Prepaid Family Account FAQs

A Prepaid Family Account lets you have more than one prepaid line on an account.

You can haveup to:

• 10 prepaid phone, tablet and Jetpack® lines
• 20 connected device (e.g., Smart Locator) lines

That's a total of 30 lines and multiple device types on one account, making it easier to manage all of your lines.

Each line on the account has its own plan and data allowance, so there's no need to worry about sharing.

The account has 1 Account Owner who can manage all the lines through a single My Verizon account. The Account Owner pays for all the lines at the same time, on one renewal date. No juggling multiple balances or due dates.

Plus, you can have up to 9 Account Members. Each Account Member can use My Verizon to manage their own line (e.g., add funds, monitor usage, etc.).

All prepaid monthly plans are eligible to be on a Prepaid Family Account.

The following devices are eligible to be on a Prepaid Family Account:

• Smartphone
• 4G LTE basic phone
• Tablet
• Jetpack
• Smart Locator

New smartphone lines and existing smartphone lines that switch to a new plan will receive multi-tier Loyalty Discounts instead of a multi-line discount.

Smartphone lines with certain older prepaid monthly plans, tablet lines and Jetpack lines (on lines 2 - 10 of the Prepaid Family Account*) will receive a multi-line discount based on which plan they have:

*The Account Owner line doesn’t qualify for a multi-line discount.

Yes, you need to designate 1 of the lines as the Account Owner (this is the primary line and person who is financially responsible for the Prepaid Family Account). Then you can merge other existing prepaid single-line accounts onto that primary account as Account Members, up to a total of 10 smartphone, tablet and Jetpack lines.

Each Account Member line will be prorated when it's merged onto the new Prepaid Family Account, based on the number of days left in the bill cycle for the Prepaid Family Account. All lines on the Prepaid Family Account will share the same renewal date.

For step-by-step instructions refer to:

• Merge 2 prepaid accounts through the My Verizon app
• Merge 2 prepaid accounts through a web browser

If you already have a prepaid single-line account that you want to designate as the Account Owner (the primary line and person financially responsible for the Prepaid Family Account), you can add a line to your single-line account to make it a Prepaid Family Account.

For step-by-step instructions refer to:

• Add a line through the My Verizon app
• Add a line through a web browser

Otherwise, sign up for a prepaid account online first, and then you can add a line to your new account.

The Account Owner can manage all the lines on the account through the My Verizon app on their phone or My Verizon online. Account Members can use My Verizon to only manage their own line.

Refer to the following pages for step-by-step instructions:

• How to Use the My Verizon App for Prepaid
• How to Use My Verizon for Prepaid

Account Owner: There is only 1 Account Owner on a Prepaid Family Account, and that person is financially responsible for all the lines on the account. The Account Owner can monitor usage and make changes for all the lines through My Verizon. The Account Owner can also transfer funds to any Account Member line. The monthly renewal fees for all lines on the account are paid by the Account Owner, not the Account Members.

Account Members: There can be up to 9 Account Members on a Prepaid Family Account. Account Members only have access to their own line in My Verizon, not any other lines on the account. Account Members can transfer funds to the Account Owner, but not other Account Members. There are also a few changes Account Members aren't able to make on their own lines.

Only the Account Owner can:

• Change plans
• Add or remove an International Long Distance plan
• Make a payment to renew the entire account
• Manage Auto Pay
• Add a line
  
• Disconnect or remove a line
• Add monthly recurring features
• Restore a line that was suspended in a different bill cycle
• Transfer account ownership

The first line on the account will automatically be set as the Account Owner. Then as you add additional lines to your account, they will be added as Account Members.

If you want to transfer the Account Owner role to one of the other lines on your account, the Account Owner can do that through My Verizon:

• Transfer ownership through the My Verizon app
• Transfer ownership through a web browser

Note: The Account Owner will need to provide the Account Member's Account Security Code to transfer ownership to another line on the account.

If the Account Owner wants to leave the Prepaid Family Account, the Account Owner will be asked to select one of the other lines on the account and designate that Account Member as the new Account Owner.

If the Account Owner doesn't designate a new Account Owner, the second line on the account will automatically become the new Account Owner.

Either way, a free text message will be sent to all devices on the Prepaid Family Account, notifying everyone of the change.

If you'd rather have a different line set as the Account Owner, the new Account Owner can transfer ownership to another line.

Yes, the Account Owner can remove a line and convert that line to a single-line account through My Verizon.

Note: The Account Owner can also transfer account ownership to an Account Member.

If your phone was lost or stolen, you can temporarily suspend your line on the Suspend Service page in My Verizon. This will help prevent unauthorized use while your phone is missing.

• Suspending Account Owner line - Only the Account Owner can suspend the Account Owner line through My Verizon. The account will continue to be billed for this line while it's suspended. The Account Owner will still be responsible to pay for all lines on the account, even the Account Owner line, while the line is suspended.


• Suspending an Account Member line - An Account Member can suspend their own line in My Verizon, or the Account Owner can suspend the line for them. The account won't be billed for the line while it's suspended. The Account Owner will only need to pay for all other lines on the account, not the suspended line.

