Verizon Goes After Switchers With a New Welcome Unlimited Plan Discount

Verizon is making some small adjustments to its cheapest unlimited plan in its latest bid to lure new users. The carrier has announced that it will be running a "limited time" offer that will drop the price for its Welcome Unlimited offering by $5 a month, pitting it more closely comparable to rival T-Mobile's Essentials and Base Essentials offerings. The new deal starts on Friday. 

In addition to the cheaper price, Verizon is also noting that those who take advantage of this deal will be getting a "three-year price guarantee." T-Mobile has been touting its own "price lock" promise that it won't raise its plan pricing on a variety of its most recent plans. 

Verizon's change is available to new users of Welcome Unlimited. Under the offer, the rates will be the following (assuming automatic payments and paper-free billing are set up): 

• 1 line: $60 a month (down from $65) 
• 2 lines: $50 per line, per month (down from $55 per line, per month)
• 3 lines: $35 per line, per month (down from $40 per line, per month)
• 4+ lines: $25 per line, per month (down from $30 per line, per month for four lines)

The deal is not available for existing Welcome Unlimited users. If you have Welcome Unlimited right now you're stuck with the rate you have. If you have Welcome Unlimited and wanted to add a line, however, the new line -- and only the new line -- would be discounted at the above rate. 

First introduced in July, the Welcome Unlimited plan is Verizon's answer to T-Mobile's cheaper Essentials and Base Essentials plans. It includes unlimited talk, text and data, but there are no perks like the free Disney Bundle (Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu), and it comes with a handful of other restrictions that are worth keeping in mind. 

For one, all lines on the account will need to be on this plan -- you cannot "mix and match" lines on a family plan that would've allowed you to get perks like the Disney Bundle from one line while also getting the cheaper rates on the others. There are no discounts on upgrading to new phones when on Welcome Unlimited; you will need to bring your own device or pay full price to upgrade. 

And while you will have unlimited talk, text and data, those on Welcome Unlimited do not have access to Verizon's fastest 5G flavor (what the carrier calls "5G Ultra Wideband") and do not get mobile hotspot access. 

The new offer comes as Verizon looks to turn around a recent string of poor results that have seen customers flee its network for different providers. The carrier had been busy raising prices earlier in the year, and customers have left as a result. In its most recent quarter, the carrier reported a loss of 189,000 wireless postpaid phone users.