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Verizon?s new Share Everything plans are now available for new and existing customers. The Verizon Share Data plans shift the focus from a shared pool of minutes to a shared pool of data.
Verizon is the first major carrier to roll out shared data plans, but AT&T is reportedly working on a similar offering that may launch later this year.
The Verizon Share Everything plan offers an attractive set of features and prices, but it isn?t the best plan for every user. Check out our guide to Verizon Share Everything Plans to learn what?s new and how to figure out if the switch is right for you.
What?s New?
The new Share Everything plan offers a number of changes to the traditional cell phone plan, focusing on shared data and unlimited minutes. The new plans allow families to share data with up to 10 devices, the old cap was 5 devices.
The video below shows many of the new Share Everything plan features.
Verizon Share Everything Plan Features:
- Unlimited Voice
- Unlimited Messaging
- Shared Data Plans
- Mobile Hotspot Included
- Tablets and hotspots share data
If you have multiple smartphones, and rely on Mobile hotspot features, the new plans will offer the most savings.
Verizon Share Everything Data Plan Prices
The new plan pricing can be a bit tough to understand after all the attention Verizon and carriers have placed on minutes and messages over the years.
Base price for each line is as follows.
- Smartphones are $40
- Flip phones are $30
- Tablets including the iPad are $10
- MiFi, USB Modem and Netbooks are $20
The big difference is the size of the data plan. While there is no unlimited option, this data is shared among all devices.
1GB ? $50
- 2GB ? $60
- 4GB ? $70
- 6GB ? $80
- 8GB ? $90
- 10GB ? $100
- 12GB ? $110
- 14GB ? $120
- 16GB ? $130
- 18GB ? $140
- 20GB ? $150
- Overage is billed at $15 per 1GB.
The data fee is charged once per plan, instead of once per device like the data plans used to be charged. This is where families with many smartphones will see the biggest savings.
There is no contract extension to upgrade to the new Share Everything plans. Once you upgrade to the new plan there is no going back to the old style plans.
Not Forced to Upgrade
Upgrading to the new Share Everything is not mandatory, and while Verizon hopes it is an easy way to take the unlimited data plans away from many users, plans users will lose the next time they upgrade to a phone at a discounted rate.
Users who choose to upgrade to the Share Everything plans will see the following warning;
You currently have an Unlimited Data package on one or more lines on your account. The Unlimited Data package is no longer available. To continue, please select a new Data Option for all of the lines on your plan. You will not be able to go back to your current Unlimited Data package
Read:�Data is Not Data is Not Data on Verizon?s New Shared Data Plans
These users should stick with the current plans and budget for buying a new phone at full retail to keep the unlimited data plans long-term.
Save Money
The new plans offer a big opportunity for savings, but not every customer will see the savings.
Verizon offers a Share Everything calculator to help users see what their cell phone bill will be on the new plan. Existing Verizon customers can start the switch to Share Everything plans and compare the plan with their current bill at Verizon Wireless. The compare option includes any existing discounts.
Currently my family plan will be about the same on the new Share Everything plan, though all of our phones will now come with unlimited minutes, messaging and mobile hotspot feature.
The real savings are found when I factor in the cost of upgrading our last flip phone to a smartphone, which was on the way in July. The new Share Everything plans allow us to add this smartphone without adding another $30 data plan, saving an extra $20 a month ($30 data plan ? $10 line charge).
The added minutes and ability to use our phones as mobile hotspots dramatically increase the value of these plans for my family, even if they don?t represent a further reduction in our monthly phone bill.
Are you switching over to the new Share Everything plans? If so how much will you save?
Category: Mobile
About the Author (Author Profile)
Josh Smith is Editor of GottaBeMobile and Notebooks.com. He's always looking for ways to help you get the most of your mobile gear and loves to talk about tech on numerous radio programs. Josh uses an iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus and iPad 2 on a daily basis. You can follow Josh on Twitter @Josh_Smith or find Josh Smith on Google+. Email: Josh@Notebooks.com
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