Verizon unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its consumer offerings, scrapping activation and upgrade fees alongside launching two new plans designed to cut through what the US operator described as years of industry complexity and friction.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman stated the industry has for too long burdened customers with complex plans and forced upgrades when announcing the new offerings and loyalty programme.
“We’re fundamentally reshaping Verizon inside and out to put the customer at the centre of everything we do,” he stated. “We’re listening, designing for them, and moving faster than we ever have before.”
The $40 activation fee, which Verizon raised from $35 as recently as last August, and the $40 upgrade fee charged when switching to a new device are both being eliminated.
However, customers will need to sign up for Verizon’s new free loyalty programme to benefit from the fee removal. The programme draws obvious comparisons to T-Mobile Tuesdays, which has been in operation for a decade.
The loyalty programme, which is rolling out this week, has two components. Verizon Dollars kicks back 3% of a customer’s bill in a currency redeemable for devices, accessories or partner rewards including Sephora, Hilton, Marriott and Starbucks.
The second element, Verizon Shine, offers weekly prize draws for experiences including tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final with David Beckham and a trip to Australia for the NFL’s first game there, alongside daily drops of lower-value benefits such as free Starbucks coffee and Amazon gift cards.
Verizon simplicity The centrepiece of the announcement is Verizon Simplicity, priced at $45 per line with a promotional rate of $30 for switchers. Every Simplicity customer receives full access to Verizon’s 5G network with no upcharge, along with 10GB of mobile hotspot, roaming in Canada and Mexico and satellite texting.
Customers can add optional bundles and two upgrade tiers, Simplicity Plus at $35 extra per month and Simplicity Pro at $50, though the plan excludes multiple-line discounts and customers with remaining device trade-in credits would forfeit them by switching.
Also launching is Verizon One, a combined home and mobile plan priced at $70 a month with taxes and fees included, aimed at new customers only. The bundle pairs either a 500 Mb/s Fios fibre connection or 5G Home fixed wireless service with an unlimited 5G wireless plan, though hotspot use is not included.
The US operator is promoting the changes through an ad campaign featuring Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers films. In a video, Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil proposes to further confuse consumers through his “menace mobile” plans, which are shot down by members of his team in favour of Verizon’s new offerings.
The moves come after Verizon reported its first increase in post-paid subscriptions since 2013 in Q1 with 55,000 net additions.
Verizon is launching a new Simplicity plan that starts at $30 / month for new customers, or $45 / month for existing ones. In its announcement, Verizon says the plan drops activation and upgrade fees, while offering one flat price for each line.
The $30 price for new customers is an "initial promotional offer" that applies after enabling autopay and taking advantage of a discount for switching carriers, according to Verizon. But before customers can ditch Verizon's $40 fee to activate or upgrade a device, they'll need to opt in to the carrier's new loyalty program through the My Verizon app. The loyalty program comes with a new Verizon Doll …
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman (pictured) doubled down on messaging around the widespread impact of AI on the workforce, tipping the technology to replace “a large percentage” of work handled by customer service representatives.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Schulman said AI would cause “disruption in certain job functions” but pointed to customer care as an area where the technology could be applied quickly and effectively.
In his view, the technology could be used to handle simple customer queries, including recovering a lost password or checking a billing amount. For more complex requests, Schulman said human employees and AI agents would work together.
Schulman also cited AI’s role in network security, telling Bloomberg Verizon does “a lot for the critical infrastructure of the US” and that AI tools would help the company “protect it”.
The chief highlighted Verizon’s efforts to deploy AI as part of a wider push to improve customer experience and sharpen the company’s performance. He added the operator would not raise prices without delivering value to customers, stating: “Anybody can compete on price… It’s about competing on other parts of the value proposition, where you can actually differentiate yourself.”
Verizon introduced promotions and service guarantees last year to combat customer fatigue and better compete with rivals including AT&T and T-Mobile US.
Big, bureaucratic company In April, Schulman urged fellow leaders to be open with employees about the impact AI would have on workforces, telling the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the technology will reshape the company and that “being realistic, telling the truth, as best you can, is essential”. Last year, the operator scrapped more than 13,000 jobs, subsequently setting aside $20 million to help reskill employees for the AI era.
According to Schulman around 7,000 employees have already applied for the trainings, which include teaching staff effective prompt writing and AI agent creation. He added he is “spending a lot of time down in DC” speaking with government officials about responsible AI use.
Beyond technology, the CEO also suggested internal culture remains part of the challenge. “Verizon is a big, bureaucratic company,” he said. “It loves its processes. It loves to show its work. But I’m about outcome and how fast can we move the company forward.”
He explained it had taken time to steer Verizon towards a more innovative approach, adding he wants the company to be less risk averse in order to better serve customers.
Verizon finalised the purchase of spectrum licences from the infrastructure company comprised of the remnants of UScellular not included in the sale of the bulk of its wireless assets to T-Mobile US.
The buy from Array Digital Infrastructure signs-off a deal struck back in October 2024. It was cleared by the US Federal Communications Commission on 14 May 2026.
Approving the deal the regulator endorsed Verizon’s view the buy would help the operator provide “a better overall experience to its customers” including by enhancing rural and indoor coverage in the parts of the country the assets cover.
In addition to the sale to Verizon, Array divested $168 million of assets to T-Mobile last month and completed a $1 billion deal with AT&T for other spectrum licences in January 2026.
Array noted the latest moves “further the objective” announced in May 2024 “to opportunistically monetise remaining spectrum following the sale of the T-Mobile wireless operation”.
Its president and CEO Anthony Carlson said the company had made “significant progress in our spectrum monetisation efforts and are pleased with the value realised in this sale”.
Array owns and operates shared wireless communications infrastructure in the US, including more 4,400 cell towers across the country.
In December, the company inked a partnership with Verizon which saw the latter sign-up to use its towers to strengthen its 5G network.
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