Verizon prepaid smartphones now official

Verizon today pledged itself to taking prepaid seriously with new prepaid plans for smartphones. The rates give full voice and data but the option of switching access on or off at any time. Many of the plans are potentially ideal for those who only need a phone for some of the year or who don't want to pay as much as $350 for leaving a contract, even temporarily.

The device selection includes virtually all of Verizon's important smartphones, including ones that it no longer sells. Original Droid, Droid Eris and Droid Devour owners qualify alongside newer Android phones like the Droid 2, Droid X, Droid Incredible and LG Ally. All current BlackBerries count alongside the original Curve, Storm and Tour, and owners of Palm's Pre Plus or Pixi Plus also qualify.

A handful of regular 3G media phones count as well, dominated mostly by LG's current enV and Chocolate lines as well as the Samsung Alias 2 and Renown, the Nokia Twist and the Casio Exilim.

All the voice rates carry a $5 premium over their subscription counterparts and start at $45 for 450 minutes of voice-only use and scale up to $95 for unlimited voice and texting. Both media phones and smartphones require data, which costs the usual $10 extra per month for the simpler devices and $30 for smartphones. The changes should take full effect September 28.

Prepaid smartphone use is extremely rare in the US, as carriers have often made it clear they prefer to lock customers into long-term contracts and make guaranteed revenue. The practice is more common in Europe as far fewer customers opt into contracts in the area.

By Electronista Staff