How To Get Verizon Activation Fee Waived? (Easy Ways)

My friend decided to switch from a local carrier to Verizon after I recommended the service to him based on my previous positive experiences with the operator.

When he signed up for the service, he noticed that there was an activation fee that had to be paid in order to activate the service on his Verizon-leased phone.

He wanted to try Verizon as a secondary phone, so he was hesitant to go all in and pay an additional activation fee in addition to the payments for his phone and the plan.

Because I was always singing Verizon’s praises, he approached me and asked if there was any way he could get his activation fee waived.

I contacted Verizon customer service and went to their help website to see if they did. I also checked the Verizon user forums and other third-party forums to see if anyone had gotten the fee waived.

I created this guide with the help of the research I did for a friend in order for you to try to get the activation fee waived as well.

To get your activation fee waived by Verizon, contact their customer service and negotiate a fee reduction. You could also buy your own phone and activate a Verizon connection on it for no additional cost.

I’ll also explain why Verizon charges an activation fee and offer some advice on how to negotiate with customer service to get the fee waived.

Troubleshooting: Issues on Verizon Activation Fee Waived

Issue	Solution
Verizon charges a $35 activation fee for each new line of service.	You can try to negotiate the fee with customer service. You may be able to get the fee waived if you are a loyal customer, have a good credit history, or are adding a line to an existing account.
The activation fee is not waived for prepaid plans.	You can purchase a phone off-contract and activate it on a prepaid plan to avoid the activation fee.
The activation fee is not waived for business accounts with fewer than 10 lines.	If you have a business account with 10 or more lines, you may be able to get the activation fee waived.
The activation fee is not waived for devices that are purchased through a third-party retailer.	You can purchase a phone directly from Verizon to ensure that the activation fee will be waived.
The activation fee is not waived for devices that are financed through Verizon.	You can pay for the phone in full to avoid the activation fee.

WHY DOES VERIZON CHARGE AN ACTIVATION FEE

When running a phone service, Verizon incurs overhead costs such as paying for customer support staff, tower maintenance, data center costs, and so on.

An activation fee is just one of many fees that Verizon charges to finance their business, along with phone plan fees. Getting this charge waived means they lose this source of revenue from you, which can be difficult.

You must be skilled at negotiating, or you must be fortunate enough to have a pleasant representative and supervisor on the other side willing to waive the fee for you.

You must also ensure that you have a valid reason for requesting the fee be waived, and persuading the support staff of this should be your primary focus.

CAN THE ACTIVATION FEE BE WAIVED?

Because the activation fee is an industry standard, convincing Verizon to waive it can be difficult. However, some people were able to get the fee waived, indicating that it is not completely impossible.

Because of the situation that everyone had to go through, Verizon waived all activation and upgrade fees for everyone in 2020, so it’s entirely possible that you’ll get the fee waived as well.

Have some patience and a good reason why you need the fee waived, and present it as well as you can for them to consider it.

CALL THE RETENTION DEPARTMENT

Contact Verizon support once you’ve decided on a good reason to waive the fee and are confident in your ability to negotiate a waiver.

Tell them you’d like to cancel your services, and they’ll transfer you to the customer retention department.

The retention department is trained to keep you from canceling by any means possible, which can include discounts, fee waivers, and other offers, among other things.

Inform them that the activation fee is too high and that you are canceling as a result.

Mention the reason you established earlier for being unable to pay the activation fee. If you are persistent and lucky, the representative will speak with their supervisor and waive the fee.

It also helps if you have been a Verizon customer for a long time, so make sure to mention that when speaking with the retention department. Verizon does not want to lose a loyal customer to a competing operator.

ACTIVATE ONLINE

If you’re not good at negotiating, you can still cut the activation fee in half, which is better than nothing.

Instead of going to a Verizon store or an authorized retailer, you can cut the fee in half by signing in to your Verizon account and adding a new phone there.

Verizon lowers its prices when you activate your phone online because it eliminates the middleman or store employee who activates and sets up the phone for you. They can charge half the fee because you are doing the activation and setup.

The same goes for upgrading as well; when you upgrade your phone, activate it online, and you’ll only need to pay half of the upgrade fee.

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GET YOUR OWN PHONE

If you want to avoid the activation fee entirely, the simplest way to do so is to purchase a phone off-contract from Verizon.

