If you bought a Samsung Galaxy phone from Verizon on one of its installment plans, you'd think it would be possible to unlock it immediately after paying off the balance early. That's not the case.
Verizon has made some changes to its unlock policy. It has now put a 35-day waiting period in place for all devices that are paid off ahead of schedule, including those from Samsung.
Policy changed to prevent fraud
It's not uncommon for people to buy a phone on a carrier and then pay off the balance early to unlock it, which then makes it possible for that device to be used on any other network.
Verizon has updated its device unlocking policy for postpaid devices. Customers will now have to wait for 35 days after they've paid off their device. The waiting period is triggered when you pay off the device installment plan through the Verizon app, its website, over the phone or even through payments made at Verizon Authorized Retailers.
There's only one option for anybody who wishes to pay off their device early and have it unlocked immediately. They must visit a Verizon corporate store in person and make the required payment. This may not be a very convenient option depending on where you live.
A Verizon spokesperson has said that this 35-day waiting period has been put in place to “prevent fraud.” It was previously limited to payments made through a Verizon Gift Card as the carrier verified the gift card's funds to be certain that they were not obtained fraudulently.
This change only applies to customers who pay off the balance early. If you continue paying the installments your device will be unlocked immediately after the final payment.
The post Want to unlock your Samsung phone on Verizon? There’s now a 35-day wait appeared first on SamMobile.
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