Why are Verizon International plans so expensive????
rcschnoor
Legend

Even though Verizon International plans aren't as ridiculously priced as they used to be, they are STILL ridiculously expensive and WAAAAAY more expensive than plans available from other US providers.

Specifically, I am referring to Project Fi by Google. I know that Google is a big company, but so is Verizon ESPECIALLY when it comes to the cellular industry. Why is Google able to get such favorable rates internationally compared to Verizon? You can't say that it is because Verizon has the best network because in Europe WE ARE NOT USING VERIZON'S NETWORK. BOTH services are simply using the available networks in Europe and quite possibly the exact same ones!!!!!

Currently I have found it less expensive to START a whole new line, PURCHASE a new phone AND pay for service to Project Fi IN ADDITION to Verizon and simply have my Verizon number forwarded to Project Fi rather than use Verizon for international use over an extended period.

I have need of international services from January thru May of this year. With Project Fi, I am able to use my normal data AT THE SAME COST as if I were in the US at the rate of $10/GB. To be able to use data at my normal rate from Verizon while in Europe, I would have to pay a fee of $10/day to do so. That comes to $300/month by using it every day. I would say THAT is ridiculously expensive!!!! Verizon's OTHER available interntional plan is a monthly plan which has monthly fee of $25/$40 and includes 100 MB. That is a WHOLE 100 MB!!! WOW, 100 MB!!!! THEN you will be charged overages of $10/$25 per 100 MB. To use 1 GB in this fashion with Verizon would cost $115($25 base fee + (9 x $10 overage fee) = $115) OR $265($40 base fee + (9 x $25 overage fee) = $265). To use 1 GB in this fashion with Project Fi would cost $1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means Verizon would charge 115 or 265 TIMES MORE for 1 GB of data with this minimal use while in Europe than Project Fi. Sounds like a no brainer which service I would choose.

Keep in mind with the lower monthly fee you have to pay $1.79/minute for ANY calling while in Europe and $0.50/$0.05 per text sent/received. With the higher monthly fee you get a WHOLE 100 MINUTES and 100 sent/unlimited received texts included with overages of $0.25/minute and $0.25/sent text. Keep in mind, I send ~1000+ texts in a month. That is a LOT of overages.

With Project Fi, you get UNLIMITED SENT/RECEIVED texts for no extra cost. ALL non-wifi calls in the country I need will be charged at $0.20/minute. Wifi calls to the US will be FREE and wifi calls within Europe will be ~$0.05/minute.

So let's compare the monthly cost between the 2 with say 1 GB of data(NOT THAT MUCH DATA) and 200 minutes of calling(non-wifi) and 300 sent texts(ONLY 10/day).

Project Fi would be $1 for data, $40(200 x $0.20 = $40) for calls and NOTHING for texts. With my $20 monthly line access fee for Project Fi, that comes to $61 for using the phone with minimal use in Europe!!!! Over 5 months that comes to $305.

Verizon would be one of the 3 different values depending on the plan you choose, you pick:

USE YOUR OWN ALLOWANCE: Let's say you only use it every other day(but how realistic is that??????) for ~$150. ~$300 if you use it every day. Of course your NORMAL VERIZON COST would be on top of that, i.e. data cost + line access fee. Over 5 months that could be up to $1500!!!!!!!

$25 MONTHLY PRICE PLAN: $25 for the base plan + $90 in data overages + $358($1.79 x 200 minutes = $358)  + $150(300 x $0.5) = $623. Of course your normal Verizon charges would be on top of that. For 5 months, that comes to OVER $3000!!!!!!!!

$40 MONTHLY PRICE PLAN: $40 for the base plan + $225 in data overages + $25(100 included minutes + (100 x $0.25 overage fee = $25)) + $50(100 included sent texts + (200 x $0.25 overage fee = $50)) = $340. Of course your normal Verizon charges would be on top of that. For 5 months that comes to OVER $1500!!!!!!!!!!

Let's summarize: Project Fi = $305 and Verizon = AT BEST $750 if you take care to only use your phone every other day and up to $3000+ with the monthly plan.

ANY WAY you choose, you cannot win when going with Verizon for service in Europe, ESPECIALLY if you have more than MINIMAL use!!!!!! Just sayin....

Of course, if you can find some mistakes in my calculations, PLEASE point them out!!!!Smiley Happy I would be MORE than happy to re-evaluate.Smiley Happy

Like I said previously, I can PURCHASE A FULL RETAIL COST Nexus 6P AND pay for service to Project Fi AND US service to Verizon with my Verizon number forwarded to Project Fi while STILL paying less over the long haul!!!!!! AND I get a pretty nice phone in the package which CAN be used on Verizon if I so choose!!!!!

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Re: Why are Verizon International plans so expensive????
rcschnoor
Legend

For what it is worth, I am CURRENTLY paying for Verizon service on 3 lines(I currently have 1 line suspended for 90 days) AND I am paying for 1 line on Project Fi CURRENTLY being used in Europe with GREAT service.

Calls/texts/data being used with no curtailment in the normal amount of usage. I chose to suspend 1 Verizon line for 90 days instead of having the number forwarded and simply notified my contacts of the new number.

When this phone returns from Europe, I would have to seriously consider switching the rest of the lines over to Project Fi if the Sprint/T-Mobile networks had the same footprint as Verizon does in the US. In Europe, though, when not using the Verizon network it is a NO BRAINER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Why are Verizon International plans so expensive????
rcschnoor
Legend

rcschnoor wrote:

To use 1 GB in this fashion with Project Fi would cost $1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mistake, forgot a zero there and it would cost $10 on Project Fi. It would be $1 for 100 MB.

rcschnoor wrote:

Project Fi would be $1 for data, $40(200 x $0.20 = $40) for calls and NOTHING for texts. With my $20 monthly line access fee for Project Fi, that comes to $61 for using the phone with minimal use in Europe!!!! Over 5 months that comes to $305.

That would change the above calculations to $10 for data, $40 for calls and NOTHING for texts for a monthly cost of $70 with the $20 line access fee and $350 over 5 months. My apologies.

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