What Does Unlimited Nights & Weekends Mean on Verizon Wireless?
By Kristie Sweet
Verizon Wireless provides wireless voice and data service such as cell phone calling and texting for more than 88 million retail customers, as of the time of publication. Most plans for individuals and families include what Verizon terms "unlimited nights and weekends." This feature can help you save money but it comes with some restrictions.
Definition
Verizon defines "unlimited" as minutes that don't count against the number of minutes you have purchased in your plan package. In other words, if you sign up for 900 minutes a month, any minutes used during the unlimited nights and weekends time period don't get deducted from your available balance. If you have no minutes left in the month, you can still make calls that fit the coverage and time definitions within the unlimited nights and weekends plan.
Coverage Area
The plan includes calls within the nationwide coverage area. International calls including those to Mexico, are not included. Check the coverage area map at the Verizon Wireless site to see if the areas you wish to contact have Verizon service. You can plug in the specific ZIP code through Verizon's website. Portions of Idaho, Nevada, southern Texas, Arizona, California, Washington state and West Virginia, in particular, contain areas without Verizon service.
Hours
Verizon defines the times that fit within the unlimited nights and weekends plan. Unlimited night calling time begins at 9:01 p.m. and ends at 5:59 the next morning. These hours apply weekdays, Monday through Friday. Verizon considers weekend hours to begin at midnight Saturday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The company bases the time upon where you call from. Therefore, if it is 8 p.m. on Wednesday and you call someone who lives where it is two hours later, you will be charged your normal rate.
Other Details
The unlimited night and weekend minutes feature includes network calls, not text messages, international calls or those outside the Verizon network. You must purchase a plan that includes unlimited text messages if you want to include them.
Verizon warns that updating your roaming by dialing *228 can affect which time zone your call originates from. The company bases charges upon the cell site the call goes through, so the time registered may differ from the time on your phone.
References
Writer Bio
Kristie Sweet has been writing professionally since 1982, most recently publishing for various websites on topics like health and wellness, and education. She holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Northern Colorado.