Refer to the following pages for step-by-step instructions:

• Suspend Service in the My Verizon App
• Suspend Service through a web browser

If you suspended your line because it was lost or stolen, you can reconnect your line through My Verizon. You can reconnect with your same phone, if you found it, or a replacement phone.

• Same bill cycle - If you suspended the line during your current bill cycle, an Account Member can reconnect their own line, or the Account Owner can reconnect it for them.
  
  
• Different bill cycle - If you suspended the line during a different bill cycle (i.e., you've made a monthly renewal payment after suspending the line), only the Account Owner can reconnect the suspended line. You may need to pay prorated charges for the month at the time you reconnect the line.

Refer to the following pages for step-by-step instructions:

• Reconnect Service in the My Verizon app
• Reconnect Service through a web browser

Note: If your line is inactive due to lack of payment / funds on the account, not because your phone was lost or stolen, the Account Owner must make a payment to reactivate all the lines on the account. The account's renewal date will change to the day the account is fully funded and all lines are paid for.

All lines on the account have the same renewal date. The total renewal amount for all the lines will be automatically deducted from the Account Owner's funds on the renewal date.

Adding a line

When you add a new line to the account, you'll be charged a prorated monthly fee for that line at the time of activation or transfer. The prorated amount is based on the number of days left in the Prepaid Family Account's bill cycle.

On the next renewal date, the full monthly renewal amount for the new line will be included in the total amount due.

Note: If you order a new phone online or by phone, you'll pay the first month's charges in full at the time of purchase, and a prorated credit will be applied to your account in the 2nd month.

Only the Account Owner can pay the monthly renewal fee for all the lines on the account.

However, Account Members can transfer funds to the Account Owner at any time.

If any line on the account has an International Long Distance plan, those fees are included in the total due on the account's renewal date. Those fees will be paid by the Account Owner.

Any one-time purchases (e.g., Data Boost) or add-ons available for purchase are deducted from the funds of that specific line at the time of purchase. For example, an Account Member would buy a Data Boost using their own line's funds.

These charges are called prorated charges. They are actually partial charges, rather than additional charges.

All lines on a Prepaid Family Account must have the same renewal date. When you add or merge lines in the middle of your bill cycle, you pay partial charges for the days the lines are active on the account that month. This makes the renewal dates of the new lines match the renewal date of the Prepaid Family Account.

You'll still receive the full allowances and benefits for the month on those lines. But you'll only pay for the days the lines are active, rather than paying the full monthly charge.

Prorated charges (partial charges) are the charges owed if a line isn't active on the account for a full month. Rather than paying the full amount for the entire month, you only pay for the days the line is active on the account.

On a Prepaid Family Account, each Account Member line will be prorated when it's added to the new account or restored from suspension. The prorated charges are calculated based on the number of days left in the bill cycle. The full monthly renewal amount for the line will be added to the total account charges on the next renewal date.

• Merging an existing prepaid line: If the renewal date for the line being merged is before the Prepaid Family Account's renewal date, you'll pay prorated charges for the additional days (e.g., if the single line's renewal date is the 15th and the new account's is the 18th, you'll pay for those 3 days of service at the time of activation).
  
  If the line's renewal date is after the Prepaid Family Account's, a partial credit will be applied to the line for the additional days at the time the line is merged.


• Activating a new line: If a new member line is added, you'll pay prorated charges based on the days the line is active on the Prepaid Family Account during the current bill cycle.


• Reconnecting a suspended line: If an Account Member line is suspended because of a lost/stolen device, and reconnected during a new bill cycle, you'll pay prorated charges for the days left in the current bill cycle at the time it's reconnected.

Note: If you order a new phone online or by phone, you'll pay the first month's charges in full at the time of purchase, and a prorated credit will be applied to your account in the 2nd month.

Yes, the Account Owner and Account Members can transfer funds in My Verizon.

• The Account Owner can send funds to any Account Member using a credit/debit card or their available balance.
  
  
• Account Members can only transfer funds to the Account Owner (not other Account Members) using the available balance on their account. If there’s no available balance, the Account Member must add funds to their account before they can send funds to the Account Owner.

Note: The Account Owner can't transfer money out of any Account Member's available balance. Only the Account Member can access the funds on their line.

Refer to the following pages for step-by-step instructions:

• Send funds in the My Verizon app
• Send funds in My Verizon through a web browser

Yes, the Account Owner can set up Auto Pay in My Verizon.

Auto Pay automatically charges the total for all lines on the account to the Account Owner's credit or debit card each month.

If there's an available balance on the Account Owner's line, Auto Pay uses that first and charges the remaining amount to the credit or debit card. Charges go through on the account's renewal date.

You'll also receive a $5/month discount on each line with an eligible prepaid monthly plan.

Keep in mind that only the Account Owner has access to Auto Pay. Account Members can transfer funds to the Account Owner manually through My Verizon as needed.

If the Account Owner line doesn't have enough funds to cover the full amount due on the renewal date, all lines will become inactive.

Once the Account Owner adds sufficient funds and makes the full payment for the account, all the lines will be reactivated. The account's renewal date will change to the day the account is fully funded and all lines are paid for.

Note: It's not possible to renew just one line on a Prepaid Family Account.