Verizon’s Shared Data Is A Bad Deal

We all know the era of the unlimited mobile data plan is coming to an end. Only one national carrier offers new customers an unlimited option, and the tiered pricing plans we’ve seen over the last few months have been something of a shock for top power users. Until now, there’s been one small hope on the horizon, and that comes in the form of shared family data plans that let users share their data pool across devices. Instead of paying for data for each member of the family, and more to add a tablet or WiFi hotspot, we hope to see all our data treated the same, no matter what device we use to consume it.

Yesterday, Verizon showed us exactly what that will look like, at least for one carrier. Unfortunately, the Share Everything Plan is not at all what we hoped for.

First, the good news. You can share your data plan across up to 10 devices. You get free wireless tethering on smartphones. And you get unlimited talk and text.

The pricing plan is split into two parts. You pay one fixed amount per device, and then another amount based on how much data you want to buy. To connect a tablet to your plan costs just $10. A mobile hotspot, laptop, or USB modem costs $20. Basic phones cost $30, and smartphones are $40.

Already, I find this method disturbing. Presumably, this is the part of the plan where you pay for your talk and text, but why does a smartphone cost more than a basic phone here? It’s not like my phone calls cost Verizon more when I use a smarter device. And don’t even get me started on data-only devices, like tablets and hotspots. Where exactly is Verizon’s costs on those outside the data plan? Do they think people will start making phone calls on their iPads?

On top of the per-device costs, users will also have to pay for their data usage. The lowest-tier plan gives only 1 GB of data. The price? A whopping $50! Plans top out at $100 for 10 GB, and you can add more in 2 GB chunks for $15. These prices are insane. Verizon just went from $30 for 2 GB or $50 for 5 GB on one line to $50 for 1 GB shared. Like it costs them extra for us to share our plans across devices.

The pricing is even worse if you currently make the most out of an unlimited 4G data connection. While a mythical me that sticks to 2 – 3 GB a month would save $10 on this plan, actual me that uses 20 GB would be charged an extra $120 a month on this plan. That price jump nearly doubles my family plan’s price. Think I’m an exception? Wait a year or two and see what happens when more people start streaming HD video to their mobile devices on a regular basis.

But the good news is, I get unlimited talk and text that I don’t use. Hooray! I guess I buy my phones off contract from now on.

I’ll keep my unlimited data until they pry it from my cold dead hands.