Still grandfathered into a Verizon unlimited data plan? We have some bad news: Your bill is about to go up by $20 per month.
The rate increase is slated to go into effect on Nov. 15 for those who are still on the old unlimited data plan but not under contract with the carrier, according to Engadget. Those currently under contract with unlimited data, meanwhile, will see the rate increase until their two-year agreement is up for renewal.
"These changes will allow Verizon to continue to maintain the highest standards of network performance for all our customers," the carrier told Engadget. "And it's worth noting that Verizon does not manage the data connection speeds (often called throttling) for its customers — including those who have kept or plan to keep their unlimited data plans."
Verizon stopped offering unlimited data plans to new customers in 2011. A year later, it required those who were upgrading service to ditch unlimited, so at this point, less than 1 percent of Verizon customers are on unlimited data plans.
With the price hike, unlimited data plans will jump from $29.99 to $49.99 a month. That, of course, does not include the cost of voice service and text messaging. Verizon says many customers can save money by switching to a monthly plan with a data limit.
Note that the rate increase also won't affect government or corporate accounts with unlimited data.
The move comes after Sprint recently announced similar plans to increase the cost of unlimited data by $10 a month on Oct. 16. After that date, the cost of Sprint's unlimited plan, which includes talk and text as well as data, will go up to $70 a month.