Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

If you’re switching to Verizon and still on contract, you’d better have some cash

verizon early termination fee
Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
Making the switch from one carrier to another used to be a money-laden affair, but U.S. carriers have done a better job of minimizing the blow by offering financial incentives to make the switch. However, don’t count Verizon as such a carrier, reports FierceWireless.

Apple Offer: Trade up to a new iPhone for as low as $10 a month

Confirmed by a Verizon spokesperson, Big Red will no longer pay up to $650 in early termination fees (ETFs). The now-defunct promotion, which Verizon launched last December, gave customers up to $300 in credit when trading in their smartphones, as well as up to $350 for the ETF you might need to pay your current carrier. If you weren’t on a two-year contract and instead were on a device payment plan, Verizon would pay up to $650 toward your remaining balance.

Considering how big of a promotion Verizon made its ETF payment out to be, this is an interesting step for Big Red to take. Verizon could very well bring the promotion back to life sometime in the near future, though we will note that T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T still offer their own ETF promotions to would-be customers on other carriers.

For the time being, however, customers will have to be satisfied with up to $300 in credit for those who trade in their current smartphones and decide to buy and activate a new line of service with Verizon. In addition, Big Red will hand out 2GB of free data to its customers who use Android Pay, Google’s mobile payment service in the same vein as Apple Pay. More specifically, 1GB of free data will be added to the next two billing cycles if you use Android Pay twice, with an additional gigabyte of data for those who use the service a third time. The latter promotion expires on June 14, with customers having until July 13 to use the extra data.

Editors' Recommendations

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Apple’s new iPad Pro keyboard is a bigger deal than you think
iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.

A fresh crop of iPads is here, and this time around, Apple pulled out all the stops. The new models feature an OLED display, new Pro apps, the thinnest chassis ever, and a next-gen M-processor that has yet to appear elsewhere save for the new iPad Pros. Starting at $999, Apple is charging quite some premium for its new slates. But what truly stood out to me was the new Magic Keyboard — and for multiple reasons.

This one has a full row of function keys and a dedicated escape button. For a device that wants to compete with a laptop, the lack of an escape key was quite a bummer, as was the lack of quick-control function keys. Heck, the Magic Keyboard for the base iPad got that perk, so it was an overdue tweak for the flagship iPadss.

Read more
How to watch Google I/O 2024
A Google logo sign at the top of a building.

We are quickly approaching Google I/O 2024, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 14, in Mountain View, California. The keynote address will be available for live-streaming, meaning you can watch it from the comfort of your own home.

But what time does I/O begin? What are we expecting? Here's what you need to know!
How to watch Google I/O 2024
It’s time to I/O

Read more
Best Google Pixel 8 deals: Get the latest Pixel for free
The Google Pixel 8 on a table showing the screen.

We consider the Google Pixel 8 to be one of the best phones on the market, and find it to be one of the better value phones you’ll come across. This is in part because it has a wide range of features and in part because it almost always makes for some of the best phone deals you can shop. Right now there are a number of ways to save on a Google Pixel 8. They’re spread across various retailers and carriers, so we’ve done the heavy lifting of rounding up the best Google Pixel 8 deals below. If you’re looking for some great value but aren’t sold on a Pixel 8, you can also take a look at the current Samsung Galaxy S24 deals and iPhone 15 deals, as well as previous generations such as Samsung Galaxy S23 deals and iPhone 14 deals.
Today's best Google Pixel 8 deals
There are some great Google Pixel 8 deals around including direct discounts when you buy the phone unlocked and trade-in deals for anyone who wants to commit to a specific cell phone provider. With such versatility, there should be something for everyone here. Take a look below to find the best Google Pixel 8 deal for your situation.

Google:
Amazon: , which is $220 less than a new model.
Verizon: with an eligible trade-in over 36 months.
T-Mobile: with a new line of service and a Go5G Plus or Go5G Next rate plan.
Spectrum:

Read more