Latest news with #VisibleInnerCircle
Phone Arena
11 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Visible launches Inner Circle for flexible group savings without the family plan rules
Visible, Verizon's digital-first wireless brand, is officially launching a new way for people to share savings without the restrictions of traditional family plans. Starting August 21, the new program, called Visible Inner Circle, will let customers link their wireless accounts with up to six others while keeping full control over their own lines, payments, and plan choices. The launch follows a short trial announced last week, where a small number of customers were invited to test Inner Circle. As we reported at the time, it was the carrier's closest alternative to a family plan, and early feedback showed strong interest from people who wanted group savings without the shared billing. Unlike traditional family plans that require one primary account holder and a single bill, Inner Circle allows each member to pay separately and adjust their plan without affecting others. This makes it easier for groups like college roommates, friends, or extended families to save together without the usual coordination issues. David Kim, Chief Revenue Officer at Verizon Value, said the program reflects the reality that "meaningful connections come in all forms" and that wireless service should adapt to customers' lives. It also recognizes that not every household has a single bill payer or fits a standard family plan setup. Key features of Inner Circle include: Savings: Up to 7 people can join for $25/month on the Visible plan with unlimited 5G data. Premium plan users (Visible+ or Visible+ Pro) can save $5/month with at least two members in the group. Independent accounts: No primary account holder. Everyone manages their own service and payments. Flexible membership: Groups can be made up of anyone. Members can leave or join anytime without disrupting others' service. Privacy safeguards: Personal details stay private, with members choosing what to share. Premium coverage: All plans use Verizon 's nationwide network, with premium options including 5G Ultra Wideband access. Visible launches 'Inner Circle.' | Image credit — Visible/Verizon Compared to group plans from T-Mobile or AT&T, Inner Circle offers similar shared savings but without tying everyone to one bill. That could make it appealing for people who value independence, though it may not match the absolute lowest rates offered by some traditional family plans for large households. As a Visible customer, I can already see how this plan will benefit me by adding the accounts of my "adult children" and saving some money in the process. If the idea of this plan works as planned, it could challenge the idea that shared wireless savings require one person to manage everything — a change that could benefit anyone looking for both savings and control.
Tom's Guide
13 hours ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Forget Verizon — one of my favorite cheap carriers is bringing back family plans
As the person responsible for evaluating the best phone carriers at Tom's Guide, I find that there's a lot to like about Visible, the Verizon-owned wireless service that offers lower-cost coverage on its parent company's network. But if there's a knock against Visible, it's the carrier's lack of family plans offering discounted rates when you add more lines. That's about to change later this month, as Visible announced a new Inner Circle program that allows groups of people to save money on their monthly cell phone bills. Best of all, the people included in your Inner Circle plan don't even need to be family members — anyone can link together their Visible data plans and reap the benefits of lower rates. Starting August 21, customers can pool together up to seven lines at Visible on a single account, with Visible offering discounts on its two premium plans for accounts with two or more people. With Visible Inner Circle, you can save $5 on the cost of either a Visible Plus or Visible Plus Pro plan, two unlimited data offerings that normally cost $35 and $45 a month, respectively. The standard Visible unlimited data plan keeps its $25/month cost, even on Inner Circle plans. Regular monthly cost Monthly cost with 2 or more Visible Inner Circle accounts Plan details Visible plan $25 $25 Unlimited data Visible Plus plan $35 $30 Unlimited data with no speed caps, fastest 5G service Visible Plus Pro plan $45 $40 Unlimited data with no speed caps, fastest 5G service, 4k video streaming The potential to lower the price of the Visible Plus plan via Visible's new family plan offering seems especially intriguing, since I consider Visible Plus to be the best unlimited data plan you can get right now. The regular $35 rate is already pretty low for unlimited data — it's a fraction of what you'd pay for comparable plans at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — and Visible stopped putting a cap on the amount of high-speed data you can enjoy with Visible Plus. Even modest savings of $5/month through Visible Inner Circle make a great plan already more appealing. Visible says that Inner Circle members can mix and match different plans. In this scenario, I could have three other people in an Inner Circle group, with one of us subscribed to the standard plan, while two others pay for Visible Plus and the fourth signs up for Visible Plus Pro. The first person would pay $25/month, the Visible Plus subscribers would pay $30 each for their service, and the Visible Plus Pro subscriber would pay $40. Visible Inner Circle family plans: Available August 21 @ VisibleStarting August 21, you'll be able to pool up to seven different lines of data in an account, with $5 monthly discounts on Visible Plus (normally $35) and Visible Plus Pro (normally $45) unlimited data plans. Each account can handle its own billing and manage its own account, giving you greater flexibility than more traditional family plans. Besides the discounted rates, the other noteworthy thing about Visible Inner Circle is the ability to add anyone — not just family members — to your family plan. That means anyone from roommates to distant relatives can pool their wireless plans together. Even though the accounts are connected, billing can be assigned separately, with each member of your Inner Circle responsible for their own plan. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It all sounds very similar to the old Visible Party Pay program the carrier offered half a dozen years ago, where accounts could be grouped together for significant discounts. Visible dropped its Party Pay program as it expanded to offer more plan options, so it's good to see a similar program return, even if the per-line discounts are more modest this time around. The ability to create family plans that aren't necessarily restricted to family members will make the new Visible offer appealing to some customers when it debuts next week. That said, the best family cell phone plans I've found offer more significant discounts the more lines you add. For example, a four-line plan at Total Wireless — another Verizon-owned carrier — reduces the per-line cost of unlimited data to $27.50, totaling $110 per month. Still, in this day and age, flexibility counts for a lot, and Visible's soon-to-launch Inner Circle program certainly offers that to a wider audience than just immediate family members.
