Legacy Phone Plans: What You Need to Know

By Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

We’ve all been there: You found a phone plan that you’re reasonably happy with, and then suddenly your carrier changes it all up with new offerings. The good news is that carriers typically don’t force consumers to change phone plans every time they update their options. There are a few reasons for this. The most obvious reason is customer retention. A carrier would rather you stay with an older plan than jump ship entirely. There are also legal reasons why your older plan may be protected.

Unfortunately, in the current economy, carriers are doing whatever they can to encourage users to move to another 5G plan. In this guide, we explain what a grandfathered phone plan is and how each carrier currently handles its legacy plans. Beyond this, we’ll also take a look at which carrier does the best job here and if there are any worthwhile alternatives to explore. What is a grandfathered cell phone plan? The concept of grandfathering traces its roots back to post-Civil War America, where many lawmakers enacted voting restrictions on former Confederates. However, exceptions were made for those whose grandfathers had full voting rights before the war. Upon further investigation, I found that while there are legal arguments for the concept of grandfathering in the United States, it’s not necessarily endorsed by the FTC or any other government body.

There are provisions in place to prevent a company from abruptly altering any agreed-upon promises made to a consumer. This is precisely why carriers require you to sign their terms of agreement. This legal document not only details what the plan offers but typically includes a clause stating that the carrier can modify terms on legacy plans no longer offered by the company. The exact wording, of course, may vary.

The bottom line is carriers aren’t legally obligated to keep legacy plans the same as they were when you signed up, as long as the terms and conditions clearly state the carrier has the right to make changes over time. That said, making frequent changes to plans could potentially anger consumers and might even lead to class-action lawsuits for bad business practices.

Ultimately, grandfathered plans allow carriers to provide you with time to adjust, but you shouldn’t assume that you will always have access to these legacy plans without modifications, such as price increases or changes to the network, including the phasing out of older technologies like 3G. This is precisely what we’re observing from carriers now, as they increase prices or attempt to move consumers to newer plans without their express consent. Let’s take a closer look at how each carrier is currently managing its legacy unlimited phone plans. Verizon

By Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Verizon won’t force you to change your grandfathered phone plan anytime soon, but it clearly wants to encourage you to switch voluntarily by driving up the prices. Historically, Verizon has raised grandfathered pricing before, though it is usually a rare move. Not so much anymore. In 2023 alone, Verizon increased the pricing of legacy plans twice: first, by adding a $2 per month ‘Plan Rate Adjustment’ fee to older plans in June, and then again with a $3 to $5 increase, depending on the plan, in August. Unsurprisingly, legacy Verizon subscribers did not take well to the price hikes. To make matters worse, Verizon revealed in early 2024 that it wasn’t done raising prices yet. Starting March 1, 2024, customers on select older unlimited mobile plans will see an increase of $4 per line.

Are Verizon legacy plans still worth it over the current tier? Are these grandfathered plans still worth keeping in 2024? It depends on the specific legacy plan in question. Currently, when signing up for a new Verizon plan, you can choose from three different MyPlan options, with prices ranging from $65 to $90 per line. Discounts are available for multi-user accounts. These plans offer similar access to LTE and 5G networks as the legacy More plans, but they include virtually no perks. However, you have the option to purchase perks, often bundled, for $10 each. The bundles include Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix/Max, an Apple One perk, and many more. You can learn more about the perks and plans in our Verizon plans guide.

Considering the vast array of legacy plans, and given that most Verizon legacy subscribers are on an older More plan, let’s compare the most basic and most expensive MyPlan options to their similar legacy counterparts. Please note that the pricing for the legacy plans reflects the upcoming March increase:

Start Unlimited (After March 2024)

myPlan Unlimited Welcome

myPlan Unlimited Ultimate

Get More Unlimited

Price per line

Start Unlimited (After March 2024): $79 for one line, $69 for two lines, $54 for three lines, $44 for four lines, $39 for five lines