Google Fi Cell Phone Plans Review

Much like when I visit the in-laws for the holidays, Google Fi desperately tries to be flexible. Also like me when I visit the in-laws, it largely succeeds up until a certain breaking point. For me, it’s usually when we start to talk politics—but for Google Fi, it happens right around 3 GB of data.

Google Fi plans include unlimited calling and texting, but the data charges can rack up quickly. If you’re a heavy data user, Google Fi can end up costing more than you’d pay for an unlimited plan with a different provider.

Google Fi's unlimited plan costs more than the average prepaid unlimited plan at $50/month, but gets you access to Google's Pixel Pass (if you have a Pixel phone). 

Google Fi is all about flexibility, so your plan can be a month-to-month unlimited plan when you need it and a pay-per-gig plan when you don’t. To get the most out of the service, here’s the three main things to know:

1. You pay a flat rate of $20 per line for unlimited talk and text.
2. You pay $10 per GB only for the data you use (calculated to the nearest 0.1 GB).
3. You have “bill protection,” which means you’ll never pay more than $70 for data, no matter how much you use.

So, if you ended up using 2 GB of data in a month, this is what your bill would look like:

If you only ended up using around 1 GB of data in a month, your monthly total would cost be $30 for your service. You only pay for what you use, which can make a lot of sense if you are a low-data user.

But if you do use the full amount, or more, bill protection can save you from disaster. You won't ever need to pay more than $70/month for your Google Fi service, but if you're paying that much, your money would be better spent going with a premium plan from AT&T, T-Mobile, or  Verizon. After all, those big carriers can give you perks like free streaming subscriptions and hotspot data. 

Going on vacation in Mexico (que te diviertas!) or on a business trip in Denmark (held og lykke)? With Google Fi, you’ll automatically be covered in those countries and about 200 others.

There’s a bit of a catch, though. You’ll still get unlimited texts in Google Fi’s international coverage areas, but there is an extra 20¢ per minute charge for voice calls. The data rates stay exactly the same.

That’s still a pretty good deal as long as you don’t narrate every step of your vacation to Mom back home.

Overall, Google Fi is a pretty convenient deal for casual travelers. But die-hard globetrotters may find better international rates from other carriers.

If you’re anything like us, you sometimes find yourself in a coffee shop that has spotty Wi-Fi, and that is not okay. You’ll feel tempted to create your own wireless hotspot, but before you go streaming the new season of  The Mandalorian, know that Google Fi will start throttling your connection after you’ve used 15 GB. 

Each Google Fi phone plan has a different limit before speeds start slowing down. The Flexible plan throttles data after 15GB while the Simply Unlimited plan slows after 35 GB and the Unlimited Plus plan slows after 50GB.

If 15 GB isn’t a high enough data cap for you, you’ll want to check out other carriers. For example, Verizon lets you have up to 50 GB of unthrottled data, and T-Mobile gives you 100GB—yes, 100!—of unthrottled data.

Things start to look bleak for Google Fi when you compare its unlimited data option with other providers. Just take a look for yourself:

Currently, you can find cheaper unlimited plans (in some cases, much cheaper) with Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Verizon costs the same as Google Fi, but Verizon boasts way more perks than Google Fi.

Long story short, we strongly recommend not going with an unlimited plan with Google Fi, considering you can find cheaper alternatives that are just as good or even better.

Okay, but what about non-unlimited data plans? Let’s say you wanted a cell phone plan with 2 GB of data a month. Let’s see how Google Fi compares to the competition:

All of a sudden, Google Fi looks a lot better when you trim down the data. Remember, you only pay for what you use with Google Fi data, so do your best to reduce data usage by using as much Wi-Fi as possible and you’ll end up with a much better deal.

Google Fi offers an "unlimited data" plan, which we put in quotes because it stops feeling so unlimited after you use 35 GB of data. Before we get too negative about Google Fi's unlimited plan, it's worth noting that paying $50/month for unlimited data certainly beats paying $70/month on a flexible plan if you tend to overdo it with data. If you know you want Google Fi and plan to use plenty of cellular data, you should go with the Simply Unlimited for 1 plan. 

Finally Google starts to flex its muscles a little bit and give us some more incentive to choose their wireless service over others. The Pixel Pass is a subscription that becomes available to you if you use Google Fi on a Google Pixel 6 phone. Starting at $37/month (price depends on what Google Pixel 6 device you purchase), you get device protection, as well as subscriptions to YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, Google Play Pass, and $5/month off your Google Fi data plan. The bundle saves you over $150 every year if you use those services regularly. 

