Technologies

Did Verizon Toss Your Loyalty Discount? You Might See Higher Bills in September

The carrier’s three-year price lock doesn’t apply to its latest fee increases, which means higher monthly bills for many customers.

Loyalty works both ways, and Verizon is about to discover whether its longtime subscribers will stick with the mobile carrier after it ends some loyalty discounts. Verizon is also hiking administrative fees, which aren’t included in the base prices of many plans. As everything else gets more expensive, Verizon customers are likely to be hit with incrementally higher bills.

Loyalty discounts disappearing… and returning?

Commenters in Verizon forums on Reddit last week shared notifications from Verizon that their existing loyalty discounts would be discontinued as of Sept. 1. Some customers report the removal of a $25 discount for having multiple lines on an account, while others are seeing the disappearance of $10 and $15 loyalty discounts. Current discounts with a future expiration date will apparently be honored beyond Sept. 1.

When CNET contacted a Verizon representative, we received a statement circulated to other outlets: «A small number of customers have been contacted about expirations to legacy discounts on their mobile accounts,» it reads.

It’s difficult to tell how many discounts are being removed. In fact, Verizon started offering some new loyalty deals recently. As reported by Droid Life, some customers are now seeing fresh offers when they request a transfer PIN to port their number to a different provider.

Read more: Is it time to look for another phone plan? We have suggestions.

Costlier administrative, tablet and activation fees

The removal of loyalty discounts will affect some Verizon customers, but a separate change will be more widespread: The company is increasing its Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge fees, a set of additional monthly expenses that are added to plans. These same fees were quietly raised in December 2024.

The Administrative fee increases to $3.78 from $3.50 for each line used for voice calling, which is most smartphones. For data-only plans, such as those covering cellular-enabled tablets, the price climbs to $3.97 per line from $1.60. The Telco Recovery Charge for voice-capable devices increases to $0.21 per line from $0.19.

Verizon’s statement also addresses these fees: «From time to time, we review and make adjustments to the wireless Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge that helps recover some of Verizon’s administrative and telco expenses and costs of complying with regulatory requirements,» it reads. «The majority of Verizon customers will see an increase of less than 30 cents per line. This is not a price plan increase.»

Earlier this year, Verizon introduced a three-year price lock on its MyPlan that applies to the cost of each plan, but doesn’t include taxes and fees. So even though the base price of the plan remains constant, your bill will be higher.

T-Mobile also recently announced increases to the same fees, which have more impact now that all the company’s current plans charge fees and taxes separately. Previously, taxes and fees were included in T-Mobile’s monthly plan prices.

In addition to the increases already mentioned, Verizon is boosting the fee for tablet-only plans by $5 a month, and activation fees are now $40 instead of $35.

These pricing changes come against the backdrop of the carrier’s struggles. In June, Verizon introduced a new AI-centered customer service overhaul, the same week that rival T-Mobile announced it had supplanted Verizon as the best mobile network in the US (a claim Verizon disputes due to the methodology of the testing involved).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

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A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.