Verizon's $20 Credit Is Available for You to Claim Following Major Outage (Live Updates)

Customers of Visible, which is a Verizon-owned virtual operator, are also receiving a credit following Wednesday's outage. According to Reddit reports found by CNET's sibling site Lifehacker, Visible customers are getting texts informing them that a $5 credit being issued in response to the outage. Other users on the Reddit thread report receiving the credit after messaging customer service.

The only indication Verizon has given for the cause of Wednesday's outage is that it was "a software issue."

Not exactly an in-depth explanation.

Until we learn more, we've reached out to telecom experts to get their takes on what happened behind the scenes, based on what they've observed from the outside. For example, why were some customers affected while others on the same accounts were not? And why did it take so long for the problem to be resolved? 

We've updated our story exploring the causes here: Verizon Outage Caused by Software Issue, but Details Still Elusive

Following the disruptive outage on Wednesday, Verizon began sending alerts to customers late Thursday and into Friday that the $20 credit is available to claim in the My Verizon app. Affected customers will need to access the app to claim the money.

Verizon hasn't yet offered a cause for Wednesday's outage, which knocked out cell service for possibly around 2 million customers, although the company acknowledged it was due to a software issue and not a "cybersecurity incident."

Looking at the timing and nature of which devices were affected, however, telecommunications analyst Roger Entner has an idea of the disruption's culprit...

Read more: 'Fat Fingers' May Have Caused Verizon's Network Outage According to Analyst

The consequences of yesterday's Verizon network outage are still being felt as people reboot their phones and devices out of SOS mode to reconnect to the wireless provider. Downdetector shared that around 2 million Verizon customers were without service, yet that data was only from people who reported it. That means the outage likely affected many more people.

Verizon hasn't disclosed how many of its subscribers lost service, but a network analyst says it's huge.

Cisco ThousandEyes, a data and analytics company focused on networks and infrastructure, told USA Today that Verizon's outage was "one of the most significant nationwide connectivity interruptions in recent memory."

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has told Reuters that the government agency will be reviewing what happened with the Verizon outage, "and take appropriate action." Reuters also reported Commissioner Anna Gomez saying she would ask the FCC to investigate what happened.

"The FCC is continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation to determine next steps," an FCC spokesperson told CNET.

It follows New York State Assembly member Anil Beephan sending a letter on Wednesday asking the FCC to look into the outage.

In the aftermath of the Verizon outage, the company announced on X that it will give customers a $20 account credit. To redeem the credit, customers will need to log into the My Verizon app.

"This credit isn't meant to make up for what happened," the post reads in part. "No credit really can. But it's a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us."

Coincidence? Probably. But on Thursday, just hours after Verizon said the outage had been resolved, consumer insights company J.D. Power released its 2026 US Wireless Network Quality Performance study, which breaks down its results into a half-dozen regional rankings. (The study was conducted between June and November of last year.) On the whole, quality seemed pretty reliable.

"Major carriers are delivering consistent performance, keeping the average overall problems per 100 uses steady at or below 9 over the past year," Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power, said in a statement.

Across the regions, T-Mobile more often than not edged out Verizon with a slightly better ranking or was tied with Verizon. 

While the outage may have affected around 2 million Verizon customers at its peak, Downdetector currently suggests (as of 01:45 a.m. PT) that only a few hundred people may still be seeing service disruption. That's a relative drop in the ocean, and Verizon's own website continues to advise those still affected to restart their phones to reconnect to the network.

While the company has yet to make a statement about the cause of the outage, it has said that there's no evidence of a cyberattack and has confirmed that account credits will be issued to affected customers.

Verizon said late Wednesday that it had resolved a service outage that lasted more than 8 hours, impacting some 2 million customers.

"The outage has been resolved. If customers are still having an issue, we encourage them to restart their devices to reconnect to the network," Verizon said in a statement. "For those affected, we will provide account credits. Details will be shared directly with customers. We sincerely apologize for the disruption."

The company didn't reveal the cause of the outage.

Whether it be a professional team, collegiate or high school, the Verizon outage that began Wednesday morning has caused issues for sports. The New Jersey Devils posted on X that NHL fans should download their e-tickets to their phone while at home for the team's game against the Seattle Kraken. 

"Due to ongoing network outages, we're encouraging all fans to add their tickets to tonight's game to their Apple/Google wallets prior to arriving at the arena to avoid any delays," reads the X post.

The Needham High School girls' hockey team in Massachusetts posted that due to the Verizon outage, game updates would be unavailable during Wednesday's game. Sadly, the Rockets lost to Milton High School.

"Needham played a well fought game vs. a very good Milton team losing 4-2. Goals by Dylan Jewkes and Bella D'Amelio," according to the same post.

New York State Assembly member Anil Beephan sent the Federal Communications Commission a letter on Wednesday asking the agency to investigate Verizon's network outages. In a post on X, Beephan wrote, "Whether caused by internal failures or external interference, these ongoing disruptions pose a serious threat to public safety and to the people we represent. Reliable wireless service is essential for emergency response, public alerts, businesses, and everyday communication."

It's not clear if this is simply a government call-to-action or just an elected official capitalizing on the moment. 

A spokesperson for Verizon just sent CNET the following statement:

"Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry. They expect more from us. 

"We are working non-stop and making progress. Our teams will continue to work through the night until service is restored for all impacted customers. 

"We will make this right - for any customer affected, we will provide account credits and share updates soon."

I mentioned in an earlier post that a phone service outage is an inconvenience for many, but some people get hit harder than others. Scanning through the r/Verizon threads, I'm seeing reports of upset customers who have lost clients because they couldn't be reached or who had to relocate to a friend's or relative's house to do work.

