Verizon launched two brand new unlimited plans on May 18th, 2023.
But are these new plans worth it?
In this article we are covering:
The first plan is Verizon Unlimited Welcome.
This is about the same as the previous Welcome plan, but it makes five changes:
The rest of the plan features are the same.
Both plans start at $65 per month for a single line.
Both have deprioritized data. This means you may temporarily notice slower speeds when the network is busy. Here you can see I get 40.4 Mbps on Unlimited Welcome, while I’m getting 141.8 Mbps on Unlimited Plus, which has premium data:
However, when the network is not busy, or if you don’t run speed tests at the same time, you get the fastest speeds available.
You can see I got 135.3 Mbps on Unlimited Welcome and 145.6 Mbps on Unlimited Plus when I ran the tests separately:
Both Welcome plans also give you full-speed data on 5G Nationwide and 4G LTE, but they limit your speeds to 25 Mbps on 5G Ultra Wideband. 25 Mbps is plenty fast for everything you do on your phone. It is fast enough to stream 4K video. But for network enthusiasts like myself, it is a bit disappointing to see Verizon limiting the true performance of its 5G network.
Speaking of streaming video, both plan limit video streaming to 480p.
However, you can get around the 480p video streaming limit by using a VPN.
Verizon’s video throttle works by detecting traffic to video websites such as YouTube, Netflix, MAX, and others and limiting your connection to 1.5Mbps. VPNs hide your network traffic from Verizon. By hiding your network traffic, Verizon can’t tell what websites you are connecting to, and as a result, you get full-speed data on every website you visit. This allows you to stream your favorite shows, movies, and YouTube videos at up to full 4K quality.
I paid for and have been using Surfshark VPN.
I got it because it was cheap.
It cost me just under $3 per month for the starter plan. It has been working well for me so far. If you’re interested, you can learn more about Surfshark here.
Back to Verizon’s Welcome plans.
In terms of international features, both plans include free international texting, the option to add international calling for $15/month, and 2GB per day of free roaming in Canada and Mexico.
There is one more key change:
The new Unlimited Welcome plan is eligible for perks.
Each perk is $10 per month.
There are nine perks to choose from: Disney Bundle, 100GB mobile hotspot, Apple One, Walmart+, Apple Music Family, Smartwatch Data & Safety, $15 +play monthly credit, 3 TravelPass days, and 2TB Verizon cloud storage.
But is the new Unlimited Welcome plan worth it?
Compared to the old plan, the new Welcome plan is better.
You can now add hotspot data, enjoy cheaper rates for international data, save money on your preferred streaming services, and you can mix-and-match the new Welcome plan with other Verizon plans on your account.
However, compared to Visible’s Base plan, Verizon Unlimited Welcome is NOT worth it.
Visible is a prepaid cell phone carrier that uses Verizon for coverage.
In fact, Visible is owned by Verizon.
Visible Base is Visible’s entry-level plan. It is under half the price as Verizon Unlimited Welcome for a single line. It gives you 8x faster speeds on 5G Ultra Wideband. And it even includes unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps.
Yes, Verizon’s plan has better international features, but will you really use those?
For most people, the answer is likely “no.”
Any time you travel outside the country, you can grab an affordable eSIM plan from carriers like Airalo or US Mobile or Simtex, or even sign up for a plan from a local carrier in that country.
That’s why I believe Visible is a better deal.
And even though Verizon offers multi-line discounts, it still costs more.
The following table includes all estimated taxes and fees (as I see them in Longmont, CO):
If you go with Verizon, you lose between $140 and $740 per year in extra costs.
In my mind, Verizon Unlimited Welcome isn't worth it. Visible is a better plan at a better price for most people.
But what about Verizon’s Unlimited Plus plan?
Is that worth it?
Unlimited Plus is Verizon’s most premium plan. It comes packed with features.
You get unlimited premium data, full data speeds on both Verizon 5G Nationwide and 5G Ultra Wideband, 25GB of hotspot data, 720p video streaming on 5G Nationwide and 4K streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband, free international texting, international calling add-ons starting at $5 per month, free roaming in Canada and Mexico with 2GB of high-speed data per day, and international roaming available at $10 for 3 day passes.
The same streaming perks are also available for $10 each per month.
Verizon Unlimited Plus also has one more great feature: it’s available for the best device promos Verizon offers.
Currently, new customers can get a free iPhone 14 with a trade-in. And existing customers can get up to $440 off the iPhone 14 with trade-in. This effectively saves you $440 off a new phone every 3 years for every line on your account.
But is that enough to make Verizon’s new Unlimited Plus plan worth it?
For existing Verizon customers, the answer is “no.”
Why is that?
Verizon’s old plans included free perks.
Now with the new plan, those perks cost extra.
