Verizon Wireless has altered how it will handle device upgrades for customers nearing the end of their contract. Moving forward, customers will not be eligible for discounted upgrade pricing until they reach the end of their 24-month contract. Verizon says this is to better help people understand when they are eligible for new device discounts. Verizon says the first customers to be impacted by this change are those whose current contracts expire in January 2014. As always, customers may purchase a new phone at full price any time they want. Customers who still have credits under the New Every Two program need to use them by April 15 (Monday), which is when they expire. Verizon is also changing how upgrades can be applied to different lines on the same account. Verizon says customers can continue to share upgrades with other lines as long as they are in the same device category. For example, a feature phone upgrade on one line can be applied to get a lower price on a smartphone for a second line, but not on a tablet or a mobile hotspot. Verizon said customers will no longer be able to transfer upgrades to non-phone devices.