Wanting To Pay Off Your Samsung Galaxy Early? Verizon Says Wait 35 Days

If you’ve been holding out for an easy way to unlock your Samsung phone from Verizon after paying it off early, there’s some frustrating news. Ars Technica reports that Verizon recently updated its device unlocking policy, so many customers will now face a 35-day waiting period before their Galaxy (or any phone) can be unlocked, even after clearing the balance ahead of schedule.

Verizon adds 35-day wait to unlock paid-off Samsung Galaxy phones

The waiting period applies if you pay off your Samsung Galaxy through the Verizon app, on the website, over the phone, or at a Verizon Authorized Retailer. Previously, the delay mostly applied to gift card payments. The only way to avoid the wait is to go to a Verizon corporate store. There, you must use a secure payment method. For example, cash, a credit card with an EMV chip. or contactless payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

As it turns out, this is a big downgrade in convenience for Samsung owners. Early payoffs used to mean you could unlock your phone as soon as the final payment cleared. Now most customers must wait 35 days before taking their Galaxy to another carrier, even if they are simply switching networks. This might be unsettling for some of us.

Verizon says the change is meant to prevent fraud and allow time to verify certain payment types before approving unlocks. But many Galaxy users are skeptical, especially since most payments are made online with standard credit cards.

Adding to the frustration, the policy page still shows an old effective date. This raises questions about whether the rules are being applied retroactively. The shift is also notable given that AT&T and T-Mobile generally offer clearer timelines once a device is paid off.