Verizon is refreshing. On Wednesday, the carrier introduced a slew of new deals ranging from extending its discounted streaming perks program to its home Internet users and a new guaranteed trade-in offer for wireless users. To mark the start of the new era, the carrier launched a general brand overhaul with a new logo as well.
Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon’s Consumer Group, today likens purchasing Internet and home entertainment services to visiting a “bazaar” in India or a “spice market in Istanbul.”
“It’s complicated, it’s frustrating… and we said this is the time for us to break through,” Sampath told CNET.
Much like its myPlan offering for its wireless users, Verizon will now allow its home internet users to add benefits like streaming services for $10 per month per benefit to its home internet service.
Learn more: Our picks for the best Verizon wireless plan
Called myHome, the new offering can provide decent savings on the Disney plan (Disney Plus without ads, Hulu with ads, and ESPN Plus, previously $19 per month), Netflix plan, and Max (normally $17 per month). it’s purchased separately) and Walmart Plus (normally $13 per month and includes Paramount Plus Essentials). So if you select all three items above, you’ll save $19 per month and get access to six streaming services.
There are no contracts for any of the benefits and, like the wireless version, users can add or remove them at any time.
“You don’t want streaming, you want to stop it after Yellowstone season five, stop Paramount after season five, you don’t have to buy it,” he said. “You want to add it when season six starts up again? You can do that, we support it every day.”
There’s also an option for YouTube Premium (normally $14 per month), and Verizon says it plans to add more options to its myHome benefits pool in the future, with discounts on Apple One and Apple Music Family — both already available to wireless customers — expected to arrive for home internet users “later this summer.”
The operator also plans to add an option for users to subscribe to YouTube TV and its cable-like option Fios TV through this system, although neither will receive a discount at launch.
The operator says extending its benefits program to its residential Internet customers will open it up to more than 67 million homes across the country. The benefits program is available to new and existing subscribers of the company’s Fios, 5G Home or LTE Home services, regardless of the internet speed or plan they have.
Offering streaming perks seems to be the latest trend among home broadband providers. As part of its new rights deal with Disney signed last year, Charter now offers Disney Plus and ESPN Plus in some of its TV options. Comcast has started offering a StreamSaver plan that bundles subscriptions to Netflix (with ads), Apple TV Plus, and Peacock Premium (with ads) for $15 per month for its Internet users.
Verizon appears to be following suit, hoping that by being the home of streaming services it will anchor itself more centrally to its users’ lives. Switching to another home broadband provider would also force customers to forgo streaming discounts, possibly negating some of the savings a user could achieve by switching to a new internet service.
“The key word is flexibility,” Sampath said. “Choose all, choose none, choose one, we agree.”
A new logo
A new “V” replaces Verizon’s long-standing checkmark.
In addition to expanding the benefits offered to its home internet users, the operator is also rolling out a new logo and plans to refresh its stores over the next two years. The company is ditching its long-standing red check mark in favor of a new red V.
The carrier hopes the new logo will be more modern and recognizable. The goal, said Leslie Berland, Verizon’s new chief marketing officer, is to keep people aware of the carrier’s impact on their lives.
“We’re seen as sort of a telecommunications company, but we’re really a life insurance company,” she said.
“Whether you’re at home, on the road, traveling or at work, Verizon is there. So there was this opportunity that we identified, and we see it as a major opportunity for the company, which is for enabling the brand to better reflect everything the company is about in the way people live, work and play.”
According to Berland, the company’s long-standing brand “spoke about reliability, but it also became something that was seen as transactional.” The new V is less of a “generic symbol” and could be more identifiable by the carrier.
The new Verizon logo will make its presence felt in marketing, advertising and in the company’s products and stores.
A new phone upgrade promise
As in the past, Verizon continues to seek to entice users to new devices and upgrade to its latest plans (and the accompanying 36-month terms that bind you to the carrier; otherwise, you risk abandoning offers).
The carrier is once again offering its best device deals for those who upgrade to the carrier or its most expensive Unlimited Ultimate plan, but it’s also making a new pitch for those on other plans: They’ll benefit of guaranteed trade-in value for their device for that long. as they are on any of its myPlan options.
The carrier says it accepts any Apple, Samsung or Google phone under these terms, even if their batteries don’t last long or their screens are cracked. For those on its most expensive Ultimate plan, that means up to $830 off a new iPhone or $800 off a Samsung or Google phone with trade-in, while Plus users will get $415 off an iPhone and $400 off a Samsung or Google device.
Those on its cheapest welcome plan will get $200 off a new Apple, Google, or Samsung phone with trade-in. It’s worth noting that trade-in money is traditionally distributed in bill credits over 36 months, and if you leave the carrier before the new device is paid off, you’ll be responsible for what’s still owed and may lose the remaining credits.
“Accidents happen in life. They happen,” Sampath said. “Don’t worry. Your phone is worth more at Verizon.”
While Verizon has offered “any device, any condition” several times in the past as part of a limited-time offer, Sampath said this is the “new platform.” form” for the operator.
“It’s extremely valuable to the customer,” he said. “We know how to do it operationally…anyone could have done it, there’s nothing magical about it other than we’re doing it.” But we know how to make this work operationally. And it’s a longer-term platform for us. »
Taking on T-Mobile with a new Access program
Finally, Verizon seems ready to take on T-Mobile’s loyalty program with a new overhaul of its Up offering. Now called Verizon Access, the new program can be found in the My Verizon app and will include new presales, freebies, discounts and offers for Verizon customers.
The company says it will offer discounts at stores like Fanatics and services like Fandango, as well as concert presales and giveaways that include free tickets to NFL games (including the weekend’s opener). end in Brazil and the Super Bowl), “movie premieres on the red carpet,” fast-track queues at select theaters as well as pre-sale access to concerts like the singer’s upcoming Jelly Roll tour.
“It’s a very exclusive thing,” Sampath said, adding that “we’re not giving you free pretzels or $3 off Little Caesars Pizza,” both perks offered by T-Mobile as part of its loyalty T-Mobile Tuesdays.
The program will be available to all Verizon users, whether they are home or wireless. As with the myPlan and myHome discount programs, Verizon aims to get exclusive deals. Sampath noted that discount deals at Hilton hotels, with T-Mobile included in its Magenta Status loyalty program, are something you can get with other services like AARP or AAA.
“These are premium experiences that customers want (and) you can’t get anywhere else,” Sampath said.