Cell Service Offers $20 Credit After Widespread Wireless Outage

Verizon announced Thursday that it will issue a $20 account credit to customers affected by a widespread wireless outage that disrupted service across much of the United States earlier this week, leaving millions without reliable phone, text, or data access for hours.

The outage began late Wednesday morning and quickly escalated into a nationwide disruption, with customers reporting loss of service in major cities and suburban areas alike. Many users said their phones displayed “SOS” or “SOS only,” signaling that normal cellular service was unavailable and that only emergency calls might go through. Complaints flooded outage-tracking websites and social media platforms throughout the day as the disruption stretched into the evening.

“Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves,” Verizon said in a statement. “To help provide some relief to those affected, we will give you a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging into the myVerizon app. You will receive a text message when the credit is available. On average, this covers multiple days of service. Business customers will be contacted directly about their credits.”

“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.” They added, “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.”

Reports of the outage began shortly before noon Eastern Time and peaked within hours. According to user reports, customers across the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West Coast experienced issues ranging from dropped calls to complete loss of connectivity. Major metropolitan areas including New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. were among the hardest hit.

Users reported being unable to contact family members, conduct business, access navigation apps, or receive verification codes needed for banking and work-related logins. Some local governments issued advisories encouraging residents to use landlines or alternative carriers if they needed to contact emergency services during the outage.

Service was largely restored by late Wednesday night, though some customers said they continued to experience spotty connectivity into Thursday morning.

Verizon said affected customers will be notified directly when their $20 credit becomes available. The company instructed customers to log into the myVerizon app to claim the credit once notified, while business customers will receive information separately.

The company did not provide a detailed technical explanation for the outage but indicated that it was related to an internal network issue rather than a cyberattack. Verizon also encouraged customers still experiencing issues to restart their devices to reconnect to the network.

While Verizon stressed that the credit was not intended to fully compensate customers for the disruption, it framed the move as part of its commitment to accountability and customer service.

The scale of the outage has also drawn the attention of federal regulators. The Federal Communications Commission said it is reviewing the incident to better understand how the disruption occurred and whether additional safeguards or reporting requirements may be necessary.

Large-scale outages raise concerns beyond consumer inconvenience, particularly when they affect access to emergency services. FCC officials have previously emphasized that reliable communication infrastructure is critical to public safety, especially during emergencies or natural disasters.