Is Verizon Unlimited Really Unlimited in 2024? (Not What You Think)

Verizon entices millions of customers each year with offers of "unlimited" data on their smartphone plans. But many become frustrated when they still experience reduced speeds after exceeding 50GB of high-speed data each month.

So is Verizon Unlimited really unlimited? What can customers expect? And do other options exist for heavy data consumers?

Let‘s take a closer look behind the unlimited data claims and see what‘s really happening in 2024.

Just How Common is Throttling on Verizon‘s Unlimited Plans?

Verizon claims the chance of getting throttled on their unlimited plans is "minimal." But according to 2022 data from Global Wireless Solutions, around 30% of unlimited customers exceeded 50GB of usage in an average month.

For all those users, slower speeds are likely once congestion hits.

So while the majority of customers probably won‘t face reduced speeds, it‘s far from a minimal, rare occurrence either.

How Slow Do Speeds Get Throttled to on Verizon Unlimited?

When congestion strikes and Verizon throttles your unlimited data connection, you‘ll notice the impact through slower loading web pages, buffering video streams, and laggy mobile gameplay performance.

But exactly how slow does Verizon throttle speeds to once the 50GB thresholds are crossed?

While Verizon doesn‘t publish defined throttle rates publicly, independent testing has recorded speeds falling as low as 0.3 Mbps down during congestion after unlimited data thresholds were exceeded.

That‘s nearly 200 times slower than typical 60 Mbps speeds customers often see before being throttled.

Comparing Verizon‘s Unlimited Plans Side-By-Side

Here‘s a breakdown showing what you really get with each of Verizon‘s current Unlimited plan options:

As you can see above, all plans except for Start Unlimited advertise premium high-speed data allotments. Once you exceed 50GB with Play More, Do More, or Get More, reduced speeds are likely at times of congestion.

The advertised monthly prices rarely tell the whole story either. Plans often have added taxes and fees that can increase your bill 10% or more in many states.

Techniques Customers Use to Try Avoiding Throttles

Some customers attempt creative workarounds to sidestep Verizon‘s throttling practices on unlimited data plans, despite their questionable effectiveness:

VPN Usage – By tunneling your connection through an encrypted VPN tunnel, some hope to hide their high data consumption from being detected by Verizon‘s network management systems. Throttles may still happen but are less predictable.

Plan Switching – Each billing cycle, you receive a fresh set of high-speed data allotments. Some switch between different Verizon unlimited plans to essentially get an extra 50GB+ each month. Downsides include service interruptions each time you switch.

Multiple Lines – Heavy data households will often open 3, 4 or more lines of service and distribute usage between them all. This works reliably to escape throttles but isn‘t cost effective for those that only need a single smartphone plan.

Unfortunately, none enable avoiding throttling completely if you‘re on one of Verizon‘s postpaid unlimited data plans as a single user consuming 100GB+ per month. Prepaid or family/business account options provide alternatives.

Recent Regulatory Pressure and Legal Options

With so many customers facing reduced speeds despite paying for unlimited data each month, regulatory scrutiny around throttling practices has ramped up recently.

In 2022, 35 state attorney generals sent an open letter to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile questioning their "unlimited" plan speed reductions.

The letter called out discrepancies between advertised claims around unlimited data and the fine print disclosing slower speeds after certain thresholds. False advertising charges could emerge if carriers can‘t remedy concerns raised.

Individual and class action lawsuits have also challenged carrier throttling behaviors. While none have succeeded in eliminating the practice completely so far, some have won minor policy concessions or monetary damages for subscribers.

Consulting consumer protection attorneys is an option being exercised by more unsatisfied unlimited data customers seeking recourse against throttling they argue wasn‘t properly disclosed to them initially.

How Does Verizon Compare to Other Carriers on Unlimited Plans?

Verizon isn‘t alone in throttling practices that outrage customers despite unlimited data plan marketing claims. All major wireless providers slow speeds for their heaviest unlimited data users at times.

Comparing their policies reveals just how relatively aggressive Verizon remains.

Here‘s how Verizon stacks up to key competitors AT&T and T-Mobile:

As shown above, AT&T offers the highest premium data allotments before throttling potentially starts. Their minimum throttle rate is also 5 times faster than Verizon‘s severe slowdowns commonly reported.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile matches Verizon‘s 50GB threshold but retains a minimum 1 Mbps experience.

So why doesn‘t Verizon budge and offer more customer-friendly throttling policies if competitors do? Their leading spectrum depth and network breadth likely means they feel less pressure to cave to consumer demands currently.

For now, all carriers tread lightly to balance network management needs with customer satisfaction. But don‘t be surprised if competition forces more concessions around unlimited data throttling eventually.

Alternatives for Avoiding Throttles as a Heavy Data User

If you want truly uncapped unlimited data usage every month, what are your options besides the major carrier‘s throttled plans?

Here are a few alternative routes heavy data consumers can evaluate:

Verizon Prepaid Unlimited – Starts at just $50/month and lacks defined throttling thresholds. Speeds may still slow during network congestion but there are no explicit high-speed data limits.

Business & Family Plans – Designed for higher overall usage, business and family plans on most carriers either have higher thresholds before throttling or don‘t actively reduce speeds no matter how much data you consume.

Third Party Resellers – MVNO providers like Straight Talk or Visible resell access from major carrier networks. Some don‘t actively throttle based on specific usage levels. Just know customer service and network priority may drop.

Home Internet – Ditch phone plans entirely! Many wireless home internet options exist without rigid data usage limits and throttling. You can use WiFi calling apps if you do keep a smartphone.

While most individual postpaid options will carry some form of data throttling policy, exploring alternative service setups can provide the truly unlimited data some customers still seek out each month in 2024 and beyond.

I hope this complete guide has revealed the factual realities around Verizon‘s unlimited plans and whether unlimited data without throttling exists for you. Let me know if any other questions come up!