Bill statement FAQs

Your billing period (also called your bill cycle):

• Starts the day you activate service with Verizon Wireless.
  • Note: For our new customers, service often starts on the first of the month to avoid prorated charges.
• Has the same dates every month. For example, if you activated service on Nov 19, your first billing period would be Nov 19-Dec 18. The next billing period would be Dec 19-Jan 18, etc.
  • Note: Your monthly recurring charges stay the same regardless of the number of days in a month (e.g., recurring charges in February are the same as in March).
• Controls when your plan’s monthly allowances (i.e., talk, text and data amounts) reset. They reset at 11:59 pm on the last day of each billing period.

Your bills are labeled by the last month in each billing period.

You can see your billing period on the Bill overview page in My Verizon. There, you will find your latest bill amount, billing period and payment history.

Your latest bill is available on the Bill overview page in My Verizon 3 to 5 days after your billing period ends. For example, if the last day is Oct 18, your bill is available online (or is mailed if you have paper billing) on or about Oct 21.

Paper-free billing is automatically turned on for our new customers. Learn more about paper-free billing.

Your bill payment is due 22 days after the bill period ends (e.g., your Oct 18 bill is due Nov 10).

If you’re the account owner or the account manager, you can change your payment due date. Visit our Pay your bill FAQs to learn more.

The first bill you get may include:

• A one-time activation fee for each device you added to your account.
• 2 sets of monthly plan service charges:
  • Charges for your first billing period.
  • Charges for your upcoming billing period (since we bill for your plan 1 billing period in advance).

You pay for your monthly service plan in advance. Look at your bill’s monthly plan charges section. You see that the dates are for the upcoming billing period.

However, when you get non-monthly products or services (e.g., you get a Data Boost or have charges from international travel) those charges appear on the next bill after the charges are incurred.*

Here's an example of how various activities affect your Verizon Wireless bills:

*In some cases, charges can’t be finalized by the bill delivery date and may appear on a later bill.

Your bill shows all your account charges, which can include:

• Your monthly, recurring charges for the next billing period.
  • The plan cost and any device payments, less any credits due (e.g., AutoPay or other discount)
  • Any add-ons (e.g., Verizon Cloud, Apple Music, etc.)
  • Surcharges, taxes and government fees for the above.
• Any one-time charges and credits for the prior billing period, such as:
  • Activation fee
  • Upgrade fee - Like the activation fee, it’s the fee to activate a new device on our network
    
  • Device payment buyout - if you paid off your agreement early you see the payment as a credit.
  • Overage charges - for minutes, text or data usage that went over the allowances for your plan, or charges for phone use overseas if you didn’t have an international plan
  • Credits we owe you (e.g., if you overpaid your previous bill, moved to a lower-priced plan, got a promotional discount, etc.)
  • Surcharges, taxes and government fees for the above. 

Your bill gives you a summary page, a “Changes this month” page (if anything changed) and your detailed account charges.

Keep in mind:

• It can take 2-3 billing periods for a promotional credit to appear on your bill. All the missing credits are then applied in a lump sum.
• When you accept a free service or free product, you may still see a charge for tax on the value of the free item. Whether or not the tax is charged depends on the state in which you live.

Here are some reasons why your bill may be higher (or lower) than usual:

• Partial charges due to plan changes you made in the previous billing period.
• Product and service purchases you made in a previous billing period.
• Promotions - Promotional credits or discounts can take 2-3 billing periods to be applied to your bill. (All the missing credits are then applied in a lump sum.)
• Taxes on promotional items – Depending on that state in which you live, you might have to pay tax on products or services we give you for free.

Your bill includes a “Changes this month” summary when the amount of your current bill is is different than the amount of your last bill.

While your usual monthly plan charges are billed in advance, any other charges are charged to your next bill. 

For example, if you used  international service during the Nov 19-Dec 18 bill period, that charge appears on your Dec 18 bill, which you get  on or about Dec 21 and is due Jan 10. That means you could have traveled in November but won’t pay the international charges you incurred until January .

If your bill's Payment History shows 2 payments, it could be that you signed up for Auto Pay and forgot to cancel your direct payments from your bank account (Bill Pay).

