Verizon Wireless offers 'discount' on family plan upgrades

Verizon Wireless (VZ) is looking to prime the holiday shopping pump, and perhaps goose its bottom line, by allowing customers to snag a $10 per month discount on new lines of service added to family plans. To receive the discount those new or upgraded lines will need to be with a smart phone.
The carrier said that beginning Nov. 19 customers either upgrading a current device to a smart phone on a family plan or adding a new line of service with a smart phone to a family plan will receive the $10 per month credit for up to 24 months. The $10 credit is equal to what the carrier charges to add a standard line of service to a family plan.
The catch? Customers will also have to add a $30 per month data plan for each smart phone added to the family plan, though with the discount that total comes to just $20 per month.
Verizon Wireless said the offer will expire on Jan. 7.
The plan appears to be a clever way for the carrier to attract consumers to its contract-required family plans. While consumers upgrading their current lines to a smart phone will not be required to sign a new contract, unless they are looking for a device subsidy, new lines of service will be required to sign a two-year deal, though they will also receive the full device subsidy.
T-Mobile USA earlier this year offered a promotion plan that allowed customers to add lines of service to family plans for free through the end of 2011. However, there was an additional fee per line for data services.