Verizon iPhone Pricing Plan Details Unveiled

Written by Craig Galbraith
February 2, 2011

If you want all of the bells and whistles, the plan will set you back $110, but that includes unlimited data and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Existing Verizon Wireless subscribers will be the first to get their hands on the carriers new iPhone. The company says current customers can preorder the device Thursday, Feb. 3, and theyll receive them on or before Feb. 10, when the general public is able to start buying the popular smartphone at retail outlets.

Heres the scoop on pricing, according to the Associated Press: Basic voice with 450 minutes will set you back $40. Add another $20 for voice and unlimited texting, with those plans starting at $60; an unlimited data plan with Web and e-mail will cost you another $30/month. You can also get a Wi-Fi hotspot option for an additional $20/month, bringing the grand total to $110 if you want all of the bells and whistles.

There are a few differences between what Verizon is offering and what you can get from AT&T. The AT&T voice and text plan doesnt include unlimited texts; the hotspot is a function AT&T doesnt have; and AT&Ts data plan isnt unlimited, although the carrier believes the monthly 2GB limit is enough for most customers.

Verizon announced the unlimited data plan last week but then acknowledged it might be for a limited time only.

The cost of the Verizon iPhone itself will be the same as it is on AT&Ts network: $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB phone.

**Editor’s note: Wednesday afternoon, after Verizon’s iPhone pricing plans were introduced, AT&T made some adjustments to its data plan. The carrier says it will give some smartphone customers the option to tether their Internet connection to other mobile devices with the help of a hotspot application. AT&T also raised its data cap for data plans from 2GB to 4GB at no extra charge for those signing up for the tethering feature. It’s not officially been announced for the iPhone, but it comes as AT&T gets ready to roll out the HTC Inspire, its first 4G Android smartphone offering, on Feb. 13.