Verizon drops prices, but there's a catch by Kim Komando

Verizon has been the number-one cell service provider for a while now, but AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have cut prices and upgraded packages recently to try and steal that title. Now, Verizon has responded by reducing its data charges to attract new customers and stop current users from switching to its competitors.

The mega cell phone provider is knocking $10 a month off the data bill for MORE Everything customers that have plans that include 1 GB, 2GB, 3GB or 4 GB of data month. Current Verizon customers can choose to keep their current data limit and lower their monthly bill or keep the existing charges and receive an extra gigabyte of data every month.

So someone with a 2GB plan is currently paying $50/month. If they take the free data option, their data plan jumps to 3GB for the same price. Or they can elect to stick with the 2GB and see their data bill drop 20% to $40/month.

Verizon is offering better discounts to Edge customers, too. Users can now receive a $15 discount every month on plans with 4GB of data or less. Customers that have plans with 6GB of data or more will receive a $25 discount every month.

This announcement is welcome news for Verizon customers, but these savings won't happen automatically for existing customers. If you are a current Verizon MORE Everything customer, you'll have to do a little leg work to take advantage of this new deal.

A rep for Verizon confirms to that current Verizon subscribers will not be automatically opted into either of these choices and must let the company know — either by calling customer service or through the Verizon website — when the changes kick in after Feb. 5.

Making the changes online is your easiest option, so you're not stuck on hold waiting to speak to a customer service representative. To change your plan online, just log in to your Verizon Wireless account and select the "Change Minutes, Text or Data" option underneath the Manage My Account tab. From there, you can select to keep your current data allowance for $10 less a month or receive more data for the price you're paying now.

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