How Good is Verizon’s New Loyalty Program?

New reward programs: Verizon Dollars and Verizon Shine

Starting Tuesday, June 16, Verizon is rolling out two new rewards programs. The first gives customers 3% back in Verizon Dollars every month. They can spend that on devices and accessories, or redeem at five times the value on big brands like Starbucks, Marriott, TJ Maxx, and Sephora.

Verizon Shine (say it out loud to see what they did there) is a weekly sweepstakes program with new drops every Monday.

“Verizon customers on any plan can enter weekly for a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences, alongside daily drops including tickets to concerts and sporting events, exclusive merchandise, dining vouchers, gift cards and more,” according to a press release about the program.

Verizon Shine also offers daily rewards, with perks like free Starbucks coffee, free treats from Dunkin’ Donuts, a free hour at Topgolf, and free gift cards to Ulta.

Any Verizon customer is eligible, but they have to enroll in the My Verizon app.

How the rewards compare to T-Mobile Tuesdays

If you ask us, Verizon’s new loyalty programs look a lot like T-Mobile Tuesdays, where customers can get perks like $5 movie tickets, free 7-Eleven slurpees, savings on Shell gasoline, and coupons for things like KFC chicken nuggets. There are sweepstakes, too, like the “trip of a lifetime” with Delta and Hilton.

The 10-year-old program is available with most T-Mobile plans (including T-Mobile home internet plans). You can even get it on budget plans from Metro by T-Mobile. You can access it through the T-Life app (which is now the only way to manage your account).

T-Mobile Tuesdays has a decade of proof behind it, but Verizon Shine is brand new and still has something to prove. If you’re already on Verizon, enroll through the My Verizon app and see if the 3% cash back moves the needle.

But if you’re shopping for a new plan, don’t let either rewards program be the reason you decide. Quality coverage is going to be a much bigger factor in your daily experience than cash back and coupons at limited retailers.

Verizon’s new cheap mobile plans

As part of the Dr. Evil ad campaign, Verizon is rolling out a few new mobile and home internet bundles that compete with some of the cheapest plans you’ll find anywhere.

The Simplicity Plan: Starting at $45 per month (with a promo offer of just $30 per month), this plan gets you access to Verizon’s best 5G network—5G Ultra Wideband—plus 10GB of premium mobile hotspot data, roaming in Canada and Mexico, and satellite texting. If you don’t want to use your old phone, you can pay extra for yearly upgrades on Simplicity Plus or Simplicity Pro.

For a little more, you can add streaming or traveler’s bundles. Then, if you live in a Verizon Fios or Verizon 5G Home Internet service area, you can add a plan for an extra $35 per month.

In keeping with the “Simplicity” name, the price per line is the same no matter how many lines of service you have on your account.

How the new plan compares to Verizon’s premium plans

Verizon’s premium plans are still available, but they come with confusing price changes based on how many lines you have. Only the most expensive plan includes 5G Ultra Wideband with Enhanced Video Calling and Streaming access.

Here’s a quick look at all the mobile-only plan options now available from Verizon:

Compared to plans from other mobile companies, you don’t get a certain amount of high-speed data every month. Instead, you get access to certain tiers of the network based on which plan you choose.

How the new Verizon plans compare to budget prepaid options

These prices are closer to some of the best budget plans from mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), but you’ll still pay a premium for brand-name service through Verizon. If you don’t use much data at all, you can pay as little as $8 or $10 per month for service from Tello or US Mobile.

You can even get in on the Verizon network, though you’ll get deprioritized relative to all the other traffic on the network. Among Verizon MVNOs, the cheapest plans are TracFone’s Basic 1GB, which costs about a third of the new Simplicity plan. If you need unlimited data, you could go with Visible’s base plan starting at $25 per month.

It’s less than you’ll pay with Verizon, but we love that Verizon includes taxes and fees in its advertised pricing. When it says $30 per month, you’ll actually pay just $30 (at least until the promotion expires).

My take: Start with home internet service

These big companies really want you to bundle your mobile phone service with their home internet service, and it makes sense for a lot of families. But our phones are connected to Wi-Fi most of the time anyway, so you should start by shopping for a great home internet provider. That’s the best way to get fast, reliable speeds at affordable prices.

From there, you can decide whether bundling makes sense. Unfortunately, contrary to what Verizon says, that’s still a complicated and messy process. You have to think about coverage where you live, how much data you use, whether you need new devices, and whether any of the perks from big mobile companies are worth it.

Plans disclaimers