Is Verizon's New $30 Simplicity Plan Too Good To Be True?

Verizon might not be the phone carrier that leads in customer satisfaction, but it's certainly trying to appeal to customers with its recently announced $30 Simplicity plan. As the name implies, this new Verizon plan aims to be easy and affordable. For a flat rate of $30/month per line for new customers, the Simplicity plan includes unlimited 5G ultra wideband data, unlimited talk and text, international roaming, satellite texting, 10 GB of mobile hotspot data, call filtering, Verizon Family savings, monthly Verizon Dollars cash back rewards, and discounts on smartwatch and tablet service. 

If all of this sounds too good to be true, you might be surprised — for the most part, it isn't. If you look at the phone carriers with the best cheap plans, you'll see that some offer perks like unlimited talk and text with 5 GB of monthly data for as little as $15/month. Verizon's rate isn't exactly jaw-dropping by comparison, but it comes across as reasonable when you factor in the extra perks and the carrier's award-winning wireless network. The only real catch is that new customers who qualify for a switcher discount get to enjoy the $30/month rate, but existing customers have to pay at least $45/month per line for the Simplicity plan.

Simplicity is Verizon's new standard plan, but comparing it to the carrier's existing myPlan options isn't straightforward, as myPlan offerings range in price depending on how many lines you add. The Unlimited Ultimate myPlan is $85 per month, while Unlimited Plus is $70 and Unlimited Welcome is $55. Prices decline as you add more lines, dropping to $55, $40, or $25, respectively, for four lines. Simplicity costs $30 (new customers) or $45 (existing customers) per month, regardless of the number of lines on the account. Note that new customer pricing expires after 36 months.

Simplicity's cheaper price comes with trade-offs. The Ultimate and Plus myPlan offerings have unlimited max-speed data, whereas Simplicity offers 500 GB uncapped each month, after which speeds are slowed to 4 Mbps. Hotspot access is more limited with the new plan, as is international roaming. Elsewhere, videos stream at up to 720p on Simplicity while comparable myPlan options offer 4K max resolution.

Comparable plans from AT&T and T-Mobile more closely mirror Verizon's older myPlan pricing structure that incentivizes the addition of more lines. AT&T's Extra 2.0 plan is most comparable in terms of features and undercuts Verizon's existing-customer Simplicity price when adding four lines ($40 versus $45/month per line), but balloons up to $70/month for a single line. Similarly, T-Mobile's Essentials plan is $30/month per line for four lines and $60/month for a single line. Notably, Simplicity has the edge over both in monthly limits on uncapped data speeds, offering 500 GB compared to 100 GB (AT&T) and 50 GB (T-Mobile).

Ultimately, Verizon's new Simplicity plan makes its strongest case with individuals. But considering Verizon's rank among the most reliable phone carriers, it could also be a compelling option for families.