Verizon's Network Bluescreens 2M Users: $20 Credit? That's the Cheapest Reboot Ever

On Wednesday, January 15, 2026, Verizon, one of the largest cellular network providers in the US, experienced a massive network outage, affecting over 2 million users across major cities, including New York City, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Houston, with the majority of complaints being filed as "mobile phone issues" or "lack of signal." The outage, categorized as "Very High" by Verizon, prevented users from making phone calls and browsing on cellular networks, with some users defaulting to SOS mode, a common setting when the device no longer has cellular connectivity. As of last night, Verizon confirmed that the issue has been resolved, and as a form of refund, the company is offering $20 in account credits to affected customers, which can be redeemed by logging in to the MyVerizon app, with business users to be contacted directly by Verizon. According to Verizon's statement, "Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves. 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," with affected customers to receive a confirmation text message once the credit is available to use. The outage has significant implications for Verizon's customers, who rely on the network for daily communication and internet access, and the company's prompt response and offer of a refund aim to mitigate the disruption caused by the outage.