While cell phones are a necessity these days, paying the bill every month isn't something we typically celebrate. With that said, many of us try to save where we can, taking advantage of discounts via paperless billing or settling for a plan with fewer bells and whistles. One way many of us save (and avoid forgetting to pay) is by opting to have the money withdrawn from our bank account via autopay. Verizon is one company that has offered its customers a $10 discount when they sign up for autopay, but now, the provider is slashing that rate by 50 percent.
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In an email to customers this afternoon, Verizon announced that it will "continue to offer Auto Pay benefits," but the $10 monthly discount will be reduced to $5 as of Oct. 10.
"We are committed to bringing you our best network and services. Our focus on ongoing innovation enables us to give our customers the best, the email reads. "To ensure we deliver premium experiences and offers, sometimes we need to make adjustments."
Verizon noted that no other prices or benefits are changing as of right now. On its "Auto Pay discount reduction" FAQ page, it also outlines the affected plans, which include Play More Unlimited, Do More Unlimited, Get More Unlimited; Play More Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband, Do More Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband, Get More Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband; 5G Start, 5G Play More, 5G Do More, 5G Get More; Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, Above Unlimited; and 55+ Unlimited Plan, New Verizon Plan Unlimited
Shortly after the email hit inboxes, customers took to social media to call Verizon out.
"Verizon has a lot of nerve. What do you mean you’re lowering the autopay feature from $10 to $5? Service has been slower than ever, there’s more dead spots in places that used to have 5G. This isn’t premium service, this is TRASH," a user wrote on X.
Another added, "So Verizon is lowering the autopay discount for the phone lines all these companies trying to take away perks that have been unchanged for years with nothing to compensate."
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Yet another customer said they might even change providers as a result.
"@Verizon is so greedy they're changing the autopsy discount. I think I might switch now," they wrote.
If you still want the $10 discount, Verizon's email notes that you can switch to a myPlan plan.
"Customers always have the option of moving to newer options, like myPlan, where they’ll keep their full monthly AutoPay discount for every line they switch," a Verizon spokesperson said in an email to Best Life.
They added that "myPlan gives customers the power of choice," allowing them to "choose the Unlimited plan that works for their needs and customize it with a variety of perks."
Still, you may want to do the math on what you're paying now versus what a switch will cost—and determine whether it will be more or less than what you're paying now.
Verizon notes that you don't need to take any action if you don't want to switch to myPlan. Per the FAQ page, the change will show up on your bill under "Plan," showing the decreased Auto Pay and paper-free billing discount amount.
