Verizon's Major Service Outage: How Customers Are Being Compensated

Was your phone stuck in SOS mode Wednesday? You weren't alone!

More than 1.5 million outages were reported by Verizon customers on January 14, peaking around 1 p.m., according to reports.

Verizon is now offering a $20 account credit to customers affected by the widespread wireless outage that disrupted service across the U.S.

“Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence our customers expect and that we expect of ourselves," the wireless company said in a statement on January 15. "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. On average, this covers multiple days of service. Business customers will be contacted directly about their credits.”

The company says the credit is meant to acknowledge the inconvenience caused by the interruption, which impacted calling, texting, and data services for hours in some areas.

“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. If customers are still experiencing issues, we encourage them to restart their device to reconnect to the network. 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.”

How to Claim the Credit:

Eligible customers can redeem the $20 credit by logging into the myVerizon app. Verizon is also sending text notifications alerting customers when the credit is available. Once logged in, users should follow the prompts to accept the credit, which will be applied to a future bill.

Verizon says business customers will be contacted directly about their credits.

Why Were Verizon Phones Stuck in SOS?

The outage began Wednesday afternoon, impacting customers nationwide, generating a surge of service complaints. Verizon later confirmed the issue and apologized. Federal officials have indicated the outage was linked to a software-related problem, not a cyberattack.

Verizon says service has since been restored. If you are still experiencing issues, you should restart your devices to reconnect to the network.