First, I will address the fact that someone else mentioned Verizon now charges a $36 upgrade fee which is absolutely ridiculous! I upgraded my phone before April 22, 2012 and didn't get hit with it but my husband upgraded in May and got hit with it plus taxes and a charge for his RAZR and accessories he got sucked into. Infuriating that they should do this to loyal customers who are already re-signing another 2 year contract plus buying a new phone from them.
I argued it over the phone with a Verizon rep who agreed with me but couldn't remove the charge.
Now that I got that off my chest I can share with you how I determine each person's portion of the plan:
Data: First of all since we've had the account for 5 years both my sons got in on the unlimited data plans for $29.99 each, so they never have to worry about going over their data charges unless they go out of the country. So first off the bat each son gets charged $29.99.
Next, since my husband and I finally upgraded to smartphones (because our ancient devices starting dying) we had to have data plans. They no longer offer the unlimited plans like my sons have. So we each have a plan for $30 for our data. We don't look at movies or videos or do alot of music or youtube stuff so we picked the lowest data plan. We can check data usage online or directly on our phones, there's an app for that. So now my husband and I each get charged $30.00. We also chose to have insurance so there's an extra charge we both have for that.
Texting: We all have unlimited texting.
Minutes: Long ago I chose a 2,000 minute plan but we barely used all those minutes and they do not carry over month to month, so I reduced our minutes by reviewing the plan online (you can look at all your months and compare total minute usage). I also discussed it with a Verizon rep. So I lowered our plan to 1200 minutes and I keep an eye on it. We never use the total minutes. You also can go onto your online account and add 10 people on the friends and family they offer. You add non-Verizon customers, friends or relatives you talk to alot. They charge one fee for the plan, let's say $110 and then $9.99 for each additional line.
I calculate each person's individual cost such as their data plan, any ringtones they purchased, or Get It Now downloads, etc. This will be listed per each phone line. And get a total for each individual.
Then I subtract each persons individual total (I don't include the many taxes at this point) from the grand billing total that's due. I then take that remaining balance and divide it by 4. This gives an even and fair amount that each person owes for the remaining plan.
Sounds confusing? Here I'll break it down with actual numbers -
Total bill $300
Son #1-
Data $29.99 = $29.99
Son #2 -
Data $29.99 = $29.99
Husband -
Data $30.00 & insurance $6.99 = $36.99
Me -
Data $30.00 + insurance $6.99 = $36.99
Subtotal of each of our costs = $133.96
Total bill due $300.00
Minus grand total of individual costs - $133.96
Balance then is $166.04
Now divide the $164.04 by 4 = $41.51
Now add the $41.51 to each person's individual cost (their data plans, etc.)
Example:
Son #1 - 29.99 + 41.51 = $71.50
Son #2 - 29.99 + 41.51 = $71.50
Husband owes - 36.99 + 41.51 = $78.50
I owe - 36.99 + 41.51 = $78.50
Total collected is $300.00 for the bill amount.
Whew, I hope that helped....I spent way too much time, typing all that
I get a bit anal and overly organized.
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