Verizon Wireless to add fee for upgrades

April 11, 2012 (CHICAGO)

The company says starting on April 22nd, customers who wish to upgrade to a new phone will be hit with a $30 fee. Verizon suggests the fee is needed to help fund customer support and online educational tools. AT&T raised a similar fee from $18 to $36 earlier this year.

Cell phone companies are charging these fees to help offset a profit loss due to the cost of subsidizing smartphones.
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