Simple Mobile Cell Phone Plans Review

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.