Verizon is apparently planning to change its upgrade fees come next week, introducing new options on April 4.
Big Red customers may not be too happy about the new changes, however, as at least some of them are bound to stir some controversy. For instance, Verizon currently doesn't charge a fee when you upgrade by purchasing a new phone at full retail price, but that's about to change.
After the new changes take effect, the carrier will reportedly charge $20 for upgrading, even if you buy the new smartphone through Verizon at full retail price. Moreover, Big Red will also charge a $20 upgrade fee when you purchase a phone on its Device Payment Plan, but there's a twist here.
The Verizon Device Payment Plan allows customers to get a new phone on a monthly installment plan and pay for the device over the course of 24 months. With the new upgrade fees, Verizon will reportedly charge $20 if customers on that installment plan decide to upgrade to a new device after 12 months.
At the same time, upgrading your Verizon iPhone via Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program will require another $20 upgrade fee.
The news comes from Phone Arena, which received a screenshot of what looks like an internal memo from one of its readers. The screenshot also shows that the $40 upgrade fee for customers locked on two-year contracts still applies. Those who bring their devices to Verizon's network, meanwhile, will apparently do away with no fee.
This new upgrade fee scheme is unconfirmed at this point, but it does sound like something Verizon would do and other carriers may soon follow suit. It's best to take this news with a grain of salt until Big Red makes a formal announcement, but it might also be a good idea to take these alleged upgrade fees into account if you're planning to upgrade, just in case this report turns out to be accurate.
With this in mind, if you were already mulling an upgrade to a new phone on Verizon, you might want to see it through before April 4, when the new upgrade fees are expected to go into effect. Either way, we'll let you know as soon as Verizon makes it official (if it does.)
