How to Lower Your Verizon Mobile Bill (Existing Customer Deals)

Verizon’s annual bill increases are frustrating for long-time mobile customers.

It’s safe to say that paying $5 more each month doesn’t feel like a fair “thank you” for years of loyal payments — especially when new customers can sign up with $25 off.

Thankfully, reducing the bill by $5–50 per month is possible using the deals and hacks below.

I’ve personally vetted each item to make sure it applies to both existing and grandfathered customer accounts.

First: understand why your Verizon bill increases over time

If your bill went up, it’s likely caused by one of the following:

1. Inflation: Verizon increases bills semi-annually to keep up with inflation.
2. Tax & fee changes: Verizon commonly “passes on” regulatory charges to customers in the form of fees or general plan increases. For example, the recent $1.34 bill increase for data-only plans was due to an increase in their Universal Service Fee from the FCC.
3. Overage charges: even if your plan has “Unlimited” in the name, you may be charged one-time fees if you go over the usage limits in the fine print of your plan.
4. Surcharges: There are four main surcharges that Verizon has been known to increase. They are the Regulatory Charge, Federal Universal Service Charge, State Universal Service Charge, and an Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge. See Verizon’s fees and surcharges page here.

Call and negotiate for discounts or bill credits

The simplest way to reduce a Verizon bill is to call and request a bill reduction.

While the ability to “negotiate” with Verizon reps is a myth, customer service agents are the most knowledgable about methods for reducing bills. They can’t make you a special deal, but they can point you to the best current options.

These methods can include one-time bill credits, restoring new customer discounts, or even reducing the warranty for older phones.

The key here is to make this call politely and more than once. Call center agents get no reward for reducing a customer bill. To make matters worse, they get yelled at all day. You can use this to your advantage by being “the nice caller.”

While calling to complain and threatening to cancel service has worked for some, the truth is that it is not the best approach. Being prepared and having some support for your negotiation will help your chances of getting a better monthly deal.

Here are a couple tips on what you can do to prepare yourself for negotiating a better price:

• Do the math first. Research competitors (like AT&T or T-Mobile) to see if their rates are more affordable for the plan you have or a similar plan. Ask for a price match if you find something comparable.
• Know what’s on your bill. Ask for fee reductions or discounts on the specific fees listed on your bill.
• Be specific about the price you want to pay. Refer to the price you were paying when you first became a customer or a price you’ve seen offered elsewhere for similar services. Having a clear goal makes it easier for an agent to help you.

Qualify for vocational discount programs

Verizon offers discounts on monthly bills for certain professions like military, first responders, and teachers. Here’s a quick list of who can get special discounts:

• Military and Veterans: Save up to $25 per month on all of Verizon’s Unlimited plans.
• First Responders: This includes firefighters, police, EMS, including those who volunteer or are retired as such. Immediate family members of those who have fallen during their service as a first responder are eligible as well. The discount offered is to save up to $25 per month on all of Verizon’s Unlimited plans.
• Teachers: Save up to $25 per month on all of Verizon’s Unlimited plans.
• Nurses: May save up to $25 per month with Verizon’s Unlimited plan.
• Students: College students are eligible to save up to $25 per month with Verizon’s Unlimited plan (Fios internet discount is also available).
• Employer Discounts: Some employers have group discounts deals in place with companies like Verizon. This is surprisingly common with mid-size corporate employers. Check out your company’s benefits policy or reach out to your Human Resources department to see if this is an option for you.

The main drawback of vocational and employer discounts is that applying the discount to existing customer bills can be tricky. In some cases, you’ll have to re-sign up to get the deal.

Switch to a Verizon-network MVNO plan

A Mobile Virtual Network Operator is simply referred to as an MVNO. These companies don’t own their own towers, but provide similar service at a more attractive cost.

There are over a dozen budget mobile providers that operate on the Verizon Network, including Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, and Visible.

Something to keep in mind if you chose to switch to an MVNO is that Verizon may deprioritize the traffic from them in order to better serve their direct customers.

Here is a list of four MVNO carriers who are on Verizon’s network:

• Visible (by Verizon)

  Visible has a basic unlimited talk, text and data plan starting at $30 per month. This plan includes 5G nationwide and 4G LTE coverage.

