Verizon Refurbishes Prepaid Plans, Adds Rollover Data

There’s some good news for folks using Verizon prepaid plans. Big Red unveiled a new set of offerings for prepaid customers that add a bit more flexibility for those on a budget, but the highlight that seems most enticing is a rollover feature for data.

Known as the AllSet plans, consumers can choose options that start at just $35, and with Bridge Data, users can add additional data on top of the base plan. A base plan gets you 500MB, and from there you can either bump up to 1GB or 3GB of data. VZW’s 500MB of data will expire after 30 days if not used up. Both the 1GB and 3GB data package options have a much longer shelf life before expiring, set at 90 days, but unused data travels from cycle to cycle until that expiration date comes up.

The downside to all of these options is that prepaid customers do not have access to the company’s 4G LTE network, even if their handset supports it, so that’s something to consider.

After adding up the numbers, the AllSet plans are still a little bit on the steep side. Unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of Verizon 3G data still runs about $55, but only if you’re enrolled in auto-pay. It’s slightly higher if you’re not.

Despite the math, the main advantage of prepaid plans is the combination of freedom and control that they offer. With a prepaid plan, you're not locked into a multi-year plan with a set number of minutes per month during specific calling times, additional charges if you exceed the limit and a costly fee if you break the contract.

For the heavy text sender, data user and chatty person, prepaid is probably more expensive than going with a locked-in deal. But prepaid plans work well for parents of teenagers, the occasional mobile phone user, short-term users, trial users, or young adults who otherwise don’t have the credit history to obtain a contractual plan.

Prepaid plans have expiring minutes, unexpected fees, limited features and a phone number that cannot move with you from phone to phone. While Verizon’s new plans offer slightly better options for the prepaid types, there is still little left to be desired in a data-hungry society.

Even, still BridgeData is a step in a better direction for prepaid fans or the luddite in your family who still isn’t sure of these mobile devices, or maybe it’s perfect for that person who just can’t get down with always being “on.”