

[doomgazer]

Have you been into a VZW store lately?? Or checked online Their selection of feature phones is very minimal. And most of them are junk. I remember when you could actually get a cool touchscreen feature phone that had decent build quality. Now they feel like they will fall apart after a week and have no nice features at all. This is how VZW is convincing everyone that they need a smartphone. Don't give them any other decent options.

Going in to a VZW corporate store with the intent on saving money and dropping features would be your first mistake. I actually just upgraded a company feature phone at Radio Shack the other day. The selection wasn't as great as it was 5 years ago, but the phones weren't terrible and this particular user just needs to be able to make phone calls. When you're forced to make sacrifices, you can't always have everything.

Remember, the smart phone was designed to replace multiple devices: the pda, the standard mobile phone and the portable music player / entertainment device.

 

[Trusstopher]

Is everyone being forced onto shared plans, or will there still be individual plans?

Tappin' and talkin' with Tapatalk.

I've heard there are individuals available. If you have more than one line, you'll be forced into this though.

Reminder: You Do NOT Have to Switch to Verizon’s New Share Everything Data Plans – Unlimited Data Can Be Kept – Droid Life

Yes, but I think he was asking if he upgraded instead of purchasing outright.

This is what I was asking earlier and what I think they were addressing in the last update to the OP (assuming their source wasn't misinformed).... if you upgrade, even if you are a single device on a single account, you will still be moving to a Share Everything plan (Kind of an insult to injury for the "Forever Alone" crowd). My guess is they do this because they want to encourage people to share the data with either hot-spot/tablet/laptop.

 

[kodiak799]

Until I saw the access fee per line, I was actually considering switching to this plan and remaining with Verizon. The access fees are absolutely outrageous.

The one saving grace is if I need more minutes in the future, I can add a line with unlimited voice and text for $40 (net $30 when I ditch texting on my other phone). Then I just port that new number to google voice, which can then forward calls to both phones. Only catch is to be careful of going over minutes on the line that's limited.

I'm really having a tough time believing this is what their plans are going to be. Might be an intentional leak to gauge customer reaction. I don't see any incentive here for most families to upgrade, and they could lose a lot of customers on this because the data fees are fairly hefty while offering little value on the calling/texts. I mean, $60 for 2 gigs of shared data when a single line gets 2gigs for $30?!? It's not even value but a trade-off vs. a single plan with high minutes (i.e., don't think of it as $40 and $60 for data, but compare vs. a single line of $99 for unlimited voice/text plus $30 for data).

And all that brings up another issue why this is a fail: freakin' complicated plans!

 

[droid2drummer]

Which is simply moronic pricing structure. Whoever came up with this pricing needs to be taken out back and shot.

They are trying to pull unlimited customers away. They are thinking we are dumb enough to bite this horrible idea "carrot" lol Not I!!!


Simply Amazing ...
Essentially Stunning,
Motorola Droid Razr---->Minimum<-----
Tapped via Red Xparent Pro>:-!

 

[dezymond]

This will definitely save my family some money. I just won't add my line to the plan.

$50 for 1gb seems like a lot though. I'll have 3 lines on that plan but $60 for 2gb and one unlimited plan seems like a better bargain though, even though none of them break the 300mb mark

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Droid Forums

 

[N4UPD]

So are you saying the only way to keep unlimited data on both lines is to stay on the family plans we are on now? The problem is we are both on our parents' family plans right now (we're fresh out of college) and would like to be on our own plan. Our parents won't pay for our cell phones after we get married, can you believe that???

Stay on their family plans and each of you pay for your line to each of your parents. Problem solved. When you have kids weeelll...

 

[N4UPD]

When anyone on our plan needs to upgrade we will do it during income tax time so we can keep unlimited.

 

[syndicate0017]

This will definitely save my family some money. I just won't add my line to the plan.

$50 for 1gb seems like a lot though. I'll have 3 lines on that plan but $60 for 2gb and one unlimited plan seems like a better bargain though, even though none of them break the 300mb mark

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Droid Forums

Don't think that's how it works, Dezy. All or nothing.

 

[kodiak799]

They are trying to pull unlimited customers away. They are thinking we are dumb enough to bite this horrible idea "carrot" lol Not I!!!

It's a complete fail. I don't see where this will generate any new revenues, aside from reducing their subsidy costs as people choose to hang-on to their current plans/unlimited data.

I don't see an incentive here for a family to upgrade because the value is very hard to find. And some families are going to lose, and that will be a big hit when a family takes their $400 in monthly charges to another carrier.

Stock is up right now 0.6%. Let's see what happens as the market digests the rumored new plan.

 

[zacedward]

So if I upgraded to the new Samsung galaxy 3 now I still get to keep my unlimited?

 

[kodiak799]

And I mentioned before, the other shoe to drop will come from the manufacturers. If a bunch of people (which now may include family plans) are going to stop buying subsidized phones to keep their existing plans, that's going to kill sales of new phones. People will wait to buy phones on clearance and/or the market for used phones will take-off. Ultimately if this forces retail prices down that's good for the consumer, but this is a lousy way to go about it.

 

[xDMONEYx]

This is definitely not a money saver AT ALL.

Currently I have 4 lines on my plan; mine, my brother, and my parents. My brother and I have smartphones, my mom and step-dad have feature phones. We all currently have unlimited data though at $20/month from a promotion we received a few years ago, unlimited texting and we share 1200 minutes. Our bill right now is $200/month, so we each pay $50 a month. With this new plan, just with the phone charges alone, our bill would be $140. If I wanted to keep the bill at $200, I could only get 2GB of data for the whole family to share. I use at least 2GB a month on my own with Google Music, since I use that for my music needs at the gym, while driving, etc.

This new plan blows really hard, and it will be hard to either not upgrade or buy phones at full retail in order to keep my unlimited data. My question to Verizon is this: would they rather keep me as a customer paying the $200 a month or lose my business completely? I feel like this won't make them any money at all, as any customers of theirs with a brain should be jumping ship after they get hit with this bogus new system.