Verizon Wireless Introduces $35 A Month Plan
(CNET) – Verizon has kicked off a new prepaid plan to lure in feature phone buyers.
Launched yesterday, the new no-contract plan costs $35 a month and offers 500 anytime minutes of talk as well as unlimited text and Internet. Tipping over the 500 monthly minutes will ring up an extra 25 cents per minute.
The deal is geared strictly toward feature phones, so smartphone owners need not apply.
Verizon offers four feature phones along with the plan -- the LG Cosmos 2, the Samsung Gusto 2, the Samsung Intensity 3, and the LG Extravert. All four phones are heavily discounted when purchased as part of the plan. However, a Verizon spokesman told CNET that customers who have an older basic phone can reactivate that to take advantage of the $35 plan.
Mobile-to-mobile calling is not included, so calling another Verizon cell phone user will count against the monthly minutes. The new $35 plan joins a similar offering from Verizon that costs $50 per month and offers unlimited talk time, text, and data.
Carriers spend much of their time and effort wooing smartphone users with the typical postpaid monthly plans. But prepaid no-contract customers continue to grow in number. A $35 package also gives Verizon a competitive edge against smaller carriers among customers who don't need unlimited talk time.
As a comparison, Cricket sells two plans with limited talk time and unlimited text and data. A $25 plan offers 300 minutes per month, while a $35 plan provides 1000 minutes.
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