Verizon Up Rewards was a loyalty program offered by Verizon that allowed customers to earn rewards and get discounts on products and services. The program launched in 2017 but was discontinued in 2022, much to the disappointment of many Verizon customers who enjoyed the perks and benefits.
How Verizon Up Rewards Worked
Verizon Up Rewards worked by giving members points for purchases and actions. For example:
- Customers earned 10 points for every $1 spent on eligible Verizon bills and purchases.
- Points were earned for doing activities like enrolling in autopay, paperless billing, referring friends, and more.
- Points could be redeemed in the Up rewards mall for gift cards, accessories, device discounts, and more.
- There were different membership levels that unlocked better perks and bigger discounts as you earned more points.
So in essence, the program rewarded loyal Verizon customers with points that translated into tangible rewards. Many customers loved the feeling of getting money off their bill or earning rewards just for being a Verizon user.
Why Verizon Discontinued Up Rewards
In an email to customers in December 2021, Verizon announced that they would be sunsetting the Up rewards program on January 31, 2022. The reason given for ending the loyalty program was to focus on new initiatives to better serve customers.
While no other official reasons were provided, some possible explanations for why Verizon may have axed Up Rewards include:
- The costs were too high to maintain the program. Providing discounts and rewards cuts into profits.
- It was too complex managing multiple loyalty programs, since Verizon also has a separate business rewards program.
- The company didn’t see the desired level of ROI or engagement from customers.
- The rewards may have been too generous and not sustainable long-term.
- Verizon decided to invest resources into other customer benefits instead.
While disappointing for many customers, ending the Up program likely came down to a business decision by Verizon leadership to eliminate an initiative that wasn’t panning out as hoped.
How Customers Reacted
As you would expect, the response from Verizon customers to Up Rewards being discontinued was overwhelmingly negative. Some of the complaints and frustrations voiced by customers included:
- Anger and disappointment over losing the rewards they enjoyed.
- Feeling like the program was canceled too suddenly without enough notice.
- No longer feeling like a loyal, valued customer without the incentives.
- Frustration over having thousands of unused points that were forfeited.
- Confusion around the reasoning since Verizon was still profitable.
- Switching providers since there was no longer a loyalty incentive to stay.
Many customers hated to lose the feeling of being rewarded each month through bill credits and other perks. The loss of discounts also negatively impacted family budgets relying on the savings. Overall, reaction on social media and forums was very anti-Verizon after Up Rewards ended.
Examples of Upset Customers
Here are some direct quotes from former Verizon Up members expressing their disappointment over losing the rewards program:
“I saved up my points for a year to get a free phone upgrade, and now Verizon is taking the program away and I lost all those points I was looking forward to using. Not happy at all.”
“My family switched to Verizon specifically for the rewards program since we have 5 lines. Now it feels like a bait and switch getting us as customers then dropping the rewards.”
“I had over 25,000 points I was accumulating to save up for something big. All that time and loyalty for nothing. Feel like I wasted time staying with Verizon now.”
“Up rewards was the only thing keeping me with Verizon. Their prices weren’t the lowest but I stayed for the perks. Removing the program means I no longer have a reason not to switch.”
These quotes demonstrate how angry and letdown many customers felt when the program abruptly ended despite their loyalty and commitment to accumulating rewards points. It left a very negative impression on them of the Verizon brand.
Attempts to Replace Up Rewards
After receiving backlash over ending Up Rewards, Verizon tried softening the blow by offering existing members a one-time credit based on their reward balance. For example, a customer with a 50,000 point balance would get a $250 credit added to their bill. This was Verizon’s attempt to compensate customers holding points when the program shut down.
Verizon also emphasized that their existing device dollars and trade-in offers would still be available to provide savings when upgrading devices. However, without the ongoing rewards these other programs were seen as poor substitutes by most customers.
Later in 2022 Verizon launched a new initiative called Verizon Visa Card Upwards. This new Visa credit card offers cash back rewards when making purchases. Customers can earn Verizon Dollars to redeem for bill credit or accessories. However, the program is structured very differently from Up Rewards and has failed to appease most customers.
Ongoing Desire for Loyalty Rewards
Despite Verizon’s attempts to soften the loss of Up Rewards, customers continue to express a strong desire for a loyalty program that provides ongoing incentives and discounts. Without this, many feel they have lost a tangible benefit of staying with Verizon and have one less reason to not switch carriers.
Verizon competitors like T-Mobile and AT&T still maintain popular rewards programs, making their offerings more enticing to switchers. For Verizon to attract and retain subscribers in today’s competitive wireless market, bringing back some form of loyalty program may be a smart strategy.
Here are some of the common requests still seen from customers who want rewards back from Verizon:
- Bring back monthly bill credits based on tenure or amount spent
- Rewards for referrals and enrolling in services like autopay
- Points-based system to earn over time and redeem for discounts
- Unlock better perks and offers at higher membership tiers
- Loyalty gifts or free upgrades after years of service
While costly, some form of ongoing loyalty incentives could win back many disgruntled customers and incentivize staying with Verizon long-term once again.
Conclusion
The Verizon Up Rewards program generated passion and engagement from customers who loved the feeling of being rewarded for their loyalty. Its abrupt end left members feeling betrayed and angry at having benefits taken away.
For a time, the program was an innovative model for wireless carriers to foster loyalty in today’s competitive market. However the costs and complexity ultimately led Verizon to shift focus to other initiatives.
The loss of Up Rewards has been a major blow to customer satisfaction and the Verizon brand. Rivals continue offering robust rewards programs, incentivizing switching. Verizon still struggles meeting customer demands for a new loyalty program to replace Up Rewards.
Unless Verizon finds a way to bring incentives back in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, they will likely continue to battle the negative effects of ending a once-popular customer rewards program.