Overview
- Verizon now delays unlocking by 35 days when device balances are paid online, in the My Verizon app, by phone, at authorized retailers, or with Verizon gift cards.
- Near‑immediate unlocks, typically within 24 hours, apply only to payments made at corporate Verizon stores using cash, EMV chip credit cards, or contactless options like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Reporting notes Verizon quietly broadened the 35‑day language around February 10 while keeping a January 27 effective date, prompting confusion over when the change took effect.
- The rules complicate travel, resale, and carrier switching, and only corporate‑owned stores qualify for quick unlocks, which are reported to be a minority of locations (about 20%).
- Devices paid off on schedule via monthly installments still unlock automatically after the final payment, but early payoffs trigger the 35‑day window, and prepaid phones remain locked for 365 days of paid, active service.