Simple Mobile Cell Phone Plans Review

Item: Simple Mobile Cell Phone Plans Review
Rating: 2.5

Simple Mobile gives you unlimited data plans for cheap. Just be prepared for slower data speeds.

Overall Rating 2.5 out of 5

Multiple data plan options

Affordable prices

Murky information about its "unlimited" plan

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Tyler Abbott

Mobile & Wireless Expert

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Jan 23, 2020

If you’re looking for a prepaid plan with unlimited data, you’re in luck, because that’s all Simple Mobile offers. Usually specializing in one thing makes for a better product (like Chick-Fil-A with chicken sandwiches or In-N-Out with hamburgers), but Simple Mobile’s unlimited data plans leave something to be desired.

Simple Mobile offers up five different unlimited plans ranging from $25 a month to $60 a month. Our advice: aim for the $40 unlimited plan or cheaper. If you’re paying more than that, you might as well opt for a better unlimited provider.

Simple Mobile unlimited plans

The cheaper, the better with Simple Mobile unlimited plans.

Pros

Cheap unlimited plans
No contract

Cons

Data throttling

What we like

Simple Mobile data plans make the most sense as a budget option. Stick with the $40 Unlimited Plan or cheaper, and you’ll walk away with a decent plan and no contract to tie you down.

Cheap unlimited plans

Even with the data throttling, it’s tough to beat an unlimited data plan for $25 a month. Yes, your data will slow down once you pass 3 GB of data, but on the bright side, you won’t get charged for using too much data.

What can I do with 3 GB of data?

The rule of thumb with data is every hour of HD streaming takes up about a gig of data. In other words, you could watch 3–4 episodes of your favorite show on Netflix before your data starts slowing down.

So if you can live with your data inevitably slowing down every month, you can get an unlimited plan from Simple Mobile for super cheap. Remember, use Wi-Fi wherever you can and stretch out your high-speed data even further.

How do Simple Mobile plans compare?

Let’s compare Simple Mobile’s cheapest unlimited plan with other providers offering similar rates. Here’s how it all breaks down:

Not only is Simple Mobile cheaper than the big boys at Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, it also offers unlimited data where comparable plans offer limited data. The catch, of course, is that your data will be slower with Simple Mobile than it would be with Verizon, for example.

As long as you have the patience to wait a few extra seconds (or more) for streaming YouTube videos to buffer and Instagram feeds to refresh, you can save some money with a Simple Mobile unlimited plan.

How does Simple Mobile’s more expensive data plans compare?

If you were to opt for a Simple Mobile data plan that exceeds $35 a month, you would officially be paying more than you would for an unlimited plan with Sprint. At that point, you’d be better off going with a bigger provider like Sprint and all the perks that come with it.

No contracts

Simple Mobile operates as a prepaid mobile option, which means you don’t have to sign a long-term contract. You just make your payment at the beginning of the month, and you’ll have unlimited data locked and loaded.

Having no contract means you can bounce over to another provider whenever you want. You never know when a big wireless provider might run some outrageous deal that you need to hop on.

What we don’t like

Data throttling

Depending on which plan you choose, your data speeds will start to slow down after a certain point. Here’s how the data throttling thresholds work for each plan:

Plan	Data throttling threshold
$25 Unlimited Plan	3 GB
$30 Unlimited Plan	7 GB
$40 Unlimited Plan	15 GB
$50 Unlimited Plan	None
$60 Unlimited Plan	None

The more money you pay each month, the higher your data threshold becomes. It’s always better when you can rely on consistent data speeds, but Simple Mobile users should expect their data speeds to eventually slow down every month unless you opt for the $50 or $60 Unlimited Plans.

You get what you pay for with Simple Mobile, and in this case, the cheap data price comes with a catch: data speeds slowing down. Simple Mobile isn’t the best unlimited plan for folks who plan on using a lot of data.

Do the more expensive Simple Mobile plans come with any other perks?

Along with the high-speed data, you also get 10 GB of hotspot data with the $50 and $60 Unlimited Plans. Hotspot data allows you to essentially create your own Wi-Fi wherever you are. It certainly comes in handy when you need to pull out your laptop in an area without Wi-Fi.

Simple Mobile family plans

Don’t you love family plan discounts?

Simple Mobile, once again, undercuts the big boys of mobile and serves up unlimited data for a cheaper price.

Before you get too excited, remember that your data will most likely be slower with Simple Mobile. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but hey, $65 a month for a family plan with unlimited data is still a killer deal, even with the slower data. Your teen can go buck-wild on data and you won’t ever have to spend an extra penny.

Your data threshold goes up with a family plan

Every line you add to your family plan also increases your data threshold. Points to Simple Mobile for not expecting a family to maintain a 3 GB budget for the month.

Simple Mobile family plans comparison

Simple Mobile coverage

You’ll get decent coverage, thanks to T-Mobile’s network.

