New verizon plans - upgrade useless now?

[yh125d]

So I just converted my big family plan with 7 phones to the new Verizon plan structure. I have the same service for everything, and am saving $90ish a month or so. However, it seems like with the new structure, having an upgrade available doesn't do anything for me unless I want a new phone. For example - my own line is available for an upgrade, but I just bought a Maxx 2 off contract a few months ago. I don't want a new phone, so I have no need to use it for anything. Even if I did, it wouldn't do me any good. With the new structure there's no discount for having a device payment (used to be $40/line for access, but you got a $25 discount if you had a device payment) so if I got say a S7, I'd have a new phone but be paying $28 a month more.

No longer can I use my upgrade, get a new S7 or something for $200, then turn around and immediately sell it and continue using my Maxx 2 I'm happy with.

So I think to me on my personal line, my upgrade has no value to me. I can't turn it around for cash anyway, I can't get a monthly discount for having a device payment either. For example with the old service, I could theoretically get a new iphone SE for $16.67 a month, and then get a $25/mo discount on my line access fees so I'm net savings of 8.33/mo, plus I have a new iphone I can sell for $300 cash

Did I just screw myself over by converting before using my upgrade? I think the only possible use I could get out of it now would be to transfer my upgrade to one of my other lines who have a device payment currently to let someone else upgrade early

 

[rh71]

I don't get the whole upgrade available concept anymore either since it's no longer subsidized. Even before you converted, the upgrade was useless.

But just FYI, VZW has $100 off right now for an S7 if you upgrade a phone. I got that in addition to the buy-one-get-one free.

 

[Raduque]

But just FYI, VZW has $100 off right now for an S7 if you upgrade a phone. I got that in addition to the buy-one-get-one free.

Is this store-only? Because I'm not seeing it anywhere on the website - not even the BOGO is showing.

 

[Insomniator]

So I just converted my big family plan with 7 phones to the new Verizon plan structure. I have the same service for everything, and am saving $90ish a month or so. However, it seems like with the new structure, having an upgrade available doesn't do anything for me unless I want a new phone. For example - my own line is available for an upgrade, but I just bought a Maxx 2 off contract a few months ago. I don't want a new phone, so I have no need to use it for anything. Even if I did, it wouldn't do me any good. With the new structure there's no discount for having a device payment (used to be $40/line for access, but you got a $25 discount if you had a device payment) so if I got say a S7, I'd have a new phone but be paying $28 a month more.

No longer can I use my upgrade, get a new S7 or something for $200, then turn around and immediately sell it and continue using my Maxx 2 I'm happy with.

So I think to me on my personal line, my upgrade has no value to me. I can't turn it around for cash anyway, I can't get a monthly discount for having a device payment either. For example with the old service, I could theoretically get a new iphone SE for $16.67 a month, and then get a $25/mo discount on my line access fees so I'm net savings of 8.33/mo, plus I have a new iphone I can sell for $300 cash

Did I just screw myself over by converting before using my upgrade? I think the only possible use I could get out of it now would be to transfer my upgrade to one of my other lines who have a device payment currently to let someone else upgrade early

Wouldn't you have been stuck on a two year contract on the old plan had you upgraded? Or wouldn't they have made you convert to the new plan with the upgrade anyway?

I actually am about to go through this exact thing. I know for a while now if you upgraded you lost unlimited and get put on the new plans. I managed to get around this by upgrading via best buy (~18 months ago) and not using the new sim but I assume that loop hole closed.

Basically, if you upgraded I would think they'd force you onto the new plan with again no reason to upgrade.

 

[rh71]

Is this store-only? Because I'm not seeing it anywhere on the website - not even the BOGO is showing.

I did my purchase through their telesales. 800-775-8098. I tried online (when the BOGO was showing) and it was too complicated to do my upgrade + new line + new plan so I called. They then told me about the $100 promo since I was commenting on another [lesser] promo code I would've had if I could do it online with ebates referral - they said my code was invalid anyway. They just applied the $100 off the upgraded phone for me instead and so I did the whole thing through the phone. It's immediate so it drops the monthly installment from $28 to $23.xx. As for the BOGO, nobody knows why it doesn't show anymore, but the rep said it's still on and their rebate still applies to something like 4/16 - that's what their rebate site shows.

 

[yh125d]

Wouldn't you have been stuck on a two year contract on the old plan had you upgraded? Or wouldn't they have made you convert to the new plan with the upgrade anyway?

I actually am about to go through this exact thing. I know for a while now if you upgraded you lost unlimited and get put on the new plans. I managed to get around this by upgrading via best buy (~18 months ago) and not using the new sim but I assume that loop hole closed.

Basically, if you upgraded I would think they'd force you onto the new plan with again no reason to upgrade.

Yes I would be, but I wouldn't be concerned about that as I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. So if I could be on contract for 2 years, but get a $200 phone I could sell for 600, I'd do it.

I don't think they're forcing anyone to go to the new structure, my brother got a new phone about 9 months ago, with the old $200 subsidized setup like it used to be, and I activated a new phone (bought direct from Moto) about 5 months ago and they never tried to get me to switch. I should have gone ahead and used my upgrade then, wind up paying the same total amount for the phone, except I would have the $25/mo discount until I convert to the new plans

 

[rh71]

You're not required to go to the "Verizon Plan". For a day I was still on my old 550 min shared plan and even the new S7 was put on its own 450 minute plan (not sure how they defaulted to that). I had to call to get everything straightened out (upgraded line would not have data otherwise).