Verizon Outage Leaves Customers Without Service for Hours, Prompts $20 Credit | Here’s How to Get Your Share

Tens of thousands of customers nationwide lost cellphone service as Verizon investigates what they say was a software-related outage and rolls out credits to affected users. But $20? For all that pain and suffering?

After leaving tens of thousands of Verizon cellphone customers without service—unable to make or receive calls, and many unable to text—for more than 10 hours on Jan. 14, Verizon announced it would credit affected customers $20 per phone for the inconvenience.

We’ll wait a minute for you to digest that. Actually, let’s wait another 10 hours. Just to relive the fun.

Some Calls Are Worth More Than $20

You couldn’t call your mother in California and FaceTime to show her you had a baby girl. Here’s 20 bucks.

You couldn’t do business on the trading floor because your phone was useless for 10 hours. Eh, here’s 20 bucks.

You’re at the airport. They can’t find your ticket. You’re on the phone with the airline and—then—the call drops. For 10 hours. Oh, sorry. Here’s 20 bucks.

Your grandparent collapses on the kitchen floor and needs to go to the ER. Our apologies. Here’s $20.

WHY Did You Get Rid of that Land Line?

You want to call Verizon to complain, but your Verizon phone is useless, and now you’re kicking yourself for ditching that landline.

Verizon, the largest mobile network in the United States, took a stumble. A big one. Yes, stuff happens. We’re sure AT&T and T-Mobile were high-fiving each other on FaceTime as the outage dragged on.

But how does Verizon not offer more, given that users had no connectivity for much of the day and were left stuck in “SOS” mode (which apparently stands for Save Our Service)?

Where’s the free phone upgrade? The extra free month of service? You can’t even buy a new phone case for $20.

Verizon had to know it was a lame offer. After all, the company positions itself as America’s best and most reliable network.

On its website, Verizon posted a long, rambling statement saying, in part, “Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves.” The company also said the $20 credit, “on average … covers multiple days of service.”

But here’s the kicker—the truth. The statement continues: “This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. (Bingo!) But it’s a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to you.”

So, let’s do the math. Ten hours, $20. That’s $2 an hour—that’s what your time is worth. Below minimum wage, last time we checked.

As for the cause, it’s still unclear. A company spokesperson said Thursday morning Verizon believes it was a software issue. The outage remains under investigation.

How Big Was This Outage?

Verizon has also yet to confirm how many people were affected. According to Downdetector, which tracks reported service failures, more than 178,000 customers were impacted. Other reports suggest the number may have been closer to 1.5 million. If that’s true, the credits would total in the tens of millions—which sounds a little better.

Here’s how to get your big, beautiful $20 credit:
Wait for the text. Verizon says affected customers will receive a text message when the $20 credit is available to claim. If you’re waiting—say, 10 hours—log into the myVerizon app or visit Verizon.com. Look for a banner at the top of the page or a notice in the “Offers” section to accept the credit. If neither appears, contact Verizon customer service or use the online chat for assistance.