In a bid to retain customers, what carriers typically do is allow them to make upgrades to their existing devices by paying a small fee, as well as signing a new contract that will ensure that the customer will stick around for the next couple of years. However Verizon seems to have made some changes to those offers.
For starters it seems that Verizon has increased the upgrade fee for customers. What used to cost $20 is now $30. Also it seems that Verizon has decided that they no longer will offer 2-year contracts for smartphone upgrades, meaning that if you wanted to upgrade your phone and sign another 2-year contract, that option appears to be no longer available.
This was initially reported by MacRumors and subsequently confirmed by Droid-Life who reached out to their sources. So for existing customers on those contracts, once the contract is up it looks like you guys will either have to purchase a new phone outright or sign up for a device payment plan alongside an upgrade fee.
We’re not sure why Verizon has made these changes, but it has been suggested that it could be in response to T-mobile’s recent announcement which simplies the billing process for customers without any additional fees. Either way it’s something to think about if you plan on sticking with the carrier. More information can be found on Verizon’s website.
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