As a US carrier expert, here's why I wouldn't sign up for Verizon's new Simplicity plan

Verizon recently unveiled its new budget-oriented Simplicity plan, alongside its new One bundle. Both plans have been well received, but it’s the budget plan that is making the most waves.

I get the appeal. Verizon Simplicity is cheaper than just about any other postpaid plan out there, its terms are easier to understand, and you don’t need a bunch of lines to get a good price here.

If you’re going to stick with postpaid Verizon service, this is a no-brainer over MyPlan Welcome and, in some cases, even higher-tier plans. You lose a few things, but you’ll typically pay less overall unless you are bringing tons of lines when you join.

As much as I find this easy to recommend for existing Verizon customers, what if you’re coming from a prepaid plan or another postpaid carrier? That’s where the Verizon Simplicity plan starts to show its cracks.

The very real downsides to Verizon Simplicity

The big carriers have gotten pretty good at hyping new plans without shining the light on very real flaws, and the Verizon Simplicity plan is no different.

First, it’s important to understand that this plan doesn’t offer free phones or other subsidized offers; you either pay full price outright or sign up for a 36-month payment plan. Even worse, when you switch to Simplicity, you’ll instantly lose all existing account credits that might apply to your current device. For those with free phones, that means you’ll have to pay the remaining balance out of pocket.

There are also no multi-line discounts, so Verizon’s Unlimited Welcome plan is actually cheaper at $25/month per line for four people. Want better subsidized phone offers, 30GB of hotspot access, and a few other higher-end perks? Unlimited Plus offers all that for just $5 more per line for customers with four or more lines.

Verizon’s marketing efforts so far have also conveniently left off the fact that video is capped at 720p unless you pay $10 a month for a 4K add-on. In fact, Verizon relies heavily on add-ons for those who run into missing features they want back. For example, you’ll typically have to pay extra for Travel Pass days that many mid-range and higher Verizon plans previously included for free.

Verizon also has Simplicity Plus and Pro add-ons for $35 and $50 more a month, respectively.  These plans are designed to replace the older phone promos. Simply put, it lets you get any phone on an installment plan and gives you a monthly credit that covers the phone cost indefinitely, with the option to upgrade annually. The cheaper package covers phones priced between $350 and $850, while Pro ups the device limit to a max of $1,300.

One catch here is that you have to cancel this feature manually; even if you pay off an existing device, Verizon will keep charging you long after your phone is paid off. This is true even if you never bother with the annual free upgrade. For those following along, that means you’ll likely end up paying much more for devices in the long term, but with the convenience of upgrading at your annual whim.

Beyond the phone credit, Simplicity Plus also gives you free visual voicemail, a travel pass day per month, and one Global Choice country that you can specify for free calling. The more expensive plan bumps this up to two free travel pass days per month.

Now let’s talk about that excellent $30 price point that’s being advertised. There is a small catch: you need to act fast.

Verizon makes it clear this is an “initial promotion”, which means that it may eventually stop offering this discounted price to new customers, but will lock you in long-term as long as you don’t switch away from the plan. Those who miss the window here will have to pay $45 a month (including the autopay discount). It’s also worth noting that, like all Verizon plans, taxes and fees aren’t included in the advertised price, so expect an additional $5-$8 per line in fees.

Additionally, this $30 asking price requires you to either port an existing number from almost any existing prepaid or postpaid carrier, as long as it’s not a Verizon-based carrier. Those who aren’t porting can still get in on the action by uploading a bill, but this method is limited to prepaid plans on AT&T or T-Mobile’s networks, such as AT&T Prepaid, Metro, and Cricket.

Verizon’s Simplicity is a genius move, but not necessarily for consumers

Verizon Simplicity now takes center stage on Verizon’s site, making it hard to even find the myPlan options without diving deep. It’s clear Verizon is betting big on a new, non-subsidized “add-on”- heavy model. If it goes well, I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually replaces myPlan altogether. Of course, that’s just speculation for now.

The new Simplicity plan is genius, I won’t pretend it isn’t. People love the idea of getting more for less, and the plan has been engineered to sound great. What it doesn’t expect people to notice is that you’re basically locking into either paying full price for every phone or monthly add-in payments indefinitely. It doesn’t want you to notice that you have to pay extra to get back Visual voicemail, higher-than-720p streaming, and more.

As the name implies, Verizon Simplicity looks simple and affordable. For many, that’s all they’ll need to know, and then they’ll drown in the fine print. For Verizon, this not only poses a major new challenge for AT&T and T-Mobile, but also makes it appear as if Verizon is “the only reasonable option”.

This is basically what T-Mobile did during the pre-Sprint Legere days. You hype people up so they don’t notice as quickly when you start going for the knife. For T-Mobile, the backstabbing moment was its eventual undoing of all its Un-Carrier moments over the last few years. For Verizon, it doesn’t need to pull out the rug here. It wants to keep you locked into add-ons that sound great but cost you more in the long run. Same idea, different approach.

It’s also clear that Verizon sees this new plan not only as a way to spice up postpaid competition, but also as a way to win over prepaid customers who have been turned off by the big three.

Simplicity can be a good deal for some, but prepaid is still better

Even with the Switcher’s discount, Verizon’s new Simplicity plan will still likely cost $2-3 more per month than a single line of Visible Plus, and yet you’d get better international coverage, as well as unlimited hotspot access that’s still faster than Verizon’s 1Mbps cap after the first 10GB of use. You’d also get HD quality video. Prioritization and access to Verizon’s network would be about the same.

You can save even more by going with an annual prepaid plan. For example, Verizon’s own Visible is currently just $31.50 a month if paid annually, and that’s with taxes included. This might not look like a good deal pitted against Verizon Simplicity, until you remember that this isn’t your usual postpaid plan.

Unless you’re paying an extra $30 to $55 a month in upgrades, you’re not getting a free or subsidized phone with Verizon Simplicity. While you typically won’t find as many free phone deals in the prepaid world, they still happen from time to time. The big prepaid brands are also well known for subsidizing prices below what you’d pay for an unlocked model. Verizon might not lock you into contracts, but it’s still typically easier to switch to prepaid.

At the end of the day, as a Verizon customer who has just a few months left on his device plan, I don’t see much benefit here. I’d have to pay $45 per month since I wouldn’t get the switcher’s discount, which would be a lot more than I’d pay if I went the prepaid route. I also don’t trust Verizon or any of the big players anymore.

Still, if I were to stick with a postpaid carrier in 2026 and beyond? Verizon would likely be it, but being the least overpriced option only gets you so far when your entire future is uncertain. And at least at the moment, Verizon’s future is as uncertain as it gets.