Summary
- T-Mobile made big moves with the Mint Mobile and US Cellular acquisitions, but faces backlash for recent price hikes.
- Verizon counters with Ultimate Phone Upgrade, offering the best prices for plans and devices with trade-ins.
- Subscribers can now save 30% on YouTube Premium with Verizon, and get access to Peacock streaming service soon.
It looks like the competition in the cellular space is starting to heat up again, with T-Mobile making some bold moves lately, with its completed acquisition of Mint Mobile, and now, its latest announcement that it’s buying a chunk of US Cellular. With that said, the brand has also come under fire, thanks to an announcement that it would actually be increasing prices for many of its subscribers.
Verizon Wireless: Everything you need to know
The company history and other details explained
Of course, Verizon was quick to take advantage of this blunder, announcing some changes of its own with its new Ultimate Phone Upgrade promotion, set to begin on May 30. Perhaps what makes this event unique is that it will not only apply to new subscribers, but current and existing subscribers will be able to take advantage of it as well, which is a big change from past promotions.
What is the Ultimate Phone Upgrade really?
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Now, while this all sounds well and good, there aren’t a lot of details in Verizon’s press release with regard to what subscribers can expect going forward. As far as what is known or described so far, subscribers will be offered the best prices for plans and devices with eligible trade ins. It’s also clear that Verizon will be less picky about the devices that are traded in, allowing those interested to trade in devices with defective screens, batteries and more.
However, perhaps the most important is that the brand is offering a “guarantee” that they’ll have the best pricing. Of course, we’ll just have to wait and see what kinds of promotions arrive on May 30, as this could be an interesting way to get new subscribers, along with old ones to upgrade their plans. In addition to the above, Verizon is also now offering subscribers the chance to save even more by adding YouTube Premium as part of its myPlan perks.
Subscribers will gain access to an exclusive discount that will knock 30% off, dropping the price to just $10 a month. While YouTube Premium can be pretty pricey, and we wish there was a cheaper alternative, this is the best pricing you’re going to find for now. Naturally, you do get some great features by subscribing to Premium, like ad-free video content and the ability to download videos to devices so you can watch offline when necessary.
A YouTube Premium account also provides access to YouTube Music, which means access to millions of songs. Furthermore, NBC’s Peacock streaming service will also be joining Verizon’s +play content hub in June, which means, you’ll soon be able to manage and pay for service using your Verizon account. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see exactly how good the Ultimate Phone Upgrade is going to be. Could this be the start of Verizon’s “Un-carrier” movement?