• Red Pocket Mobile

  What makes Red Pocket mobile service unique is that it is not just on Verizon’s network, but it is also on AT&T’s and T-mobile’s as well. There is a basic 5G unlimited talk, text and data plan starting at just $20 per month.

• Xfinity Mobile

  Xfinity Mobile has an unlimited plan option that starts at just $30 per line. This plan includes 5G nationwide and 4G LTE coverage. The only caveat with Xfinity Mobile is that these deals are only available to Xfinity internet customers.

• Spectrum Mobile

  Spectrum Mobile has a basic unlimited data plan that starts at $29.99. This plan comes with 5G nationwide coverage. Again, the caveat to spectrum mobile deals is that they are only available to spectrum internet customers.

Request discounts in-person at Verizon authorized resellers

Verizon in-store reps can sometimes be more helpful than the general customer service line, particularly if you can go to the store where you signed up or an affiliated reseller like Best Buy.

Pro tip: Verizon sales reps at Best Buy and similar big box retailers have very different incentive programs than the sales-driven reps at Verizon stores. Big Box employees are also typically more junior and less jaded, making them more willing to help you without the commission incentive.

If it is at all convenient for you, I would recommend going to a Verizon store to speak to someone in person. By doing this, you’re increasing the pressure to satisfy your request. Plus it’s a more personal approach.

Go over details such as your phone insurance, additional lines, hotspots, etc. There may be something you can eliminate or downgrade. Express that you may be forced to cancel your plan. In my experience, something can usually be done to retain a customer, unless the customer is too unreasonable and wants an unachievable discount rate.

Configure Wi-Fi data and calls for home and work locations

Verizon’s unlimited data plan is a good value if you spend 80%+ of your time outside of home or work.

For those of us who spend most of our time at home or at work, simply connecting to Wi-Fi at both locations and enabling Wi-Fi calls can easily cut data usage in half.

This makes Verizon’s pay-by-the-Gig plans compelling, since you can pay only for data used while outside your frequent locations.

Get a $10–30 bill credit by using paperless billing

Verizon customers who enroll in automatic payments and paperless billing will receive a monthly discount. In order to get this discount, the customer must enroll in both automatic payments and paperless billing.

The discount varies depending on how many lines are on the plan. For example, a plan with two lines would receive a discount of $10 while a plan with four lines would receive a discount of $20.

Here is a better breakdown of how the discounts would work by plans and number of lines:

Also, in case you were curious, there is no additional discount for using your Verizon credit card when enrolling in automatic payments.

Qualify as a new customer

It is possible to re-qualify as a new customer, which allows you to access a special discounted mobile plan for new customers only. However, this strategy takes a minimum of five months. Therefore, it’s only suggested if you absolutely cannot change carriers long-term.

The best deal available for new customers only is the 5G Start plan. This plan offers unlimited 5G coverage for $70 for one line plus taxes and fees. Note that this price includes auto-payments and opting for paperless billing as it is $80 for one line without them.

Let’s say that you are looking for a family of four plan with four lines. The 5G Start plan would be $35 per line. Again, $45 per line without auto-payments and opting for paperless billing. You can compare various Verizon mobile plans to suit your needs.

Check out this basic table showing various options that the 5G Start plan offers:

So how long does it take to qualify as a new customer if you were to cancel your services with Version in order to claim new customer status again?

While customers on Verizon forums report re-qualifying for new customer deals after only five months, the standard time period is six months.

Re-qualifying for mobile deals is much harder than doing the same with Verizon’s internet services, since obviously the name on the account matters much more. (Not to mention, you don’t want to change phone numbers regularly.) I don’t recommend attempting to change to a spouse or family member’s name, as you might be already doing with your annual internet contract.

Get started

To get started applying these tips, visit Verizon’s billing and payment contact page to chat with a representative or arrange a call. Verizon’s billing and payment customer service department is available at 800-922-0204.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Verizon losing customers?

Verizon leases their network out to providers like Mint and Visible that appeal to low-income consumers with low-cost plans. As a result, they lose customers but retain revenue through supplying the connectivity.

Why do Verizon mobile bills go up?

Verizon mobile bills increase on a semi-annual basis. Increases are typically tracking inflation, but can include regional and national fee changes as well as the phasing-out of grandfathered plans at lower tiers.