This means that when you buy the phone in a store, you must pay the full price, and Verizon will not finance it with monthly installments.

The most significant benefit of purchasing your own phone is that the activation fee is waived, but you don’t even need to purchase a new phone to take advantage of this.

If you have an old phone lying around, try activating it as well, as long as it doesn’t have a SIM card in it.

As part of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) activation plan, get a Verizon connection for the older phone.

There is no fee when you activate through this plan, so it is the simplest way to avoid fees, but it can become more expensive.

SWITCH CARRIERS

If activation fees irritate you, some carriers, most notably T-Mobile for some phone plans and other smaller carriers like Straight Talk or Consumer Cellular, do not charge them.

Granted, the coverage and user experience of these smaller carriers will be inferior to Verizon’s, but they will not charge you to activate on their network.

This is due in part to the fact that these smaller carriers lease network towers and other equipment from larger carriers and will not have as high an overhead cost as they do.

If you don’t want to pay an activation fee, choose one of these carriers.

THE BEST WAY TO AVOID VERIZON’S FEES

An upgrade is defined as the purchase of a new device (phone or tablet) to replace the one already associated with your account.

However, if you replace your current device with another phone that you already own, this is referred to as BYOD (Bring your own device). As a result, the requirements and fees for both services are distinct.

In case you didn’t know, Verizon now charges $30 instead of $20 as an upgrade fee when an existing customer wants to switch to a new device. When purchasing this device at full retail price, you must pay this fee.

It can also be paid through Verizon’s device payment program. Many subscribers have inquired about the upgrade fee.

This fee, according to Verizon, is used to offset the operating costs of providing subscribers with the fastest and most stable 4G LTE network.

CONCLUSION

Before you call, keep in mind that the customer service representative can only do so much and is constrained by company policy. Be firm when speaking with them, but try not to be that person; after all, providing good customer service is more difficult than it appears.

Being reasonable with your demands is the best way to appear to have no ill intentions, and how you communicate with the representative can go a long way toward getting the fee waived.

If the representative appears set in their ways, request an escalation of the complaint because a supervisor would be more willing to take care of a more assertive customer.

As previously stated, Verizon does not typically waive an upgrade fee because the money is used for something that will benefit the customer in the long run.

Such as network expansion, customer care center development, community development, and much more. As a result, it’s for a good cause.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Can I get my Verizon activation fee waived?	Yes, you may be able to get your Verizon activation fee waived if you meet certain criteria. For example, you may be eligible for a fee waiver if you are a loyal customer, have a good credit history, or are adding a line to an existing account. You can also try to negotiate the fee with customer service.
How do I get my Verizon activation fee waived?	You can request a fee waiver by contacting Verizon customer service. When you call, be sure to have your account number and the date you joined Verizon handy. You can also try to negotiate the fee online by visiting the Verizon website.
What are the benefits of getting my Verizon activation fee waived?	There are a few benefits to getting your Verizon activation fee waived. First, you will save money. Second, you will avoid having to pay an additional fee when you activate your new phone. Third, you will have one less bill to pay each month.
What are the drawbacks of getting my Verizon activation fee waived?	There are a few drawbacks to getting your Verizon activation fee waived. First, you may not be eligible for a fee waiver. Second, even if you are eligible, you may not be able to get the fee waived completely. Third, you may have to go through a lengthy process to get the fee waived.

References:

• Verizon Waive Activation Fee (can It Be Done – Talk Radio News – This is a third-party website that provides some information on how to avoid the Verizon activation fee of $35 per device. It suggests a possible solution that involves buying a new smartphone from Verizon online, which will automatically waive the activation fee¹. It also mentions that Verizon is not known for waiving the activation fee for other reasons, but it may have done so in the past.
• Waive Your Activation Fee On Verizon: Stop Paying Extra!
• Verizon Activation Fee Waiver | How to Get It and Save Money 
• 7 Ways To Get Verizon Activation Fee Waiver – beonhome.com – This is a fourth third-party website that provides some ways to get the Verizon activation fee waived. It also recommends contacting the customer care support and explaining your situation, or buying a new device online from Verizon⁴. It also offers some other options, such as using a referral code, waiting for a promotion, or switching to a different plan.
• How To Avoid Verizon Activation Fee? August 2023 – The ISP Family