Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- As of January 20, Verizon Value–branded prepaid phones require 365 days of active service before they can be unlocked (previously 60 days after full purchase).
- The change is a result of a previous FCC decision to remove enforcement on Verizon’s previous 60-day lock policy.
- This will largely make prepaid phones a less appealing deal than before, as you won’t be able to leave as easily for another compatible network.
Last week, the FCC officially scrapped an earlier arrangement with Verizon that had required Verizon-locked phones to be unlocked in just 60-days after full purchase. When this was announced, I knew what this meant for me and many others: many prepaid phones would now become much worse deals than ever before.
How does Verizon’s change impact the prepaid market? We’ll get to that shortly, but first, some important background is needed.