You only get to use 35 GB of data before your data speeds get throttled. That roughly equates to about 35 hours of streaming YouTube or Netflix. Some of you may never come close to hitting that data cap, but if you're like me, and constantly use data, you'll likely hit your data cap every month.

Pricey

Compared to other prepaid carriers, Google Fi's unlimited plan feels a bit pricey at $50/month. For example, Mint Mobile (which also uses T-Mobile's network), only costs $30/month for unlimited talk, text, and data. Visible, which uses Verizon's network, only costs $40/month for the same service. Take a look at how Google Fi's unlimited plan compares with other options:

I have a confession to make: I’m still on my family plan from a decade ago. (Dad, I’ll Venmo you money for the bill soon, I promise.) And I’m certainly not the only one who finds it cheaper and easier to be on a family plan.

Currently, you’d pay $70 a month for a 2 GB family plan on Google Fi. Since it costs $40 a month for an individual plan with 2 GB of data, you’d only be paying an extra $30 for two extra lines. Translation: family plans are always cheaper per line.

Fortunately, adding extra lines on Google Fi isn’t difficult. You’ll pay a flat $15 per month for each line you add. And each line gets the same goodies—unlimited talk and text, per-GB rate for data, and international coverage.

Bill protection will cap your bill after a certain point (depending on how many lines you add), but keep an eye on it, because everyone on your plan shares from the same data pool.

Because everyone shares the same data pool, and Google Fi will just keep charging you the more data you use (up until the bill protection threshold), things could start adding up quickly.

We would not recommend using Google Fi with any data hogs. Seriously, your teenager (or anybody really) could rack up tons of data before you know it and push your monthly charge up to $110 a month for three lines. At that point, you’d be better off getting a wireless family plan with a different carrier. Speaking of which . . .

Google Fi leads the pack with affordable family plans. Friendly reminder that you share your data pool with everyone in your family plan. So, the price may be low, but it comes at the cost of having less data to go around.

When Project Fi first launched, it had one gaping problem: it worked only with the Nexus 6 phone. Thankfully, those days are over.

After Project Fi rebranded as Google Fi, the company opened up its service to almost all phones, including Android devices and iPhones (if you bring your own).

Sadly, Google Fi is behind the times with most of its compatible devices. Most of the latest Apple devices mentioned on Google Fi’s website are only available as a beta test.

Google Fi is most certainly playing favorites with its own devices and allows all the latest Google Pixel devices without any sort of “beta” baggage.

So if you're going to go Google Fi, we don't recommend going with an Apple device—look at Pixels instead.

As mentioned earlier, Google Fi has a preference for certain phones (which just happen to be the ones Google makes). If you’re using those preferred phones, you can tap into several carrier networks and seamlessly transition between them.

But if you don’t have a “designed for Fi” phone, then you’re stuck on T-Mobile’s network. It’s not bad, but those in the midwestern and western states will definitely lose out.

If you want to see how Google Fi's coverage looks in your area, use their coverage map tool here.

Overall, Google Fi’s coverage is decent, but it’s not among the best coverage. Even with all three of its networks combined, Google Fi’s coverage can’t beat Verizon’s, which is first in our ranking of mobile coverage.

And for those who love fast data, phones with 5G capability can access Google Fi's 5G coverage and speed.

It’s almost like the CEOs of all the major phone companies got together and made a bet that whoever could provide the worst customer service would get a trophy. Seriously.

Unfortunately, Google Fi doesn’t buck the trend when it comes to poor customer service. You can find a slew of complaints online, especially about payment issues, long waiting times, and inconsistent answers.

But Google Fi is a young company, so there’s still time for it to turn around and establish a positive reputation.

Google Fi’s plan is definitely unique, but is it revolutionary? The short answer: yes—for people who only want to pay for the data they use. But for others, Google Fi can easily end up being more expensive than it should be.

• Google Fi’s single plan gives you unlimited talk and text for a flat fee of $20 a month, plus $10 per GB of data you use in a month, which caps at $70 a month.
• Since Google Fi piggybacks on the T-Mobile network, your coverage should feel reliable in most areas.
• Google Fi's unlimited plan isn't as affordable as other unlimited plans, but you can sign up for the Pixel Pass with bundles subscriptions like YouTube Premium for a more affordable price.
• If you’re a low-data user or your data use fluctuates from month to month, then Google Fi’s plan may be just what you need. Others may find its “unlimited” option too expensive and its phone selection too restrictive.