Verizon myPlan review: sounds awesome on paper, so what’s the catch?

Verizon’s “myPlan” isn’t new but, just like what it offers, the plan has kept changing and evolving over the years to meet the company’s current demands. Nevertheless, myPlan remains one of the more interesting options on the market today.

Verizon unveiled myPlan on May 18, 2023. The premise is simple, you build a custom plan of your own where you add “perks” that you want and ignore those that you don’t, saving you from paying for unneeded extras while letting you subscribe to certain services at more attractive prices.

However, myPlan is also a lot more expensive if you sign up for fewer than four lines, making it a much more lucrative offering for families.

The three tiers of Verizon myPlan

If you opt for myPlan, you can choose from three tiers:

• Unlimited Welcome
• Unlimited Plus
• Unlimited Ultimate

The three tiers are best suited if you’re getting at least four lines, where the pricing becomes as follows:

• Welcome: $27.50 per line
• Plus: $42.50 per line
• Ultimate: $57.50 per line

So what sets these tiers apart?

Unlimited Welcome provides you with basic unlimited talk, text, and data on Verizon’s standard 5G network. Hotspot data is not included and video streaming is limited to only 480p. In addition, subscribers have reported slower performance in crowded areas, as the plan gets lower priority when encountering congestion.

Unlimited Plus, on the other hand, provides you with access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband, which gets significantly higher bandwidth. In addition, you also get 30 GB of hotspot data and video streaming goes up to 720p on 5G and 4G and up to 4K on 5G Ultra Wideband. The Plus tier also gives you up to 50 percent off on an eligible connected-device plan.

Unlimited Ultimate gives you 1080p video streaming on 5G and 4G which can go up to 4K on 5G Ultra Wideband. You also get 200 GB of hotspot data and 15 GB of high-speed data abroad in addition to unlimited talk and text in over 210 countries as well as international calling with Verizon’s Global Choice. The Ultimate tier gives you up to 50 percent off on two eligible connected-device plans alongside Verizon Family Plus and Identity Secure.

It’s worth noting that once you exceed the hotspot data limits you will be capped at much lower speeds for the remainder of the month.

What sets myPlan apart?

The whole gimmick around which myPlan is centered is that users can choose and drop specific perks that Verizon is offering. These perks are as follows:

• Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (with ads) for $12 a month, saving $9.99 a month
• Netflix and HBO Max (with ads) for $13 a month, saving $6.98 a month
• Apple One for $17 a month, saving $4.95 a month
• Apple Music Family for $13 a month, saving $6.99 a month
• YouTube Premium for $12 a month, saving $3.99 a month
• Fox One for $15 a month, saving $4.99 a month
• Verizon Family Plus for $10 a month, saving $4.99 a month
• Mobile Hotspot for $10 a month, saving $30 a month
• 3 TravelPass Days for $10 a month, saving $26 a month
• Unlimited Cloud Storage for $10 a month, saving $3.99 a month
• Google AI Pro for $10 a month, with six months for free
• And Second Number for $10 a month, saving $5 a month

The perks are designed to help you save money compared to the retail prices of these services. Verizon also offers ways to merge existing subscriptions to any of these services with the relevant myPlan perk.

So, what’s the catch?

There are a handful of aspects of Verizon’s myPlan that you need to take into consideration. For example, the prices listed above do not take into account any taxes and fees. If you opt out of Auto Pay, each line will cost an additional $10 per month.

Also, the prices mentioned above are valid for the $10 a month credit that Verizon will give you. This credit will expire after 36 months and the pricing per line will go up to $30, $45, and $60 for the Welcome, Plus, and Ultimate tiers respectively for plans with four lines or more.

The fewer the lines, the higher still this pricing continues to rise. In addition, Verizon has said that customers who switch to or enroll in myPlan after June 16 of this year will not receive the previously marketed three-year price guarantee.

Another thing worth mentioning is that, while Unlimited Ultimate drops down to 6 Mbps after the initial 200 GB of hotspot data are used up, Unlimited Plus doesn’t fare nearly as well. The Plus tier, after its 30 GB of hotspot data, gets throttled at only 3 Mbps on 5G Ultra Wideband and 600 Kbps on 5G and 4G, which is practically unusable in today’s world.

Another, more human downside of myPlan is that customers might end up signing up for services that they didn’t use in the first place but thought looked too good to pass up at these prices. Monthly bills can creep up when users fall into this trap.

Should you get Verizon’s myPlan?

As mentioned previously, myPlan becomes a much better deal when you’re getting it for a family. One line could be on the Unlimited Welcome tier while another is on the Unlimited Ultimate. Perks and bundles can also be shared with much more noticeable price savings.

If you’re an individual or aren’t looking to get at least three lines, then myPlan really isn’t worth it, in my opinion. Not to worry, though, because there are excellent alternatives on the market, with the best one also being an offering from Verizon itself.

Alternatives to myPlan

The best alternative to myPlan that you could go for, in my opinion, is Verizon’s Simplicity plan. Simplicity is much newer than myPlan and it offers a lot of good reasons to switch, including:

• It starts at $30 for eligible customers
• 500 GB of data on 5G, with 5G Ultra Wideband access
• 10 GB of hotspot data

But most importantly of all, you can also pick and choose perks and bundles for Verizon Simplicity. Simplicity basically stole myPlan’s thunder and is now marketed as the default go-to for switching to Verizon.

Verizon Simplicity makes a lot more sense if you’re not looking to get multiple lines or if hotspot data limits aren’t that important to you. You’ll end up paying less and still remain on Verizon’s network. Speaking of Verizon’s network…

Another excellent but somewhat limited alternative would be the Visible Base plan at $25, though the Visible+ plan at $35 is also a very strong contender. Both of these prices are inclusive of taxes and fees, so that’s a great start.

You get unlimited data, still on Verizon’s network, and unlimited hotspot capped at up to 10 Mbps. Visible Base limits streaming to just 480p while Visible+ allows up to 1080p and even higher. Also worth noting is that the Visible Base plan gets noticeably lower priority when networks are congested.

Lastly, T-Mobile’s Experience More and Experience Beyond, while more expensive at $85 and $100 a month respectively (for now), also bundle certain streaming services. You get 60 GB or 250 GB of hotspot data on More and Beyond respectively, international high-speed data, T-Satellite with Experience Beyond, high-priority thresholds, and more.

Sounds awesome on paper, but it’s not for everyone

Verizon’s myPlan launched with a pretty fun idea but it has long since been overtaken by other alternatives, especially the company’s own Simplicity plan. Nevertheless, myPlan can still be a smart choice if you’re looking to get four lines or more.

With the perks and bundles that you can add, you can genuinely save a lot of money across four lines. But if you’re just looking for something for yourself, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

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