Source: Simple Mobile

The bigger the city, the better the coverage

Simple Mobile operates as an MVNO wireless provider, which means it piggybacks on another provider’s network. In this case, on T-Mobile’s, which covers 94% of the country.¹

But that doesn’t mean Simple Mobile has the exact same coverage as T-Mobile. If you look at its coverage map, Simple Mobile’s coverage is pretty patchy. Simple Mobile users will be deprioritized over T-Mobile users, which means your coverage and speeds may be less reliable.

You’ll probably be fine in most metro areas, but you definitely can’t head out of town for a camping trip and still expect good service and speeds.

What kind of download speeds can I expect with Simple Mobile?

It’s hard to say exactly what data speeds to expect on Simple Mobile because of deprioritization, but T-Mobile does have the fastest current download speeds in the wireless world at 21.1 Mbps.¹ You should expect quick 4G speeds on T-Mobile’s network until you hit your data cap.

Simple Mobile international coverage

If you have a lot of friends or family in other countries, Simple Mobile makes it pretty easy to keep in touch with them. All its plans come with unlimited international texting from the US, so you can message your cousin in Costa Rica every morning if you feel like it and never worry about extra charges.

Simple Mobile also offers unlimited international talk, but for only 60 countries. If you want to call your dad in Mexico, you’ll still have to pay roaming charges. But you can get an international add-on plan for $10 per month if you know in advance you’ll be making a lot of international calls.

With the international add-on plan, your balance rolls over every month, which is nice. You’re still paying for international calls, though—you’re just giving yourself $10 per month to do it.

Simple Mobile cell phones and devices

You can get the latest smartphones at Simple Mobile, and even finance them, if you want.

You don’t always find the latest device with MVNO networks, but Simple Mobile carries the Apple iPhone 11, the Samsung Galaxy S10, and the Pixel 4. The holy trinity of new wireless devices.

The top 5 most popular devices on Simple Mobile

Recap—Is Simple Mobile good?

Simple Mobile shines by offering cheap unlimited data plans. As long as you can live with low data caps and slower data speeds, you can use unlimited data to your heart’s content.

Plans: All of Simple Mobile plans include unlimited data, but the main difference is your data cap. The more you pay for your plan, the more high-speed data you get every month.
Coverage: Simple Mobile uses T-Mobile’s wireless network, but its coverage will probably work well only in metro areas or major cities.
Overall: If you want cheap unlimited data with a reasonably reliable network, Simple Mobile makes a lot of sense.

Are you thinking of making the switch to Simple Mobile prepaid wireless? Tell us about your experience, and let us know if we missed anything in this Simple Mobile review.

Written by

Tyler Abbott

Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports as efficiently as possible since the creation of the DVR. He is always on the lookout for the best tech in TV and wireless so he can watch all the sports and still have enough time to hang out with his baby. He has written about streaming, wireless, and TV for over three years. He hopes the Lakers will eventually get better.

Introduction
Data Plans
Family Plans
Coverage
Devices
Recap

Blessing Wonyaku

I’ve been with them since 2012, then in 2015 i went to T-MOBILE. From T-Mobile, i purchased another Simple Mobile plan since 2016. I always have a credit to call some international countries, especially in Africa. However, countries like France, England, Germany are on the free international list where you don’t need the credit to call. One day i was trying to call Switzerland, the call did not go through, the system said i did not have credit. I called Simple Mobile Customer care, that was when the lady explained not all the countries in Europe are on the free international call list, but France, Germany, London for example are free.

When you see my phone record, especially last year you can see hours of communication with my families living in the 3 free countries listed above.

Last month, i was not even able to make my african calls with the credit, i had to call the support team, more than 90 minutes before they were able to resolve the issue. And that was the only month i had to turn my phone off and back on before getting a re-up service (for years, i always signed up for auto re-up, no need to turn off and on, when i asked why? the answer was stupid, not valid.)

This month, i was able to use my credit, phone re-uploaded automatically, but i cannot call the so called free international countries confirmed by the agent anymore. I called 3 times yesterday 11/03, spoke with 3 different rep, problem not solved.

I called back today, the 1st rep did what she could and send me to the international call department where i had to remain on the phone with Sonya / or so called. After going back and forth with a soft tone, she came back and told me i don t have credit to call those countries. I could not talk, every time i tried to speak, she cut me off, she just wanted me to take her words an go. I asked her if i’ve been waiting for more than 20 minutes while she was searching, why she would not give me a chance to talk? She then said: mom, go ahead and talk. From there, i could hear myself like on a speaker, when i finished, i asked her if she understood. I came to realize she left me on a speaker, and was away talking with peers. I said hello for more than 20 times, you can hear her talking around. I came back to my desk, still on the phone, i waited for 27 minutes from the time was saying hello, then i hung up.

What a customer service????????????
If you are trying to reduce the benefits offered, it is our right to be aware of the changes and if we want to keep the service, we would do.

My name is Blessing Wonyaku