Visible Wireless tests "Inner Circle" as a near-family plan alternative
Early testers get a first look at a plan that could reshape Visible’s pricing strategy.
Visible, Verizon's budget-focused prepaid brand, is trying out something new that could bring it closer to offering a family plan. The feature, called "Visible Inner Circle," appeared in a Reddit announcement offering early access. The sign-up window has already closed, suggesting only a limited number of people were able to join this test.
The company shared limited details, including that Inner Circle would allow multiple (existing) accounts to be linked together. Additionally, these would have a shared discount of $5 a month.This would be a big change for Visible, which has always kept things simple with single-line, no-contract service offering unlimited talk, text, and data.
This is what the company shared are the benefits of this plan:
- Save $5/mo on the Visible+ or Visible+ Pro plans, as long as you don't have competing service promotions.
- Choose to pay for, or be paid for by others in your Inner Circle. Not interested in either? Then you can just sit back and enjoy your Inner Circle discount (if applicable).
- Maintain complete control of your account and plan.
- Rest assured, your account information is highly limited to others in your Inner Circle.
- Choose to pay for, or be paid for by others in your Inner Circle. Not interested in either? Then you can just sit back and enjoy your Inner Circle discount (if applicable).
- Maintain complete control of your account and plan.
- Rest assured, your account information is highly limited to others in your Inner Circle.
How this fits in the prepaid market
Group or family plans are a proven way for carriers to keep customers for longer and encourage people to add more lines. Other prepaid providers, like Mint Mobile and Cricket Wireless, already give notable discounts for multiple lines. Mint's multi-month deals can lower costs to under $20 per line, while Cricket offers up to $100 in monthly savings when four lines share an account.
Visible has tried something similar before. Its "Party Pay" program allowed customers to group up with others, even if they weren't family, to lower their bills. However, Party Pay was shut down in 2022, leaving only standard single-line pricing. Inner Circle appears to be the first real replacement for that idea, though it's not yet clear how it will work.
Potential benefits and drawbacks
If Inner Circle can keep Visible's straightforward approach while adding multi-line flexibility, it could appeal to families or groups looking for a low-cost way to get Verizon's coverage. The challenge will be keeping the service simple while adding more features. Visible's popularity has always been tied to its clear pricing, no hidden fees, and unlimited data without complicated plan tiers.
Adding multi-line support also means more work on the backend. Managing shared billing, permissions, and multiple accounts requires more infrastructure, which can be tricky for a prepaid service. This test run will likely help Visible figure out if it can scale the idea without adding complexity that customers don't want.
For people who want budget pricing and reliable coverage, Inner Circle could be worth watching. It may help Visible compete more directly with other prepaid brands that already reward customers for adding lines. But if the benefits are small or the savings don't match competitors, it could struggle to stand out.
For now, only early testers know exactly how it works. If Visible decides to expand the program, it could be one of the brand's biggest plan changes in years.
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