Being a smartphone owner, while it has its benefits, can be pretty expensive, especially when you're on a family plan. According to the Wall Street Journal, though, Verizon wants to help us smartphone users on family plans by giving us discounts. The promotion, which is kicking off this Friday and will run through January 7th, will give discounts of up to $30 off the monthly bills of family plans ranging between $69.99 and $149.99 per month. Specifics of the discounts haven't been revealed, but users will be required to be on the $29.99 unlimited data smartphone plan.
Usually when you hear of discounts on your wireless bill, it only applies to students or employees getting their bill lessened thanks to their school/employer. That's why it's nice to see Verizon cutting everyone else some slack, particularly when you consider that smartphone owners are paying the extra $30 per month for a data plan and probably even more for some sort of messaging plan. A $30 discount would negate the data plan, meaning customers could end up getting their data free. We still don't know the specifics of the discounts, so it's entirely likely that the $30 discount will be reserved for customers on the most expensive plans, but still, a discount is a discount.
UPDATE: Verizon has confirmed that it will begin offering a discount to smartphone users on family plans tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow and running through January 7th, users that purchase a new smartphone will have the $9.99 additional line fee waived from their bill every month for the length of their two-year contract. The discount applies to each extra line on a family plan, meaning users can save up to $40 per month. It's important to note that it appears that the discount only applies to customers buying a new phone during the promotional period. Check out the full press release below.
Add a Smartphone on The Nation’s Largest and Most Reliable 3G Network and Save Big
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Black Friday and the holiday shopping rush are right around the corner, and Verizon Wireless is giving customers an early incentive to share the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network. Beginning Nov. 19, customers can add a new 3G Smartphone on a secondary line and receive a credit equal to the cost of adding a line to a Nationwide Family SharePlan. The $9.99 monthly credit for the new line can save customers nearly $240 per line over the life of the two-year contract.
“This is an ideal option for customers with a spouse or child wanting to move to a smartphone,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “The Verizon Wireless portfolio has a host of options from which to choose, including the recently announced Samsung Continuum™, the DROID PRO by Motorola or the BlackBerry Bold – all perfectly suited for work or play.”
To take advantage of the Smartphones Talk Free promotion, customers will need a Nationwide Family SharePlan starting at $69.99 monthly access for 700 Anytime Minutes and add a $29.99 data plan for each additional smartphone. Customers currently on a Nationwide Family SharePlan may have a total of up to five lines, and receive the promotional credit on each new line that uses a new smartphone. The $9.99 credit expires after 24 months. The offer ends Jan. 7, 2011.
For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
