Verizon Credit for Outage: How to Claim the $20 and Who’s Eligible
Verizon is issuing a one-time $20 account credit after a hours-long wireless outage on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, left many phones stuck in SOS mode and cut off calls, texts, and data. The company has apologized for the disruption and says credits will roll out to impacted customers over the coming days. The cause of the outage has not been disclosed.
What Verizon is offering after the outage
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Amount: $20 account credit as a goodwill gesture.
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Who gets it: Customers identified as impacted by the January 14 outage. Consumer and business lines are included; business accounts are being contacted directly.
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When you’ll see it: Verizon says eligible customers will receive a text message when their credit is ready to accept. Posting of credits may not be immediate for every account.
How to claim your Verizon credit
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Wait for the notification: Verizon will text eligible lines once the credit has been added to your account for acceptance.
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Use the app: Open the myVerizon app (or sign in on the web) with the primary account holder credentials.
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Accept the offer: Look for a banner or alert referencing the $20 outage credit and follow the prompts to apply it.
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Verify on your bill: The credit should appear on an upcoming statement under adjustments/credits. Timing can vary by billing cycle.
Tip: If service is restored but you still have connectivity glitches, a full device restart may help before you attempt to redeem.
Key dates and timeline
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Jan. 14, 2026 (midday–late evening ET): Nationwide outage impacts calling, texting, and data for many users.
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Jan. 15–16, 2026: Apology issued; $20 credit program announced with roll-out via texts to impacted customers.
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Next 1–2 billing cycles: Credits appear on bills once accepted through myVerizon.
Eligibility FAQs
Is this automatic?
Not fully. Verizon is flagging impacted lines and then prompting customers to accept the credit in the app. Watch for the text; without acceptance, the credit may not post.
One credit per account or per line?
Verizon has framed this as an account credit for impacted customers. Whether multiple lines on the same account receive separate credits can depend on how the system marked each line. The text notification will indicate eligibility for the line that receives it.
What about prepaid?
Details for prepaid were not specified in the initial rollout notes. If you’re on prepaid and were impacted, check the app/account and reach out to support if no banner appears.
Business accounts?
Business customers are being contacted directly by Verizon with instructions tailored to their account type.
Do I need proof I was affected?
Verizon is using internal outage data to determine eligibility. If you believe your line was missed, contact support via the app or chat and reference the January 14 outage credit.
What we still don’t know
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Root cause: Verizon has not provided a technical explanation for the failure.
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Exact redemption window: No firm deadline has been publicized; however, credits typically must be accepted within a limited time. Best practice is to redeem as soon as your notification arrives.
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Scope of eligibility across plan types: Some edge cases (e.g., government, wholesale/MVNO arrangements) may have different handling.
Practical steps if you haven’t been notified
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Check the app daily for a credit banner or alerts.
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Restart your phone to clear lingering SOS indicators and enable account notifications.
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Use account chat/call support and ask an agent to review your line(s) for the $20 outage credit tied to January 14, 2026.
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Document the impact (timestamps, failed transactions) in case your account needs manual review.
If you lost service on January 14, you may be eligible for a $20 Verizon credit. Watch for a text from Verizon, accept the offer in the myVerizon app, and confirm it posts to your next bill. The program is meant to acknowledge the disruption; details may continue to evolve as credits propagate through billing systems in the coming days.
