Verizon's promo is giving customers a pricey surprise
Promo credits missing, bills ballooning and no clear fix in sight.
Sometimes a promo that sounds too good to be true ends up being... well, exactly that. And right now, Verizon is catching some heat online for a recent deal that didn't go as smoothly as promised for a bunch of users.
The issue? An early upgrade promo where Verizon was supposed to cover the price difference when you upgraded to a new phone. Sounds simple enough, right? You bring in your old device, they cover the rest – done. But for some customers, things have taken a frustrating turn.
In theory, Verizon's promo credits usually show up over 1–2 billing cycles, as long as you stay on the required plan. But in these cases, apparently, the credits either didn't appear or got lost in the system somewhere.
Other users chimed in with similar issues – some eventually got their credits after multiple calls, but others are still waiting.
Some customers are being advised to go back in-store to try and get a rep to escalate the issue. But even that's not guaranteed to work quickly – it still depends on internal ticketing and whether support teams follow through.
So, what's really going on here? Glitch? Rep error? Miscommunication? Possibly all of the above. One Verizon rep even claimed it's been a known issue internally.
To be fair, Verizon's not the only carrier that's had promo drama. AT&T and T-Mobile have had their fair share, too. For example, one AT&T user recently said a recent trade-in somehow landed them with two lines and a $400+ bill. And T-Mobile's "free line" promo also sparked complaints when it turned out that the "free" part didn't apply to everyone.
The issue? An early upgrade promo where Verizon was supposed to cover the price difference when you upgraded to a new phone. Sounds simple enough, right? You bring in your old device, they cover the rest – done. But for some customers, things have taken a frustrating turn.
One Reddit user said they visited a Verizon store back in May, signed up for the deal, and were told (verbally and in writing) that they wouldn't be on the hook for any extra charges. But…
However, my bill shows a $540 charge, which was never disclosed as part of the agreement. I provided the store with my receipt showing the promotional terms. Since then, I have contacted Verizon multiple times by phone and chat. Each time, I was assured the charge would be removed, but it remains on my account and continues to accrue interest/fees.
– minivatreni, Reddit, July 2025
I'm in the same boat. I owed $240 on my old phone and took advantage of the early upgrade offer. They charged me the $240 the following month and haven't put the buyout credit back on my account yet.
– Silver-Direction9908, Reddit, July 2025
I believe this same thing happened to me. After much discussion on the phone they placed an immediate credit to refund it.
–Mysterious-Bat7856, Reddit, July 2025
Happened to me too unfortunately. Upgraded a phone and then later they told me I didn't get the credit for the upgrade even tho that's the only reason I upgraded. Had the receipt and everything but there was nothing they could do.
– Bluudream__, Reddit, July 2025
Im a rep and this has happened to countless of customer with this promotion… it is by far the shadiest thing ive seen happen in my 2 years… its been deemed a "a glitch" i had a customer who had a $350 buyout for 2 phones get charged $700 extra on their next bill… i promise you its not the rep but the system…like I said the slimiest situation ive seen in over 2 years is from this promotion and ive seen this scenario come back at least 5 times since that promotion launched.
– Think-Psychology845, Reddit, July 2025
So yeah, long story short? Always double-check the fine print, if possible, get everything in writing and don't blindly trust what a rep says – even if they sound 100% sure. Because sometimes, even with promises, getting what you paid for can be way harder than it should be. Once something hits your bill, fixing it can be a long and exhausting ride.
We've reached out to Verizon for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
We've reached out to Verizon for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
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