Why Does Verizon Need to Run a Credit Check?
Verizon may check credit when you open postpaid mobile service, finance a device or order certain Fios services. The reason is simple: Verizon can be providing service or equipment before it has received full payment.
Verizon runs credit checks to measure payment risk when it is extending postpaid service or financing. A postpaid account lets you use service before the bill is fully paid, while a device payment plan can leave Verizon financing hundreds or even more than a thousand dollars of equipment over time.
The check can affect whether you qualify for service or device financing and whether Verizon asks for a deposit, down payment or another payment arrangement.
What Verizon is checking for
With postpaid mobile service, charges are billed after the billing period. Verizon therefore takes on some risk before it receives payment.
If you pay for a phone, tablet or other device in installments, Verizon is extending financing. Credit information can help determine whether the account qualifies.
A credit review can affect whether Verizon requires additional money up front. Its Fios terms specifically allow a deposit or other payment conditions when payment history is insufficient or unknown.
Verizon’s mobile and Fios agreements allow credit information to be reviewed in connection with an existing account, not only at the first order.
Verizon’s current Mobile Customer Agreement says customers opening a postpaid billing account or entering a device-payment agreement authorize Verizon to investigate their credit history in connection with the account, service subscription or financing.
For home internet, Verizon’s Fios Customer Agreement says the company may evaluate credit before providing or modifying service and may obtain a consumer credit report to determine creditworthiness. If you’re deciding whether the product itself is a good fit, our Verizon Fios review covers the fiber service, speeds, availability and customer experience separately from the credit process.
When Verizon may run a credit check
| Situation | Credit check? | What Verizon says |
|---|---|---|
| New postpaid mobile account | Yes, credit review can be part of setup | The Mobile Customer Agreement authorizes Verizon to investigate credit history for postpaid billing accounts. |
| Device installment agreement | Yes | Verizon uses credit information in connection with device-payment eligibility and installment transactions. |
| Transfer a line to another Verizon account | Yes | Verizon says the receiving account owner must pass a soft credit check. Existing customers may also have payment history reviewed. |
| Verizon Fios | May be required | The Fios agreement allows Verizon to evaluate credit before providing or modifying services. |
| Verizon Prepaid mobile | No | Verizon states that Prepaid requires no credit check, deposit or annual contract. |
You can therefore be asked for a credit check even if you are not buying an expensive phone. The postpaid service account itself creates a payment obligation because service is used before the monthly bill is settled.
Does Verizon’s credit check affect your credit score?
Verizon clearly identifies some transactions as soft credit checks. For example, its transfer-of-service page says the receiving account owner must pass a soft check and states that this does not affect the credit score.
Verizon also describes the credit check used in certain Prepaid-to-postpaid offers as a soft check.
However, Verizon’s current public Mobile Customer Agreement and Fios Customer Agreement do not say that every credit inquiry for every new account is universally a soft check. Because the inquiry type can depend on the transaction, read the authorization shown during checkout or ask Verizon before submitting it.
Do not assume “Verizon credit check” always means the same thing. Verizon explicitly labels some checks as soft, but the company’s general customer agreements do not give one universal soft-or-hard rule for every order type.
Can you get Verizon without a credit check?
Yes. Verizon says its Prepaid mobile plans require no credit check, deposit or annual contract because service is paid for before you use it.
Bringing your own device can avoid financing, but a postpaid account can still involve a credit review. Choosing Prepaid is what removes the credit-check requirement.
Verizon previously offered Fios Prepaid without a credit check, but Verizon’s current support page says it is no longer available to new customers.
If you’re comparing wireless home internet with fiber because of setup or account requirements, our guide to 5G home broadband pros and cons explains how fixed wireless differs from a wired service such as Fios.
The bottom line
Verizon runs credit checks because postpaid service and device financing expose the company to payment risk before all of the money is collected. The result can affect account eligibility, device financing, deposits and down payments.
For postpaid mobile and Fios, credit review can be part of opening or changing an account. Verizon Prepaid mobile is different: Verizon says it requires no credit check, deposit or annual contract.
If your main concern is whether a Verizon check will affect your credit score, look at the specific authorization in your order. Verizon explicitly calls some checks soft, but it does not publish one universal inquiry type for every postpaid and Fios transaction.
Verizon credit check FAQs
Why does Verizon need to run a credit check?
Verizon uses credit information to decide whether a customer qualifies for postpaid service, device financing or certain home services and whether a deposit, down payment or other payment condition may be required.
Does a Verizon credit check affect your credit score?
It depends on the specific transaction. Verizon explicitly describes some checks, including transfer-of-service checks, as soft checks that do not affect the credit score. Verizon’s current public agreements do not label every new postpaid or Fios credit inquiry as universally soft or hard, so check the disclosure shown during your order.
Can you get Verizon without a credit check?
Yes for Verizon Prepaid mobile service. Verizon says Prepaid requires no credit check, deposit or annual contract because service is paid for in advance. Verizon Fios Prepaid is no longer available to new customers.
Does Verizon Fios run a credit check?
Verizon’s Fios Customer Agreement says Verizon may evaluate a customer’s credit history before providing or modifying services and may obtain a consumer credit report to determine creditworthiness.
Sources
- Verizon Mobile Customer Agreement — credit authorization for postpaid service and device payment agreements
- Verizon Fios Customer Agreement — credit evaluation and consumer credit report authorization
- Verizon: Checking credit on Verizon — account and device-payment application process
- Verizon: Transfer your service — soft credit check requirement for the receiving account owner
- Verizon Prepaid FAQs — no credit check, deposit or annual contract
- Verizon: Device installment privacy information and credit-history data
- Verizon Fios: Security deposits and refund rules