Verizon Intros New Budget-Friendly, Prepaid Plans

If you're looking for a budget-friendly wireless plan that doesn't require a 2-year ball-and-chain, Verizon Wireless has introduced a new set of prepaid smartphone plans that include unlimited talk, unlimited text, and various amounts of data per month. These two join the Big Red's other prepaid options which cover tablets, mobile hotspots, pay-as-you-go coverage and more.

"When it comes time to think about the important task of keeping in touch with friends and family, taking time to investigate wallet-friendly options can mean a few extra dollars for weekend fun or paying down those holiday bills," the company said.

Verizon is only offering two prepaid options: unlimited talk, unlimited texts and 500 MB of data for $60 a month, and unlimited talk, unlimited texts and 2 GB of data for $70 a month. Customers who don't normally use a smartphone for streaming music and video, or downloading a ton of apps will likely benefit with the cheaper model whereas 2 GB of data is reportedly the average amount for the typical smartphone user.

"With a smartphone in hand, there are many apps that can help find ways to make a dollar last longer. Groupon provides discounts on items and services ranging from gym memberships to restaurants," Verizon said. "The Foursquare app allows check-ins at local spots and may even provide discounts. And, before heading out for a weekend trip, download the Gas Buddy app, which identifies the least expensive places to buy gas."

The plans are compatible with many 3G devices running iOS, Android and BlackBerry including the Samsung Illusion ($99.99), the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9301 ($299.99) and the HTC Rhyme ($439.99). Phones aren't requred to be new either: a no-longer-used smartphone sitting in a drawer at home can be activated on a prepaid plan with no annual contract, the company said.

For more information about Verizon's prepaid smartphone plans, head here.

 

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Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

  • danwat1234
    I pay $35 a month for my share of a family Verizon plan. 700 shared minutes across the family, 250 texts for myself. Free nights and weekends. Able to bump to 500 texts for $5 more. I guess owning a smart phone is expensive. I just use my laptop
    Reply
  • 4745454b
    Crap, though slightly better then AT&T. I think Metro is down to $40 or $45, as is Straight talk from Walmart. And oh yeah, those guys are "unlimited" talk/text/web. Good try but needs work Verizon.
    Reply
  • hoofhearted
    I am on straighttalk as well. What I don't get is how straighttalk can undercut these guys and yet, straighttalk is sitting on AT&T and Verizon's network. How come Verizon and AT&T let Straighttalk do this? Not that I am complaining, just curious as to why.
    Reply
  • capt_taco
    Yeah pretty much nothing about Verizon is ever "budget-friendly" in my experience. You pay for EV-RY-THING.
    Reply
  • whiteodian
    I am on StraightTalk as well. I have been very happy at $45 a month. Bought the Nexus 4 for $350. Over a 2 year contract, I will save about $1000 compared to what I was paying AT&T before. I hope non-contract picks up in the U.S. because the monthly cost of operating a cellphone is ridiculous.
    Reply
  • The purpose of this is to have a plan to force people with unlimited data into once their contract turns into a month to month. At that point, I'll leave Verizon and go StraightTalk, and buy the Nexus 4.
    Reply
  • g00fysmiley
    hoofheartedI am on straighttalk as well. What I don't get is how straighttalk can undercut these guys and yet, straighttalk is sitting on AT&T and Verizon's network. How come Verizon and AT&T let Straighttalk do this? Not that I am complaining, just curious as to why.
    just like virgin mobile, it is collective bargining... hey we will give you contracts for $xx.xx per contract unlimited voice txt and data we will sell them phoens so no contract but guaruntess x number of people on the contract... as logn as they are making money they are happy really the questiogn is why dont' they dorp prices to match on their end and jsut cut out the middle man
    Reply
  • fracture
    For that much I'd rather get a contract and get the phone at a way cheaper price.
    Reply
  • RabidFace
    hoofheartedI am on straighttalk as well. What I don't get is how straighttalk can undercut these guys and yet, straighttalk is sitting on AT&T and Verizon's network. How come Verizon and AT&T let Straighttalk do this? Not that I am complaining, just curious as to why.Because StraitTalk is only piggy-backing off their network. You are second priority to ANY Verizon customer. I had a feature phone with StraitTalk 2 years ago, and while it's wasn't horrible, text messages were hit and miss. 50% of the time text messages wouldn't be sent/received right away. It could range from 2 minutes to 5-10 minutes. That was very annoying.

    Was on ATT prepaid for a little over a year (zero issues), then switched a few months ago to paying almost $100 for my plan, but I couldn't be happier.
    Reply
  • whiteodian
    RabidFaceI had a feature phone with StraitTalk 2 years ago, and while it's wasn't horrible, text messages were hit and miss. 50% of the time text messages wouldn't be sent/received right away. It could range from 2 minutes to 5-10 minutes. I have zero issues sending messages with StraightTalk and have been using them for 5-6 months on three different devices. Two were old ATT iPhones (3GS and 4) and most recently is Nexus 4. The iPhones were a little tricky to get them to work, but the unlocked Android was way easy.
    Reply