Business Wire
19 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Visible Reimagines Traditional Family Plans with the Launch of Visible Inner Circle
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visible, Verizon's digital-first wireless brand, is launching Visible Inner Circle, a groundbreaking wireless offering that transforms how people connect, pay and save on wireless service. Beginning August 21, Inner Circle will allow Visible customers to connect their wireless accounts with up to six other people, saving on their premium plans and offering new payment flexibility, while maintaining complete control over their individual lines and privacy. "Visible Inner Circle embodies the philosophy that wireless service should flex with our customers' lives, not the other way around," said David Kim, Chief Revenue Officer at Verizon Value. Share Today's families and social circles don't always fit the mold of traditional wireless family plan structures. People need flexibility that matches how they live and connect. Traditional family plans can create coordination headaches: one person holds financial responsibility for everyone, plan changes affect the entire group, and leaving means disrupting others. These rigid structures are not built for roommates, chosen family, or groups of people who value financial independence. Visible Inner Circle eliminates these pain points by allowing customers to connect wireless accounts without having to be on a single bill. Each member manages their own account independently, with no primary account holder requirement and no need to coordinate payments or plan changes with others. Inner Circle allows group savings with individual freedom, meaning users can enjoy many of the same advantages as a family plan, including potential savings, without sacrificing personal control or privacy. "We recognize that most carriers are still trying to force everyone into a one-size-fits-all family plan model," said David Kim, Chief Revenue Officer at Verizon Value. "Visible Inner Circle embodies the philosophy that wireless service should flex with our customers' lives, not the other way around. From college friends to multigenerational families, Inner Circle knows meaningful connections come in all forms and helps members unlock and hack savings that traditional carriers don't offer, making premium wireless more accessible to more people in more places." Key features of Visible Inner Circle include: Savings that Scale: Up to 7 members can join for $25/month on the Visible plan with unlimited 5G data. Those choosing premium plans (Visible+ or Visible+ Pro) can save $5/month off our standard rates when part of a Circle with 2 or more members. Complete Autonomy: Connect accounts without connecting payments – each member maintains full control over their individual service and account decisions, including how each member pays for their service. Flexible Circles: Create your Inner Circle with anyone – friends, family, neighbors, or roommates. No traditional family structure required. Ultimate Flexibility: Mix and match your plans. Leave, change, or switch anytime with no strings attached. Members can join or leave without disrupting wireless service for others. Personalized Payments: Choose who you want to pay for right from your App. Privacy First: Connect accounts while keeping your personal information private. Members control what details they share within their Inner Circle. Premium Network: All plans are powered by Verizon's nationwide network. Our Visible+ and Visible+ Pro plans offer a premium network experience with unlimited data, talk, and text, plus access to Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network for premium plan subscribers. Visible Inner Circle launches August 21 and will be available at and through the Visible app. About Visible Visible is Verizon's digital-first wireless service, offering unlimited data, messages, minutes, and hotspot, powered by Verizon, 5G included. On a mission to dramatically change the wireless service experience, Visible has been named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list and has been named "Best Telecom Brand" in Adweek's Challenger Brand Awards. Known for its commitment to giving back to the community it serves, Visible's social impact platform, Connection Protection, offers three months of wireless service to eligible members at no cost to ensure those who get laid off won't lose their wireless plan, too. Visible is a division of Verizon and powered by Verizon's award-winning networks. For more information, visit or search for our service in the App Store or the Play Store.
Phone Arena
3 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Visible Wireless tests "Inner Circle" as a near-family plan alternative
Visible, Verizon's budget-focused prepaid brand, is trying out something new that could bring it closer to offering a family plan. The feature, called "Visible Inner Circle," appeared in a Reddit announcement offering early access. The sign-up window has already closed, suggesting only a limited number of people were able to join this test. The company shared limited details, including that Inner Circle would allow multiple (existing) accounts to be linked together. Additionally, these would have a shared discount of $5 a would be a big change for Visible, which has always kept things simple with single-line, no-contract service offering unlimited talk, text, and data. This is what the company shared are the benefits of this plan: Group or family plans are a proven way for carriers to keep customers for longer and encourage people to add more lines. Other prepaid providers, like Mint Mobile and Cricket Wireless, already give notable discounts for multiple lines. Mint's multi-month deals can lower costs to under $20 per line, while Cricket offers up to $100 in monthly savings when four lines share an account. Visible has tried something similar before. Its "Party Pay" program allowed customers to group up with others, even if they weren't family, to lower their bills. However, Party Pay was shut down in 2022, leaving only standard single-line pricing. Inner Circle appears to be the first real replacement for that idea, though it's not yet clear how it will work. If Inner Circle can keep Visible's straightforward approach while adding multi-line flexibility, it could appeal to families or groups looking for a low-cost way to get Verizon 's coverage. The challenge will be keeping the service simple while adding more features. Visible's popularity has always been tied to its clear pricing, no hidden fees, and unlimited data without complicated plan tiers. Adding multi-line support also means more work on the backend. Managing shared billing, permissions, and multiple accounts requires more infrastructure, which can be tricky for a prepaid service. This test run will likely help Visible figure out if it can scale the idea without adding complexity that customers don't want. For people who want budget pricing and reliable coverage, Inner Circle could be worth watching. It may help Visible compete more directly with other prepaid brands that already reward customers for adding lines. But if the benefits are small or the savings don't match competitors, it could struggle to stand out. For now, only early testers know exactly how it works. If Visible decides to expand the program, it could be one of the brand's biggest plan changes in years.
