Verizon to 'simplify' device upgrade policy by eliminating post 12-month early upgrade

Verizon is about to "simplify" its upgrade policy starting on January 16th, and those who like to swap phones often aren't going to be happy. Simply put, the one-year upgrade option that Verizon users have enjoyed for years is going away.

The new policy will change as follows:

• Those in two-year contracts will no longer be eligible for upgrades during months 13-20.
• New Every Two (NE2) will be going away

The "Annual Upgrade" used to work as follows: It was available for any single line or the primary line on a family share plan that qualified. If your account qualified, you could upgrade to a new phone every 12 months at standard two-year pricing (plus a $20 annual upgrade fee).

If you instead waited for NE2 to kick in, and sign for another two-year contract, you would receive an additional discount ($30 to $50 dollars depending on your plan) along with the promotional price.

As noted in the leaked training slide, one-year contracts aren't affected. Most people opt for the two-year agreement, but with the one-year agreement you pay a slight premium (usually $70 more than the two-year price) in exchange for the shorter contract. That can, in fact, be a better deal, and with the new arrangement, if you want to swap phones often, it will be.

Nowadays a phone can be obsolete in as little as six months, so this is just another attempt to get more money from the consumer.