If you were to create plans with the same perks as before, you’d be spending more money. A plan with the same perks as 5G Play More would cost $20 extra. A plan with the same perks as 5G Do More would be $20 extra. And a plan loaded with the same perks as 5G Get More would cost $40 extra, including the extra money you need to spend to get the same or better hotspot data.
So existing customers should 100% keep their old plans, especially if they use the included perks.
But what about for new Verizon customers?
Is Unlimited Plus worth it for them?
For new customers, Verizon’s Unlimited Plus plan may be worth it.
Yes, Verizon’s perks cost extra, but they also save you between $3 and $10 per perk. Other carriers don’t offer those discounts. So if you’re going to get a perk, you’ll save money with Verizon, right?
It depends.
For a single line, you can see Verizon’s plan is cheaper than AT&T or T-Mobile’s most premium plans:
Now let’s add the cost of the perks:
And now let’s just look at the price difference between plans:
Here, you can see Verizon is cheaper for six of the nine perks. T-Mobile ends up being a better value for 3 of the perks.
But what about for families?
For four lines, T-Mobile’s plan is cheaper:
In fact, T-Mobile’s plan is so much cheaper, it ends up costing less no matter what perks you get:
T-Mobile costs around $8 to $48 less than Verizon, and about $33 to $103 less than AT&T.
You would need to add 3 or 4 perks on the Verizon plan just to break even with T-Mobile’s plan.
Plus, there is a bigger problem:
There is actually a way better plan out there than Verizon Unlimited Plus.
What plan is it?
It is the Visible+ plan.
Visible+ is just $45 per month for a single line. That saves you $420 per year compared to Verizon Unlimited Plus right off the bat.
But you must be thinking, “okay, but for around half the price, I’m sure Visible+ has compromises.”
And you’re absolutely right.
It does.
But do the compromises make it a bad value?
I’ll let you decide:
Visible+ includes unlimited premium data on 5G Ultra Wideband and 50GB of premium data on 5G Nationwide and LTE. You get full data speeds on 5G Nationwide and 5G Ultra Wideband. Unlimited hotspot data is included at 5Mbps. You get 720p video streaming on 5G Nationwide and up to 4K video streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband.
As for international features, you get free international texting to 200 destinations, 500 minutes of free international calling to over 30 destinations, and free data roaming in Canada and Mexico with 0.5GB of high-speed data per day.
The only feature that’s missing is an option to add international data roaming.
But again, you can pick up a cheap international eSIM plan from carriers like Airalo, US Mobile, or Simtext to get cellular data when you travel abroad.
So is Visible+ a bad plan?
No, I don’t think so.
Especially considering it costs $35 less per month.
You’re still getting premium data, you’re still getting hotspot data, and you’re still getting international features.
But what about for multiple lines?
If you look at just the base cost of the plans, Verizon Unlimited Plus appears to be equal to or cheaper than Visible for 4 and 5 lines:
But it actually ends up being more expensive.
Why is this?
Three dreaded words: taxes and fees.
Visible’s plan already includes all taxes and fees in the price. What you see is what you pay.
Verizon’s plan does not.
We have to add in estimated taxes as well as a $3.30 administrative fee per line. After we do that, Verizon’s plan suddenly becomes more expensive:
You lose between $160 and over $750 per year by going with Verizon Unlimited Plus.
There is one more point to consider though: device promos.
Verizon offers better device deals than Visible.
Existing customers can save $440 off an iPhone 14.
But does that make a difference?
Doing the math out, and Verizon’s device promos save customers $6.94 per line per month:
When you add in the device costs to the plan costs, suddenly Verizon is back to being cheaper for 4 or 5 lines:
Of course, this does mean you’re locked into 3-year financing agreements, and it’s still not the best value plan.
In my opinion, that award goes to US Mobile’s Unlimited Basic plan:
It’s $35 for a single line.
It includes 40GB of premium, high-speed data, which is double the amount the average person uses per month.
It gives you full-speed data on Verizon 5G Nationwide and 5G Ultra Wideband.
It includes 5GB of hotspot data.
Video streams at 720p.
International data is available in Canada and Mexico starting at $7 for 1GB for 7 days.
And add-on international eSIM data plans are available if you need data while traveling abroad.
I actually just used US Mobile’s international eSIM plan when I was in London and Ireland, and it worked super well for me.
But what is the best part about US Mobile?
The price.
After all taxes and fees, US Mobile’s multi-line discount saves families with 3 or more lines over $1,000 per year compared to Verizon:
So are Verizon’s new plans worth it?
I don’t think so.
I think most people are better off getting a prepaid plan from Visible or US Mobile.
But before you pick a plan, it is important to check what network has the best coverage in your area.
To do this, head over to CoverageMap.com and enter your ZIP code. The site will instantly show you the #1 network in your area.
You can even browse crowd-sourced coverage maps for all of the carriers:
My name is Stetson and my goal is to help 1 million people save $10 per month or more on their cell phone bill.
Share this article with one friend if you found it helpful.