It's also affecting other services. New York City's official emergency notification system warned readers on X earlier Wednesday that the Verizon outage could impact 911 calling, advising them to "call using a device from another carrier, a landline or go to a police/fire station" in an emergency.

Verizon's network outage started impacting people around 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday. The disruption in service has affected customers across the US, including people in New York city, New Jersey, Florida, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The outage was not caused by a cyberattack, according to a report from ABC News. "There is no evidence of a cyberattack," law enforcement sources told ABC.

Customers have taken to social media to share (presumably over Wi-Fi) their frustrations with Verizon's network outage. But you have to wonder how Verizon will respond. CNET's sister site, Mashable, might have a clue.

A Verizon Support account replied to a user about adjusting their bill. "Once service is restored, we can review and adjust based on how long the outage occurs," reports Mashable. The response was signed Sydney.

Obviously, we can't take a single report of a customer service interaction as an indicator for how Verizon is going to respond to this. But seeing how many people were impacted, Verizon's response to the outage might need to be larger than discounted phone bills. That's what happened to PG&E here in the Bay Area during a day-long power outage. Government officials called for PG&E to issue rate cuts.

Although Verizon's outage hit a peak of 178,284 reports during a 15-minute window this morning, the long tail of recovery is still being drawn out. As of 4:06 p.m. PT, Downdetector had received 2 million reports from people affected by the disruption. The Verizon status tracker notes that just under 40,000 people reporting were still without service as of 3:51 p.m. PT.

Keep in mind that Downdetector tracks reports of the outage. The real number of customers affected is likely higher. 

(Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as CNET.) 

Can a sugar rush temporarily distract Verizon customers from the outage? Krispy Kreme Doughnuts says so. The chain posted on its Instagram account that on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. (we're assuming that's the same in whatever time zone you're in), customers can receive a free original glazed doughnut.

"SOS got you down?" the snarky Insta post asks, before explaining the offer and adding, "because some days need a sweet backup plan you can rely on."

Note that numerous commenters report their local Krispy Kreme isn't participating in the offer, so please check with your specific location. Oh, and you don't need to be a Verizon customer, the Krispy Kreme account clarified later in the comments.

According to Downdetector, Verizon's network outage continues to impact customers across the US. Since the start of the outage, Downdetector has now received over 1.5 million reports from people impacted by the loss of service. As of 3:15 p.m. PT, nearly 45,000 customers were reporting no service on Downdetector.

(Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as CNET.) 

A cellular outage, like the one affecting Verizon, is annoying, though usually temporary. But what if you absolutely need to stay in contact without interruption? In the past, we might have suggested carrying multiple phones. Instead, perhaps it's time to consider running two providers' plans on the same phone.

The shift from physical SIM cards to eSIMs, which are just stored in memory, means you can load up a single phone with two or more mobile plans. This is the approach people use when they travel to other countries for local phone and data service, without having to track down a physical card.

You don't need to load up on each company's unlimited phone plans (unless it's critical that you can stream your favorite shows from anywhere). It can be cost-effective to set up a budget-friendly phone plan as a secondary eSIM that offers basic features and high-speed data allowances. 

When an outage hits or you find yourself in an area with spotty coverage from your primary provider, you can switch to the alternate and stay connected.

"T-Mobile's network is keeping our customers connected, and we've confirmed that our network is operating normally and as expected. However due to Verizon's reported outage, our customers may not be able to reach someone with Verizon service at this time," a T-Mobile spokesperson told CNET.

Verizon's network outage has hit several CNET staffers, especially in New Jersey. Managing Editor Josh Goldman reports no Verizon service. CNET editor-at-large Scott Stein is without Verizon service in Montclair, NJ, all the while pondering whether this is "the end of phones."

"My service is also totally borked here in Jersey City, still," said CNET writer Tyler Graham. "Haven't been able to get a call through to my mom today, bleh."

CNET Editor-in-Chief David Katzmaier, who is based in Long Island, NY, shared that his daughter is experiencing dropped calls to her friends. "My teenage daughter just told me, 'When I called my friends today, I just went straight to call failed. But now sometimes it works.'"

The outage is also effecting staff on the west coast. CNET editor Anna Gragert who is based in Los Angles and a Verizon subscriber is also without service.

AT&T took to X to post about Verizon's outage.

"Our network? Solid. If you're experiencing issues, it's not us.....it's the other guys. Some things are just out of our hands! - BUT if you're interested in giving us a try - https://att.com/wireless/free-trial/"

If you're curious about how Verizon's service outage is impacting you or your loved ones, you can check Verizon's network status map.

A portion of Verizon's network crumpled on Wednesday, with up to 175,000 customers seeing "SOS" in their phones' status bars instead of connection bars. Network outages are nothing new, but these days they often don't reach this type of scale.

Unfortunately, when the network is down, there's not a lot you can do to get reconnected -- you have to wait for service to resume. But those three alarming letters on your iPhone can still make anyone anxious.

According to Downdetector, the Verizon outage is getting resolved. If you were affected, you may experience another issue: The "SOS" message could continue to appear even after the network is restored.

Take a look at this story to learn what you can do when your iPhone gets stuck in Emergency SOS mode, even when service is back online.

In the wake of another mobile outage, you might reconsider the role of this home device, once a standard issue but now nearly obsolete: the landline phone. As the precursor to today's iPhones and foldable smartphones, it remains useful today, as mobile outages can leave you stranded without one of your most critical lines of access to the world for hours.

Read more on what to consider when deciding whether to keep (or get) a landline and how to do it.

Verizon is aware of the outage and says that its team is working on a fix, according to a post from X user Verizon News.

"Verizon's team is on the ground actively working to fix today's service issue that is impacting some customers. We know this is a huge inconvenience, and our top priority is to get you back online and connected as fast as possible. We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve this issue."