Most carriers raised their text messaging charges from 10 to 15 cents in 2006; Sprint raised another 5 cents in 2007 and now Verizon has joined them at 20 cents each.

These seem like excessive increases in a country with 3% inflation but the idea here is to push all but the most casual texters to a monthly plan.     If you send/receive just one text or IM per day, you’ll most likely be better off on a bundled plan.  You can sign up for a bundle when purchasing a new rate plan.  For existing customers of a carrier, contact them directly to change your text messaging plan.