Verizon Mobile-to-Mobile vs. N&W minutes

[Koss]

Verizon Wireless mobile-to-mobile minutes are NOT used up if the call is made during the night and weekend time period.

This may have been the case at one time, but the billing method has changed. This has been confirmed by an internal memo. Many service representatives are not yet aware of the change.

[pfp]

Ah, but if you've used up all your night and weekend minutes, does it start chewing up your peak time, or your m2m time?

hmmmm

P

[Koss]

Good question. If your night and weekend minutes are used up, then a mobile-to-mobile call will use mobile-to-mobile minutes before using peak minutes.

Almost all Verizon Wireless plans now offer 4000 N&W minutes or unlimited N&W minutes. Very few customers actually exceed their night and weekend minutes.

[DiverDown]

I asked them that exact question about a year ago. And they told me that if you used up all of your mobile to mobile minutes then the system would notice this and take away the ones that you used during your off-peak time.

So at that time it only dedcuted from night and weekend minutes if you went over your mobile to mobile minutes

[Bruhahn5565]

I sure hope you are right about them taking the n/w mins first and not m to m. My hubby and I both have Verizon and call each other all the time. I have my doubt since I looked at my first bill and there were calls made on the weekend to each other and they took it off our m to m. I did a test the other night and made calls between our cells so he could check for me. I will let you know how they turn out.

[mkral]

Does anyone have knowledge as to how Sprint's Mobile to mobile/ N&W minutes work. I always assumed that they took out the m2m minutes first, but I never checked for sure,
thanks

Koss, please clarify what you mentioned. Has this indeed changed in ALL markets? You also mentioned that the billing method changed but different markets have different billing systems -- and so this all changed in all the markets?. I just spoke with Verizon CS just a few days ago when I got the AC promo bonus minutes and the CS rep said that the minutes comes out of M2M bucket first.

Mkral, with Sprint PCS you don't have to worry about eating into M2M minutes because they are offering Unlimited M2M minutes.

Burton,
Any date on this "internal memo"? On my most recent bill, our Off-Peak M2M calls went to M2M, and not Night/Weekend. It will be pleasant change, but we don't call each other much, off-peak.

-Bill

[Koss]

I work in the Ohio & Michigan markets. It is possible that the billing method is different in other markets.

[Kenny]

My understanding is that the billing system is still the old one in Illinois. That's why people in the Chicago market have minutes come out of M2M first when calling between Verizon users. Moreover, when you check your minute usage via the automated system, it does not distinguish between peak and M2M minutes (in some markets)! I know that other markets with the newer billing system (eg. NY) does allow you to check minutes whereby Peak and M2M minutes are distinguished AND Verizon to Verizon calls during offpeak are NOT taken out of M2M minutes....this is the way it should work! I believe the billing system that covers Illinois will be updated early on in the new year.

Also, Verizon is facing some busy circuits problem in the Chicago area....problem with the SBC/Ameritech switches I believe.