Verizon Is Raising Rates on Older Go, Beyond, Above and Start Unlimited Plans Next Month
Expect a $3 monthly increase on your bill, per line, starting on Aug. 29.
Have an older Verizon unlimited plan? The carrier would really like you to move to one of its newer (and potentially pricier) options. Starting on Aug. 29 Verizon will be raising the rates for those still on its Go, Beyond, Above and 5G Start unlimited plans by $3 per line, per month.
For Go and Beyond users, this impacts those who were on a later version of these plans dubbed "Go Unlimited 2.0" and "Beyond Unlimited 2.0" by the carrier. The earlier "1.0" versions of these plans saw their own price hikes get revealed back in February.
A support page for the carrier says that the new fee will appear on bills as a "Plan Rate Adjustment." Those who have basic phones on their account will also see their bills go up by $5 per month, per line.
Verizon says its newer plans aren't affected by this latest hike. In May it revamped its lineup, distilling its offering to two main unlimited plans while also no longer bundling once-included perks like the Disney Bundle (which includes Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu).
A Verizon spokesperson says in a statement provided to CNET that the move is being done so that the carrier can "continue improving our industry-leading network and services," adding that anyone affected "will be notified of a new plan rate adjustment by email, direct mail and in their next bill."
"We encourage customers to move to the new Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Welcome plan at any time to take advantage of even more value and perks of their choice."
The new increase is the latest from Verizon as it continues to look to maximize revenue from existing accounts. While its consumer division continued to lose customers in its most recent quarter, the carrier said its revenue in that unit was up 3.5% year-over-year thanks to higher average revenue per account.
In its earnings release it outright credited the bump to being "driven primarily by pricing actions implemented in recent quarters, the larger allocation of administrative and telco recovery fees from other revenue into wireless service revenue" as well as an increase in wireless broadband subscribers.
Verizon isn't the only carrier raising rates on older plans, however. Earlier this week AT&T sent out messages to its users that it will be bumping up the price on its older Unlimited Elite plan next month.