Verizon Wireless Review

Note: We receive a commission for purchases made through the links on this site. Our sponsors, however, do not influence our editorial content in any way.

It’s no secret that Verizon reigns king in the mobile phone provider world, most because it has the largest and fastest coverage area of any of the current providers. Verizon, however, can tend to be more expensive than some of the other providers, depending on your needs.

How Does Verizon Mobile Work

It’s pretty easy to get set up on Verizon. If you have an existing phone that you would like to use, and it works with Verizon, you can either activate your phone online or bring it in to a Verizon store to have them activate it. If you need a new phone, you can order one from the Verizon site, from another site (make sure it is Verizon compatible), or go to a Verizon store to find a phone. You can also activate new phones from Verizon’s site or in person.

If you have an unlimited plan, you can pretty much use your phone as much as you want without worry since everything is covered. If you have a limited data plan (all Verizon plans have unlimited talk and text), you will need to keep an eye on your data usage, which you can do from your phone or via the Verizon website. If you don’t use all of your data, the extra data amount will rollover to the next month. If you do go over your data and have a new Verizon plan, Safety Mode will slow down the speed of your data so you aren’t charged an overage fee.

One thing to keep in mind: Verizon’s processing speeds are not guaranteed, especially if you live in a rural area. Unlimited plans are unlimited, but if you go over 22GB of data in a month, you may see your speed slow down.

What Makes Verizon Stand Out?

The main thing that makes Verizon stand out from all the other mobile carriers is its impressive coverage area. It claims the best coverage in the most areas and ranks highest for calls, texts, data, speed and reliability, which is an impressive feat. Verizon’s speed is generally quicker than all of its competitors as well, which is a good feature to have.

Some of the other features that help it stand out are large selection of phones that are compatible with Verizon, including the iPhone and top Android devices. If you are on its unlimited plan, you can also turn your device into a 10GB hotspot, which is nice if you are traveling and can’t access Wifi. You can also change your data plan at any time and not reset the clock on your upgrade eligibility or have to sign a new contract, which is nice.

Common Verizon Reviews

There is no doubt that Verizon does well on professional product review sites, considering it boasts the largest, fastest network with the largest selection of phones. Almost without fail, it is ranked in the top spot on review sites because of its dominant features.

User reviews, on the other hand, can be mixed. Most of the positive reviews love the reliability and coverage from Verizon, which is no surprise. Negative reviews range from customers who live in rural areas and were expecting better coverage or faster speeds, or users who had specific issues with customer service.

Is Verizon Right For You?

Verizon is pretty much right for everyone, if you are willing to pay for quality. It has the best phones, the best coverage area and the fastest network, making it a triple threat in the mobile phone provider world. That being said, there are a couple of scenarios in which case Verizon might not be the best choice.

Are you looking for a cheap plan? Verizon, while not wildly more expensive than competitors like AT&T and T-Mobile, it can add up against smaller pre-paid providers or even Sprint. If you don’t need unlimited data and think you can get by with a cheaper plan, look elsewhere.

Do you live in a major city? If you live a major urban area, coverage is not a major concern, since all of the four networks generally cover major urban areas. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of Verizon, you can probably get away with picking any provider and being ok, especially if price is an issue for you.

Do you just need a phone to call, text and check your email? Many people don’t find themselves watching videos or playing complex video games on their phones, so they don’t need blazing fast speeds or unlimited data. If that’s the case, you might be able to pick a cheaper provider and still have your phone meet your needs. The only caveat to this is if you live in a rural area, in which case you might want to pick Verizon since they have the best coverage.

About the Author

Jeff Hindenach

Jeff Hindenach is the co-founder of Versus Reviews. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He has a long history of journalism, with a background writing for newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Examiner, as well as writing for The Huffington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, Newsday and The Street. He believes in giving readers the tools they need to get out of debt.