Safety Mode will soon be free for all Verizon data plans

By Lulu Chang September 2, 2016

verizon plans explained store — Image used with permission by copyright holder

We stopped paying late fees on movie rentals years ago (though we also stopped paying for movie rentals), so it only makes sense that we stop paying overage fees on our data plans, right? If you ask Verizon that question any time before September 6, the answer would be “no.” But beginning next week, the carrier will finally, finally stop charging you for exceeding your data limit.

It’s being done in the form of an improvement upon Safety Mode, a feature announced back in July, which allows customers to continue accessing the internet at extremely slow speeds of 128kbps after they’ve run out of data. The issue was that you actually had to pay to get Safety Mode — $5 a month for most plans.

But don’t worry, now it’s free. Because you really shouldn’t be paying for 128kbps in the 21st century.

It’s something that both T-Mobile and Sprint have been doing for quite some time, and even smaller carriers like Cricket Wireless provide the reduced speed option to save you from paying extra. So it’s about time Verizon hopped on board.

Sure, Safety Mode won’t really let you do all that much with your smartphone if you’re not Wi-Fi connected. After all, browsing the internet will become a painful experience, and even using apps might get frustrating. But at least you won’t have to worry about being charged for using more data than you were allotted, and in a real emergency, you’ll be able to access the web (though you’ll have to be wildly patient).

Of course, if you’re not into the idea of using extra slow internet around the end of month when your data is running low, Verizon still gives you the option of paying overage fees for normal LTE coverage. But be warned, you better really want to get online, or just have a lot of money to blow, because you’ll be charged $15 for every single extra gigabyte you use.

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