Verizon Smart Rewards program requires ad tracking opt in

Verizon has launched a new rewards program to help encourage users to do things like pay bills and sign up for new Verizon services. The idea is that each time you pay your bill on time or up your data plan, you will be given a specific number of reward points that can later be redeemed for gift cards.

On the surface, this sounds like a pretty good deal, but reports indicate that in the fine print Verizon Smart Rewards also requires users to opt into Verizon Selects. If users don't realize that opt in is required, they may not realize that by default location data and web surfing data is tracked by Verizon.

Verizon uses that data to target the ads people see on their smartphones. The good news is that you can leave Verizon Selects and still use Smart Rewards after signing up, but you will lose the extra rewards points you get for enrolling in Verizon Selects.