Verizon Tiered Data Plan Starts Oct. 28, Runs Through Holidays

Verizon Wireless will offer a 150MB smartphone data plan for $15 per month starting Oct. 28, a source with knowledge of the plans confirmed Monday.

The tiered pricing option is part of a holiday promotion and will continue through December, the source said.

Verizon's $29.99 unlimited monthly data plan will still be available.

News of the new data plans first surfaced Monday morning on Engadget. The blog said users on the $15 data plan will incur $0.01 overage charges for every additional MB consumed. It also said Verizon will ditch its $9.99 25MB option for feature phones but keep the $1.99 "pay as you go" per MB plan.

Last week, Verizon announced that it would start selling the Wi-Fi version of Apple's iPad at its retail locations starting Oct. 28. The tablets will be bundled with the Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot in pricing packages that range from $629.99 to $829.99.

Users can purchase 1GB of data for $20, 3GB of data for $35, or 5GB for $50, according to a FAQ about the iPad promotion. Users on the 1GB plan will be charged $20 for each extra gigabyte they consume, while those on the 3GB and 5GB will be charged a $10 overage per gigabyte. Engadget said Tuesday that Verizon will also offer 10GB for $80, also with a $10 overage fee.

For MiFi, FiveSpot, and integrated notebook and netbook modem owners, Verizon will offer 5GB for $50 and 10GB for $80, with $10 overages per gigabyte, Engadget said. USB modem prices will stay the same.

In June, AT&T revamped its data plans and introduced two tiered pricing plans: 200MB for $15 per month and 2GB for $25 per month. Tethering is also available for $20 per month. Existing customers with unlimited data plans, however, can keep them for now.