Verizon intros prepaid plans for smartphone, Jetpack hot spot

Verizon will launch an $80 off-contract plan for a single phone -- the Samsung Illusion -- and for its 4G LTE Jetpack hot spot.

by Jessica Dolcourt

April 30, 2012 10:50 AM PDT Follow @jdolcourt

The face of Verizon's new plan, the Samsung Illusion.

(Credit: Samsung)

Starting May 1, Verizon is offering a new prepaid cell phone plan...starting with a single phone.

The Android -based Samsung Illusion will be the first (and right now, only) phone eligible for Big Red's $80 prepaid plan, a monthly bundle that includes unlimited talk and text, and 1GB of mobile data.

You can pick up the Samsung Illusion online or at Verizon stores for $169.99, and in a few weeks from Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, and Walmart.

Verizon isn't stopping at smartphones. It's also introducing prepaid plans for the Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L. There are more options for the Jetpack hot spot, whose rates include $15 for 250 MB of data weekly, to $60 for 3GB of data per month, to a monthly high of $90 for 10GB.

Just like the Illusion, the prepaid Jetpack 4G LTE hotspot goes on sale tomorrow in Verizon stores, and in the coming weeks at Best Buy, RadioShack, and Walmart (but not Target.) It'll cost $129.99.