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You're now overpaying for your grandfathered Verizon unlimited data plan

Bad news for those on Verizon who held out with their old contracts so they could "grandfather" in unlimited data.

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Verizon will add $20 to your monthly bill starting in November, according to CNET's Roger Cheng.

If you want, you could keep getting unlimited data at the $20 hike, but is it worth it?

Unlimited data used to cost Verizon customers $30, so now they're being charged $50. Add a fairly typical "450 talk-and-text plan" that costs $59.99 (450 minutes/450 texts), and you're paying about $110 per month.

An advertisement for Verizon is seen at Times Square in New York, May 12, 2015.  REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Advertisement for Verizon is seen at Times Square in New York Thomson Reuters

There are a few valid reasons why someone would want to keep unlimited data.

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You might be waiting for a future period when smartphone apps and services use so much data that it's worth holding out and keeping the old unlimited data plan. You might think that, eventually, people will be paying more than you are for limited data when that day comes.

But that's not the case. Verizon will make you pay as much, if not more, as everyone else, no matter what. They can increase your monthly bill, even if you have an old grandfathered plan. There's no law against it.

But if you stream so much music and so many movies that you already exceed the data limits of Verizon's existing plans? If that's the case, and you'd rather do that stuff than save some money, then you should stick to your grandfathered unlimited data plan. You are the exception.

For the rest of us? Now that you know that Verizon won't let you slip by with a grandfathered unlimited data plan without coughing up more cash, you need to reassess how much data you really need and save some money.

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Let's take Verizon's $60/month 6GB data plan, and let's say you got a 64GB iPhone 6S for $31.24/month until you pay off its full price over two years. That's $96.24 a month, until you pay off the iPhone over two years, at which point your bill drops to just $60/month.

That's almost certainly less than what you're paying for your grandfathered unlimited data plan, which is likely exceeding $100/month. And your monthly bill doesn't reduce when you've paid off your phone's full price, either. 

And 6GB is a lot of data. Most folks need just 2GB or 3GB of data each month, and that's pushing it.

Check how much data you use per month on your phone of your Verizon account. If you use less than 6GB, sign up for Verizon's 6GB plan and save some money.

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If you want unlimited data, you're going to need to switch over to T-Mobile or Sprint.

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