We walk you through how to double your data allowance with Verizon, if you are on a metered handset data plan.
This how-to guide is for users that have a metered data plan; Verizon is offering you a one-time opportunity to double your data plan for the same price per month!
That means if you have a 2GB, $30/month data plan, you now get 4 GB. All other plans, all the way up to the 10GB/month data plan will also double. Read more to find out how to lock this in, step-by-step.
The first thing you’ll need, is to upgrade to a 4G smartphone. Obviously, if you have an iPhone 4, 4S, or any other 3G device, you have to make a change of devices. It appears that you cannot downgrade to a 3G device again, or you will lose the double data. So, the first step is to upgrade a 4G device.
If you are not eligible for upgrade, you can purchase a 4G LTE CPO phone with a contract reset, at a discounted price.
Next, you need to activate the 4G LTE smartphone. If you purchase an LTE phone aftermarket, from a place like Craigslist, simply take it to a Verizon Wireless store, and they will activate it with a new LTE SIM Card, free of charge.
Now, you’ll need to register for My Verizon. If you already have done this, you can skip this step.
Next, log in to My Verizon. You can do this from the VerizonWireless.com home page. Navigate to Change Features (it’s located under the I Want To… header, in the second column). Once you hit Change Features, you should see all the data plan options you had when you signed up for service… except with double the data quotas.
Finally, select the plan you would like (they are now double the data, after all), and then click Next at the bottom of the page. Accept the plan change review, and you’re all set. You should have double the metered data which you had previously. Congratulations, you’ve now doubled your data quota for free!
One final note, this change will not reset your contract date, unless you are renewing your contract with a device purchase. The plan change itself will not affect your contract date or your handset upgrade eligibility date.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help! Sound off in the comments and we’ll walk you through it.
Is this a glitch, or some kind of promotion? Does anybody know if/when it’s going to end? Does it work with discounts also?
Sadly this doesn’t seem to work with datacards. Didn’t expect it to since it wasn’t mentioned, but I was hoping!
Is a phone upgrade necessary or does this work for current LTE customers as well?
We’ve received reports from readers that have had their phone for more than 14 days, have been able to lock this offer in online.
The letter of the policy is that you have to upgrade devices within the past 14 days.
However, Verizon did not say that you had to upgrade with a new contract. Theoretically, any device swap, even bought aftermarket, could be considered a device upgrade, even from a phone like a Thunderbolt to a Droid Charge bought on Craigslist.
Verizon has left this pretty open-ended, and we suspect it is because Verizon is getting hit hard by their paltry new data plans, which are clearly overpriced. Even at double the data rate, it’s hard to recommend Verizon at this point unless there are no other 4G or good-coverage providers in your area.
We don’t see Verizon shooting down a lot of customers on this one, especially if you can argue you complied with the policy by upgrading devices… albeit, sans contract.