I was really excited when I first heard carriers were working on shared data plans but Verizon’s new “Shared Everything” plan has me wary. There are some nice perks like no longer getting charged extra to use a phone as a mobile hotspot and throwing in unlimited voice and messaging. The thing is it seems like Verizon still wants to fleece customers by charging them a different price for the up to 10 devices you can add to a shared plan.
To hook up a smartphone it will cost you $40 compared to a basic phone at $30. Jetpacks/USBs/notebooks/netbooks will cost you $20 and tablets are $10 extra. You then have to fork over $50 for 1GB of shared data then it goes up to 2GB for $60, 4GB for $70, and 6GB for $80. New customers will be forced to use the new plans when they go into effect on June 28th though old customers do not have to change plans. There is the possibility to save some money but some customers may end up paying more for less.
Check out all the details in the press release or try their online tool at www.verizonwireless.com/ShareEverything.
