there are various websites out there to trade your contract to someone else and they just pick up where you left off, and u can avoid the fee that way.
i also heard about this method working a few months ago. verizon changed some of its billing policies, and some thing little like text messages went from 10 up to 15 cents a message. if you call and complain they will let you off after a fight. this was months ago, and by now if u havent complained i dont know if it would work, but look for other simliar price changing situations.