We've been seeing quite a bit of change to our wireless carriers recently. It's been relatively small changes, sure, but changes nonetheless. And many of those changes have us hoping that bigger, more permanent alterations are coming down the line sometime in the future. Like, just maybe, the obliteration of device subsidies. It's a long shot, sure, but hey, we can hope, right?
Changes happen gradually with the carriers, and they probably always will. They're sometimes slow to adopt things. But, what they're really good at, is making great big changes to the way that we pay them money for the services we get. We've watched as data allotments went from measly additions that no one ever thought about, to being one of the most important parts of signing up for a new, two-year contract. We watched as those data charges have gone up, dropped, offered an unlimited bucket, a throttled bucket, and most recently a shared bucket. Changes, changes, changes…
Thankfully for a lot of people, signing that contract means you can sometimes skip some of those changes, as long as you're still tied to that piece of paper for a period of time. And as long as you don't sign a new one, under the new terms, you can keep what you started with and what's been altered forever. It's one reason why so many people on Verizon (and some on AT&T) still have unlimited data. They've clung to those plans, and for obvious reasons. Shared data, especially when faster data speeds like LTE are included, can sometimes mean you just don't have enough every month.
And the more people you throw into the mix, all checking up on their social feeds? Well, data can get eaten up pretty quickly. Hanging onto those unlimited data plans may be a necessity, especially if switching to a carrier that still offers it isn't an option.
So, we admit that data is important. We can also admit that the best scenario is to have an unlimited amount of it. However, carriers like Verizon and AT&T want you to leave that "ancient" way of thinking, and switch to a shared bucket of data. They want you to move over to their "Share Everything" idea, and, well, share. A lot. Verizon in particular wants you to do it so badly, that they're willing to offer you a special monthly price for dropping it, and switching over to their new EDGE plan.
We know that EDGE is Verizon's way of getting people to skip the subsidized pricing, and just pay monthly installments towards the full price of the phone. And we also know that that plan, which launches here soon, only works for Big Red's Share Everything plans. So, if you have an unlimited plan, you can't use EDGE to get your next phone. You'll still have to buy it outright, and be okay with that.
According to a leaked image making the rounds right now, courtesy of Droid-Life, Verizon has a plan. Verizon Max, they're calling it. It's a special monthly pricing for their Share Everything plans, and for those who want to use EDGE to get their next phone. It's available for only a limited time, so you'll have to jump on the plan quick if you want to make use of it.
But, I have to ask: Are you doing anything to get rid of your unlimited data plan if you still have it? I mean, unlimited data has been gone as an option for Verizon (and AT&T) for quite some time now, so if you've been hanging onto your unlimited data until now, you must really want it. So does switching to a 6GB a month plan, for $30, or an 8GB a month (with portable hotspot) for $50 sound like a good alternative for you?
It all comes down to how much data you use every month, I imagine. I can understand just wanting to hang onto unlimited data "just in case," but if you only use 2GB or so a month, maybe switching, and gaining access to EDGE at the same time, isn't such a bad idea?
Let me know what you think.
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