Verizon Wireless is ridiculously expensive. There, I said it, now let’s move on with life and find some ways to lower your monthly Verizon bill. Ways that won’t require much work on your end, which if you’re like me, are some of the best ways to save some cash. Let’s do this…

Go With a Verizon Pre-Paid Plan

Are you even aware that Verizon offers a pre-paid smartphone plan?

I wasn’t until recently and I’m here to tell ya that it can save you a bunch of money.

Plus, there’s no activation fee and NO contract required.

You can either buy one of their phones, or bring your own.

Here’s how their 3 pre-paid plans (Auto pay required) currently breakdown:

• $35/month – Unlimited U.S. talk and text, 6 GB high speed data, mobile hotspot. Cheapest plan you’ll find with Verizon.
• $45/month – Unlimited U.S. talk and text, mobile hotspot, 16 GB of data. Most popular. $5/month less than their similar unlimited plan.
• $65/month – Unlimited Data, talk and text to U.S., Mexico, and Canada, mobile hotspot.

All three of these plans are solid options.

See Also: Lower Your Bill with DishNetwork, DIRECTV, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast

Deal Only With an Authorized Verizon Retailer

I recently read something that really surprised me about Verizon.

Apparently their customer service reps and corporate store employees get paid a commission when they talk you into raising your data plan.

To fight this, you’ll want to ONLY deal with authorized Verizon retailers, also known as Verizon premium retailers, as they don’t make a cent from upgrading your GBs.

Instead, they only recommend a data plan upgrade if it makes sense for you and your situation.

A couple of the more visited authorized Verizon retailers in my town include Costco and Best Buy.

On a personal note, my wife has always had a very good experience dealing with the Verizon reps at our Costco and it’s the only place she’ll visit when she needs to talk to someone about her account.

She absolutely hates going to the Verizon store as the employees have always blown her off and been quite rude because she has a lot of questions BUT was not a big spender.

A combination they apparently have very little time or patience for. Visit here to find all the local authorized retailers in your area.

So the takeaway here is to visit an authorized retailer and ask for their help to get your bill lowered.

Since they aren’t getting paid to raise your bill, they’re much more likely to tell you about ways to save some money each month.

The truth of the matter is that Verizon always has new promotions and specials and it’s often hard to understand them and keep them straight.

So let them help you and have them explain your options.

See Also: Are You a Teacher? Go Get the Verizon Teacher Discount and Save

Find a Cheaper Alternative That Uses Verizon Towers

Did you know that there are some cell providers who “buy space”, at a big discount, on Verizon’s network of cell towers?

These no-contract providers make for fantastic alternatives to Verizon as they’ll save you a bunch of money every month.

They use the same exact cell towers that Verizon customers use.

So if you’re concerned about switching to a new provider, and then not getting the same coverage you’re currently getting with Verizon, worry no more.

Here are the up-and-coming discount providers that access Verizon cell towers.

• Page Plus Cellular: By far their best value is the $39.95/mo plan that scores you unlimited talk and text along with 3GB of data at 4G LTE (2G thereafter).
• Straight Talk Wireless: Their most popular plan costs $45/month and gets you unlimited talk, text, and 5GB monthly data at 4G speed (2G after you use 5GB).
• Tracfone: Check out their $35 a month plan which gets you 750 talk minutes, 100 texts, and 1 GB of data.
• TotalWireless: Available through their website and at Walmart, they have a killer $35/month plan which offers unlimited talk and text and 5GB of data.

The biggest complaint that usually surfaces with these companies is a lack of customer service.

But if you can put up with that, and have even the slightest knack for tech, you should be just fine and save big in the process.

Have you had any success with any of these discount providers? Let me know in the comments section.

Check for Employer Discounts

Many workers across the country are eligible for a monthly discount from Verizon. This is especially true with teachers, military/vets, corporate workers, and many state worker.

My wife is a teacher at a public school and she gets a flat 15% taken off her Verizon bill each and every month.

All you have to do to get your discount is verify your employment with Verizon. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to take proof of your employment, pay stub, job contract, or something similar, to an actual Verizon store location.

I’ve tried to do it online but it’s a total pain in the butt and ended up not working.

So I ended up just visiting our local Verizon and they hooked us up with a 15% monthly discount.

Here’s the online form if you want to give it a try and get more info.

Move Your Plan Down a Notch

Let’s face it, the most expensive item on your Verizon bill is always gonna be your data package.

Be sure you analyze just how much data you use every month and see if you can cut-back and survive.

Verizon has a pretty decent deal that gives you 2GB of data, with unlimited talk/text, for just $35 a month.

If you’re worried about those summer or vacation months when you tend to suck up more data, just pay the incremental fee for more data and you’ll still come out way ahead at the end of the year.

Ask the Reader: Are you sick and tired of paying a ridiculous amount of money each month to Verizon? I think it’s officially time to lower your Verizon bill or move on to a company that can.

Happy savings.

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)