Flippy
Verizon's certification at the very least is free. You just have to mail the phone to their testing labs in California who will then perform the tests necessary. I've contemplated doing this for phones on other projects as a thank you to the team.
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On the flip side, it is possible to use non-certified phones on Verizon but you'll need to drop the sim into a pre-approved phone, make a call, and then swap it to the intended daily driver. Not ideal by any stretch.