$20 for Your Troubles: Verizon Offers Account Credits Following Massive 10-Hour Outage

VERIZON OUTAGE UPDATE JAN 15: Verizon restores nationwide service after a massive 10-hour blackout. Learn how to claim your $20 account credit, why phones were stuck in SOS mode, and the latest on the FCC’s investigation into the Jan 14, 2026, network failure.

After a gruelling Wednesday that left millions of Americans in a “digital blackout”, Verizon Communications has officially restored its nationwide network and announced a rare compensatory measure.

As of Thursday morning, January 15, 2026, the telecom giant is offering a $20 account credit to customers impacted by the 10-hour disruption that paralysed mobile and internet services across the United States.

The outage, which peaked yesterday afternoon, saw over 2 million users lose connectivity, with smartphones across major hubs like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago stuck in “SOS” mode for nearly the entire business day.

The “SOS” Crisis: A Day Without Data

The disruption began around 11:55 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 14, and quickly escalated into a public safety concern.

• 911 Impacts: Authorities in D.C. and NYC were forced to issue emergency alerts via social media and local news, urging residents to use landlines or seek out police and fire stations, as many Verizon users were unable to reach emergency dispatchers via cellular signal.
• The “SOS” Phenomenon: For millions, the familiar signal bars were replaced by a haunting “SOS” icon.⁴ This status meant devices could not connect to Verizon’s towers, leaving users unable to text, call, or use mobile data unless connected to a local Wi-Fi network.
• The Scale: Reports on DownDetector surged past 180,000 within the first hour, though internal data suggests the actual number of impacted customers reached into the millions.

Verizon’s Response: “We Let You Down”

By 10:20 p.m. ET last night, Verizon confirmed that the technical issue—the root cause of which remains “under investigation”—had been fully resolved. In a rare display of corporate contrition, the company issued an apology alongside a financial olive branch.

“Today, we let many of our customers down and for that, we are truly sorry,” the company stated in an official release. “To acknowledge the disruption to your day, we are providing a $20 credit to affected accounts, which covers multiple days of service on average.”

Outage Breakdown: Fast Facts

What Customers Need to Do Now

While service is largely back to normal, some “ghost issues” persist for users who haven’t cycled their devices. Verizon engineering teams recommend the following:

1. Restart Your Device: A full power cycle is required to force the phone to re-authenticate with the restored cellular towers.
2. Toggle Airplane Mode: If a restart doesn’t work, toggling Airplane Mode on and off can reset the radio connection.
3. Claim Your Credit: Customers should log into the MyVerizon app or the web portal.¹⁴ A banner is expected to appear for eligible users to “Accept” the $20 credit, which will be applied to the next billing cycle.

FCC Steps In

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already announced a formal review into the incident. The investigation will focus on why the network’s redundancy failed so spectacularly and whether Verizon complied with emergency 911 access regulations during the downtime.