Yesterday, Verizon Announces New Plans for Prepaid Phones with lower prices – but thanks to a clever shift of subscription discounts they are not actually become even cheaper. While the published prices on its unlimited and 15 GB prepaid plans are indeed $5 lower, the company will no longer let you pay automatically and loyalty discounts – meaning the lowest price on each plan stays exactly the same.

Here’s how it adds up: The “standard” price on Verizon’s premium prepaid plan, Unlimited Plus, is now $70 per month, down from $75. After the first month, you can get an autopay discount of $10 per month. apply to reduce that cost to $60.

Previously, the autopay discount kicked in after two months and was only $5. But on top of that, you can add a loyalty discount – up to an extra $10 per month after 10 months. That meant you could take an extra $15 off your $75 bill, bringing the price down to… yes, $60, the same as today.

Verizon still offers a $10 loyalty discount on its prepaid plans — it’s $5 after three months and an additional $5 after nine months — but you can no longer combine it with the autopay discount. Verizon may eat its cake and eat it too: The company can say it has lowered prices, but the lowest possible price for each plan remains the same. Oh, wireless carriers. Never change.

On the positive side, all new plans now include calling, texting and data to and from Mexico and Canada. Previously, only the unlimited plans included the use of those services in Mexico and Canada – cheaper plans only included calls and texts sent to those countries from the US. At the very least, this serves as a good reminder to read the fine print when a company says something is going to be cheaper – chances are good shuffling is being done.