Verizon is offering a $20 account credit to customers hit by a nationwide service outage that left millions without voice, text, or data for most of Wednesday.
At a Glance
- Nationwide Verizon outage lasted from early afternoon to after 10 p.m. ET
- Downdetector logged more than 1.5 million user reports during the disruption
- $20 credit will be delivered by text and redeemed in the myVerizon app
- Why it matters: The carrier’s 146 million U.S. wireless customers faced 911 and emergency-alert blackouts, prompting state and federal officials to demand an investigation
The carrier confirmed Thursday that eligible users will receive a text message once the credit is ready and can claim it by signing into the myVerizon app. Business accounts will be contacted directly. Verizon said the amount equals “multiple days of service” for the average bill but acknowledged the sum is symbolic.
“This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. But it’s a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us,” the company posted on X. “We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that you expect from Verizon.”
Verizon first flagged the problem shortly after 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, telling subscribers its engineers were “engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly.” Service was not fully restored until after 10 p.m. ET, when the carrier posted on X that the issue had been resolved.
Customers still seeing connection problems should restart their devices, Verizon added.
The outage drew swift backlash from public-safety officials. New York State Assembly member Anil Beephan Jr. sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brandon Carr demanding an investigation into “ongoing and repeated service outages” upstate.
“These outages have had a significant and unacceptable impact on public safety, including disruptions to reliable access to emergency communication and critical response systems,” Beephan wrote in the letter posted on X. “Residents reported prolonged loss of voice, text, and data service, creating serious concerns regarding their ability to contact 911, receive emergency alerts, and maintain dependable communication during urgent situations.”
FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez said Wednesday evening she was “closely monitoring” the situation and would ask the agency’s consumer and public-safety bureaus to investigate the root cause. The FCC’s main account posted Thursday morning that it is “continuing to actively investigate and monitor the situation to determine next steps.”
Neither the agency nor Verizon immediately responded to inquiries from News Of Fort Worth about what triggered the outage or exactly how many of the carrier’s 146 million U.S. wireless subscribers were affected.
Verizon has previously dealt with notable outages in 2024 and 2025, according to the carrier’s own admissions and regulator statements.
Credit Details
- Amount: $20 per account
- Delivery: Text message notification once available
- Redemption: Log in to myVerizon app
- Business customers: Will be contacted directly
- Timeline: Verizon did not specify when texts will go out
Outage Timeline
| Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| ~1 p.m. Wednesday | Verizon acknowledges issue on X, engineers engaged |
| Throughout afternoon | Downdetector reports spike, topping 1.5 million user complaints |
| After 10 p.m. Wednesday | Verizon declares outage resolved |
| Thursday | Carrier announces $20 credit, FCC officials pledge probes |
Government Response
- State level: Assembly member Beephan requests FCC probe, cites 911 access failures
- Federal level: Commissioner Gomez vows consumer-safety bureau review
- Next steps: FCC says it is “actively investigating” and will determine follow-up actions
Verizon urged patience as it rolls out the credit, reiterating that the sum is “not meant to make up for what happened” but serves as an acknowledgment of the disruption customers faced.