For example, say you set Bill Pay for your $100 Verizon bill each month. Your bill is due on the 10th, and you set payment for the 5th. A few months later, you sign up for Auto Pay on the Payment settings page in My Verizon for the 8th of each month. But you forget to cancel Bill Pay.

In a normal month, Bill Pay pays $100 on the 5th and Auto Pay takes nothing on the 8th. However, in a month when an extra amount is due (e.g., a $10 charge for a Data Boost), Auto Pay takes the extra amount due that the Bill Pay didn’t cover.

Your Payment history then shows 2 payments: $100 on the 5th and $10 on the 8th.

To see if payments are coming from your debit card, your checking account or both, go to the Payment history page in My Verizon.

Paper-free billing is getting your monthly bills through My Verizon online and My Verizon app instead of through postal mail. You get:

• A text and/or email when your bill is ready.
• Usage details for each line instead of just an account summary.
• The ability to securely view, download or print your bill.
• The ability to securely pay your bill online.
• Up to $10/month discount(s) per line when you have an unlimited plan and use Auto Pay.

Paper-free billing is turned on for all of our new customers. You can always change your paper-free settings on the Payment settings page in My Verizon..

As the account owner, you can change from paper bills to paper-free billing (or vice versa) anytime you want on the Payment settings page in My Verizon.

Note: Paper bills don't have call details but you can get those through your PDF bill in My Verizon. Visit our View and download your bill page to learn more.

Yes, with an eligible plan you can get a $5/month or $10/month discount per line for using both Auto Pay and paper-free billing for your account. Learn more about the Auto Pay and paper-free billing discount.

Here are some ways to keep an eye on your Verizon Wireless expenses:

Take advantage of AutoPay discounts: If you have an unlimited plan, using paper-free billing and AutoPay can get you an up to $10 discount per line off your bill every month.

Avoid extra service charges: Third-party services that your device uses (e.g., apps, ringtones and videos, etc.) can be charged to your Verizon bill. Restrict these services and billing on our Blocks page in My Verizon.

Avoid data overage charges:

• If you have a shared data plan, turn on Safety Mode to avoid extra costs for going over your data limits.
• Monitor and restrict voice and data usage. Learn more on our Tools for Monitoring Usage page.
• Get text messages and/or emails when you used certain percentages (e.g., 75%, 100%, etc.) of your plan allowances. Visit our My Verizon Alerts FAQs to learn more.

Avoid international roaming charges: When you travel overseas, consider adding a data plan for your mobile device. Or try to avoid “pay as you go” roaming rates by turning off cellular data and roaming and using just WiFi. (Keep in mind that some hotels, airports, etc. charge for WiFi access.)

Get familiar with your Bill page in My Verizon where you can:

• Get a bill overview
• Get a next bill estimate
• Get your payment history
• View media and app purchases
• View your documents and receipts (e.g., account change notices, bills, recent orders, etc.)

We’re sorry to see you go.  However, if you decide to cancel your Verizon Wireless service, keep in mind:

• Cancellations aren't effective on the day you call us to cancel, but on the last day of the billing period in which you cancel. For example, your billing period is Oct 19-Nov 18. You call us  Oct 20 to cancel your service. You’re still responsible for paying for your service through Nov. 18. Your “Nov 18” bill won’t have service charges on it for the next billing period (Nov 19-Dec 18).
• Because  we can’t always process service usage right away, you may get extra bills. To pay a bill after you cancel service, visit our Sign in for Disconnected Accounts page, which is available up to 6 months after canceling. If it's been more than 6 months, visit the Pay My Bill website.
• If you have a device payment agreement,  your remaining balance is charged on your next bill.
• If you have a buy one, get one (BOGO) promotion, the bill credits for the “free” device are discontinued and you’re charged the remaining balance of the device payment agreement for both devices.
• If you bought your wireless device from an authorized agent or third–party vendor, check whether thate third-party charges a separate termination fee.

Let's say for example that your billing period is Oct 19-Nov 18. You call us to cancel your service on Oct 20:

• You’re still responsible for paying for your current billing period's plan service through Nov. 18.
• However, you already paid for your Oct 19-Nov 18 billing period on your last bill (Your “Oct 18” bill)
• When your “Nov 18” bill comes, it won’t have service charges on it for the next billing period (Nov 19-Dec 18). It only includes any credits we owe you or extra charges you incurred during your final billing period.