The widely repeated claim that Verizon lost “almost 300,000” phone customers refers to its first-quarter 2025 results, reported April 22–23, 2025—not a current 2026 event. Verizon’s official earnings transcript reported 356,000 consumer postpaid phone net losses, up from 194,000 losses a year earlier. Verizon said recent pricing actions were a major contributor to the deterioration, but the available evidence does not show that every departing customer left solely because of a price increase.
What Verizon actually lost
The 356,000 figure is a specific operating metric: consumer postpaid phone net losses. Postpaid phone lines are recurring-bill wireless phone subscriptions. They are not the same as all Verizon customers, accounts or devices.
| Metric | Q1 2025 | Comparison or qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer postpaid phone net losses | 356,000 | Verizon’s official earnings transcript |
| Consumer postpaid phone net losses | 194,000 | Q1 2024 |
| Consumer postpaid phone churn | Up 7 basis points year over year | Verizon’s reported change |
| Expected incremental service revenue from pricing actions | More than $1 billion | Verizon’s expectation, not confirmed realized revenue |
These numbers exclude or differ from prepaid subscribers, tablets, watches, hotspots, home-internet customers, business wireless lines and account-level churn. A secondary report used the figure 289,000 and separately said Verizon added 137,000 prepaid customers. That report’s number should not be blended with Verizon’s official 356,000 figure.
See Verizon’s Q1 2025 earnings transcript and the secondary report that popularized the 289,000 figure.
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Why the figures do not match
The 289,000 number comes from secondary coverage, while Verizon’s official transcript for the quarter says 356,000 consumer postpaid phone net losses. The available sources do not establish whether the discrepancy reflects a different reporting category, an earlier data point or an error. The safest description is therefore: the headline figure was 289,000 in secondary coverage, but Verizon’s official reported metric was 356,000.
What Verizon said caused the increase
Verizon’s chief financial officer said the rise in churn was largely caused by multiple pricing actions implemented in the preceding months. Management linked those actions to the increase in losses and said the changes were expected to generate more than $1 billion in incremental service revenue.
That is important business context. Verizon was pursuing higher revenue per customer, accepting that some customers might leave. The earnings material establishes management’s attribution; it does not independently prove the reason for every individual cancellation.
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Which pricing changes customers may have encountered
Secondary coverage identified several changes that affected some customers and plans rather than everyone universally:
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- Limiting the full Auto Pay discount to customers paying with a bank account.
- Higher pricing for some smartwatch lines.
- Changes to Auto Pay discounts on older plans.
- Higher pricing or insurance costs affecting some myPlan customers with five or more lines.
Your own bill, plan terms and Verizon notices determine whether any particular change applies. A customer should not assume that a reported increase affected every plan or line.
Was price the only reason customers left?
No complete causal study is provided by the cited earnings material. Verizon identified pricing as a major contributor, while other factors could also influence switching decisions:
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- More aggressive offers from AT&T, T-Mobile, prepaid brands and MVNOs.
- Perceived differences in coverage or network performance.
- Complexity around plans, perks and discounts.
- Higher insurance or connected-device costs.
- Device-financing obligations ending, creating a natural switching point.
- Household budget pressure.
A commentary article also raised network position as a possible factor. That is a hypothesis, not a finding demonstrated by Verizon’s earnings transcript. Net losses likewise do not reveal gross cancellations because new additions offset some departures.
How Verizon responded
Verizon promoted a three-year base-price guarantee for qualifying myPlan offerings, a free-phone guarantee or related phone-promotion strategy, and stronger acquisition results. Management said consumer postpaid phone gross additions in March were up by the mid-single digits year over year and expressed confidence that full-year net-add performance would improve year over year.
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What Verizon’s three-year price lock covers
The promise is narrower than “your Verizon bill cannot rise.” Verizon’s plan terms describe protection for the then-current base monthly rate for talk, text and data. The following can change separately:
- Taxes, fees and surcharges.
- Perks and third-party services.
- Promotions and additional discounts.
- Device payments and insurance.
- Other optional or connected-device charges.
Canceling lines or moving to an ineligible plan can void the guarantee. Verizon support materials say existing myPlan customers received the lock beginning April 3, 2025, while new or changed-to-myPlan lines receive a separate three-year period under applicable terms. Check the plan-specific Unlimited Welcome FAQ and Unlimited Ultimate FAQ before relying on it.
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- List every charge. Separate the base plan, device installments, insurance, watch or tablet lines, perks, taxes, fees and the Auto Pay discount.
- Mark protected amounts. The price lock generally covers only the eligible base plan rate.
- Calculate switching costs. Include remaining device balances, forfeited promotional credits, activation or transfer fees and any new phone financing.
- Value benefits you use. Consider coverage at home and work, rural service, international allowances, hotspot data, upgrade terms and home-internet bundle discounts.
- Compare alternatives on service, not headline price. MVNOs may use a major carrier’s network but can differ in congestion priority, roaming, hotspot limits, financing and support.
A cheaper plan can be a poor financial choice if it ends device credits, removes an essential international feature or performs poorly where you need coverage.
Bottom line on the “almost 300,000” claim
The underlying event was Verizon’s Q1 2025 result. The official number was 356,000 consumer postpaid phone net losses, not an uncontested 289,000. Verizon itself connected much of the churn pressure to recent pricing actions undertaken to produce more than $1 billion in expected additional service revenue. Price was therefore a major company-identified factor, but the available evidence does not establish it as the sole cause of every departure.
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