When you think of wireless carriers in the United States, Verizon is probably still one of the first names that comes to mind. But even big names aren’t immune to competition.
New data shows that nearly 300,000 customers left Verizon during the first three months of 2025.
What could be behind the drop?
Verizon lost 289,000 subscribers in Q1 2025, which is double the number it lost this same time last year. While that might seem shocking, the writing’s been on the wall for a while now.
T-Mobile and other competitors have been putting serious pressure on Verizon with cheaper plans, faster data, and extra perks. In some places, Verizon’s 5G isn’t even keeping up.
Verizon’s CEO pointed to government changes, too, saying some of the loss may be due to spending cuts under the new administration, which hit contracts with departments like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
And then there’s pricing. Customers are fed up with Verizon raising fees and prices on plans, insurance, and even basic features. And if tariffs increase the cost of equipment, Verizon says that cost is on you, not it.
Still, the company is trying to clean things up. It’s now offering a three-year price lock guarantee and says it’s working on better plan features. Whether it’ll be enough to stop the exodus remains to be seen.
So, should you leave too?
That depends. If you’re happy with your Verizon service and the price feels worth it, no need to panic. But if your bill keeps creeping up while your signal stays mid at best, it might be time to compare plans.
T-Mobile and others are offering better speeds in some cities, and price locks are starting to become more common.
In short: check your options. Loyalty is great, but not if it means paying more for less.
What people are saying
In the comments of a Reddit post on r/verizon announcing the news, users’ opinions varied greatly.
“Good. They deserve it and hope hundreds of thousands more leave. Maybe then Verizon will stop nickel and penny squeezing customers every few months,” wrote one disgruntled commenter. “But knowing the [expletive] corporate suits and their greed dumb[expletive] minds, they’ll just increase fees again to make up for lost customers. Like they have before.”
Another chimed in, “I was wondering why they are sweetening then deals lately lol.”
“Not totally surprising. While I have remained a loyal VZW customer for decades, T-mo provides much faster data speeds here, it’s not even close,” shared a third. “I used to pay a premium price for premium service, now I pay a premium price for worse 5G connectivity (major metropolitan area and we still have tons of cell sites which are LTE only with slow backhaul).”
“I just moved to Verizon and I love it,” wrote another. “I’m sorry it’s not what you wanna hear.”
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