Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Yet another Verizon price increase for legacy plans is likely on the way.
- Many of the price increases are for business plans, but one consumer plan will rise, too.
- There is also a $0.99 monthly increase to the Economic Adjustment Charge.
In the past 365 days, Verizon has raised pricing for legacy plans twice. One would have hoped that that trend wouldn’t continue into 2024, but here we are with a rumored third price increase from Big Red in a year’s time. As a bonus, the company is also likely to increase the cost of a monthly fee. Both of these leaked pieces of news come via a trusted source talking with The Mobile Report.
Let’s start with that monthly fee, as that will likely affect most consumers. On your Verizon bill, you’ll probably find a line called Economic Adjustment Charge. This is a fee introduced in 2022 that applies to every smartphone or connected device you have on your account. In the beginning, it only applied to specific devices on certain plans, but as users have changed plans, upgraded devices, and so on, the fee is starting to appear on pretty much everyone’s bill. This fee — which does not seem to have an apparent purpose other than to earn Verizon more money — is rumored to go up by $0.99 per month for all devices except feature phones and tablets. If you have five smartphones with this fee, congrats: you’re probably about to start paying $4.95 more each month for no real reason.
For Verizon price increases for legacy plans, here are the rumored changes, all of which are expected to take effect on January 23, 2024:
- Business Unlimited Smartphone (increase by $5 each month)
- Business Unlimited Essentials (increase by $5 each month)
- Business Unlimited Plus (increase by $5 each month)
- The New Verizon Plan (increase by $3 each month)
- The New Verizon Plan for Business (increase by $3 each month)
- Flexible Business Plan (increase by $3 each month)
In some cases, you won’t see the increase immediately. Instead, you’ll see it tacked on when you activate a new line, upgrade a device, change a contract, or otherwise make changes to your account(s). However, as long as you keep the plan(s), the changes will come eventually.
Please note that this is leaked information, so it’s not guaranteed to go down exactly like this. We’ll know for sure by the end of the month.