You'll need to pay the higher price. The "New plan" price is only available when your contact finishes (and you want to start a new one). You could save money and buy a used Verizon phone on eBay.
My cell phone's screen got crushed and would like to buy a new one. I have a plan already but its not time for an upgrade. My question is would I have to pay the full 250 dollars for it or the 50 dollars that you would pay if you were getting a new plan?