Verizon Adds Unlimited Data Option, Effective Today

Competition among US wireless providers is heating up — and that ends up working out in favor of consumers. In the past several months, T-Mobile has introduced free Gogo Wi-Fi and texting on Gogo-equipped flights, AT&T simplified its international roaming plans and now it's Verizon's turn to make a positive change.

Starting today, Verizon is offering an unlimited data plan. The plan will cost customers $80 per month for a single line with unlimited data, talking and texting — $10 more than the unlimited plan from competitor T-Mobile, $30 more than Sprint but $20 cheaper than AT&T. In order to opt-in for the unlimited plan, you must agree to AutoPay and paper-free billing. Verizon is the last of the major US wireless carriers to offer an unlimited plan — something that it's held out on offering for a long time.

AT&T offers an unlimited wireless plan, but only for customers who subscribe to pay-TV services like DirecTV or U-verse. Verizon used to offer an unlimited data option, but that was nixed back in 2012 in favor of "tiered data buckets." And, the carrier is making the option to add unlimited data for families more attainable, as unlimited data will cost $45 per line for four lines — a total of $180.

The new offering from Verizon gives travelers something to cheer about. The carrier offers a favorable international plan, charging you $10 per day in select countries for the same data allowance you have back at home. This new unlimited data plan can only prove to help travelers who tend to use more data, especially when on the road. Loading maps, finding restaurant recommendations and updating your social media accounts with pictures from your travels — traveling can prove to be extra harsh on your data usage.

H/T: USA Today