It's a Sign

 

Wouldn't it be nice to have more signs like this?

Wi-Fi for International Travel

 

I recently returned from a trip to Europe. Since my phone does not automatically roam outside North America, my usual way to communicate is by buying a foreign SIM. SIM's can be easily found in or near large airports, but this time we found the rules were different. The only way to find a SIM in this smaller city in Greece was to show up at a cellular store with your passport in hand and preferably cash as well. It also needs to be a weekday, or maybe early in the day. Greeks are known for taking off a couple hours each day for a leisurely afternoon dinner.

This combination of factors kept me offline, or so I thought. Of course we could log in to the hotel's Wi-Fi and the occasional restaurant, but I really wanted my SIM. We hopped on the local bus to see if we could find a SIM shop open on the weekend and found that every city bus also has Free Wi-Fi which worked quite well. My wife's phone plan includes Wi-Fi Calling so she was not only online almost everywhere, she could make calls and texts as well as she does at home. Without Wi-Fi Calling, I normally use my Google Voice app to make calls and texts. I found a shop on a Saturday with a lady with limited English skills, but, oops, forgot my passport.

This experience with so much widespread foreign Wi-Fi, took the pressure off finding a SIM, although I finally scored one Monday morning. The experience reminded me that many of the rules in Europe have changed and it's no small deal that almost any cellular service in Europe roams freely anywhere else in Europe. Had I remembered this I would have spent more time finding a SIM during my layover in Germany knowing that a German SIM would work equally well in Greece, or Spain, or most of Europe. 

This one of the reasons why we give extra credit for US carriers that offer Wi-Fi Calling that works universally, both on our Prepaid Reviews and our Roaming Zone pages.  There are also now several Prepaid carriers that readily roaming in most of the developed world with few or no roaming charges.

US Mobile's Inexpensive Wireless Home Phone

US Mobile is shaking up the wireless market by offering a number of features that top most other carriers, and not just Prepaid. They now offer plans on their Prepaid phones starting at $5, International Calling and Roaming, Wi-Fi Calling, and more. Now they have the courage to sell a Wireless Home Phone plan for a radical price of $10 per month, the lowest among our reviews of Wireless Home Phone plans! You need to buy the home phone base, just like the other carriers, but it's less than $50, with no commitment.

There's a lot to love here: Your first month with the Wireless Home Phone is FREE and includes all the usual Wireless Home Phone Features with no internet connection required, unlimited calling to the US and most of the world, and they even have 24/7 Live Customer Service. Their wireless home base will use either the AT&T or T-Mobile network and has a 26-hour battery backup for power outages. With a 14-day trial, you can see if it works at your home and send it back if it doesn't.

As we noted on Mountain Prepaid Reviews, US Mobile appears in more than one of our Prepaid "BEST OF" categories. We have used US Mobile in previous years with positive results and it appears they have improved since then. US Mobile is a great alternative for people who have decided not to stay with the TracFone Prepaids which have required a change of networks.

It's Not Just A FREE iPhone!

The newest national wireless carrier, Boost Infinite, is offering a FREE iPhone each time Apple introduces a new model. This is a big deal, but not because it's an iPhone, or even that it's FREE! This particular iPhone does something that no other iPhone does. For the first time, iPhone is certified for the Boost Wireless Network. Boost Infinite members who purchase iPhone 15 benefit from the power of America's Smart Network™, which seamlessly connects to the Boost Wireless Network in select markets, and if the phone finds none, it then automatically switches to one of Boost's partner networks.

This pretty much assures that you'll always have good 5G coverage, and if 5G isn't available, the best of 4G LTE on one of the partner networks. There are plans from other carriers that will access roaming partners, but not roaming on major networks and not within the main carrier's service area. Verizon once had a plan that if your phone lost Verizon coverage, it would roam automatically on Sprint.  Verizon found their customers would roam on Sprint far more often than they expected, so they slowly began to roll back where roaming on Sprint would occur.

Now, with Boost Infinite, and your 'Smart Network' iPhone, you could get a strong Boost 5G signal at work, but you live out in the suburbs where there is no Boost coverage, so your phone automatically switches to, say, AT&T. Then you head to the fitness club where there is no Boost coverage and no AT&T coverage. No problem. Your Boost Infinite phone seamlessly switches over to T-Mobile, which just happens to have strong coverage at the fitness club. 

So go ahead and revel in your 'Latest iPhone Every Year' status, but also enjoy the best of 3 major networks wherever you go. (BTW, we were not compensated for this post)

Boost Mobile $10 Deal

Boost Mobile has introduced a really cheap plan, $10/month for 2GB Data and Unlimited Talk & Text. I've looked for gotchas on this plan but can't find any. They'll send you a SIM for FREE and it appears that once you get this plan it doesn't expire. My kid is in Wi-Fi coverage all day so doesn't mind the 2GB limit and at this price he can pay for it by himself.

Boost Mobile needs to be aggressive right now as they introduce their own 5G network, but for the foreseeable future it looks like you'll be roaming more on AT&T or T-Mobile until you switch to one of Boost's new 5G phones that automatically switch on and off their own 5G network.  This is a limited-time offer so decide soon.

If you need a little more Data, Boost has a $15 plan for 5GB, and also an Unlimited Data plan for $25/month. 

(We did not get paid for this post)

 

Prepaids to Avoid, and Why

With the demise of Net10 earlier this month, we're investigating the viability of the other Prepaids formerly owned by America Movil and now controlled by Verizon. 

Is your current Prepaid on this list? We'll help you switch to a better carrier.

Net10

By now you know that Verizon has discontinued Net10 as a prepaid carrier. We're not sure what will happen to existing Net10 customers, but they are being directed to move to Simple Mobile instead. You may need a new phone or a different choice if your phone is not compatible with Verizon. Simple Mobile is a good choice and has better features than Net10. You can also choose Tello which has lower prices, and also uses the Verizon network. 

GoSmart

GoSmart has been a carrier to avoid from day one. Their downloads are limited to 3G speeds (with the exception of Facebook access). Their roaming and price advantages just don't make up for that speed limitation. Even their web site is difficult to access. You're advised to switch to a Prepaid that has 4G LTE and 5G coverage which would be Simple Mobile which has the same Latin America roaming capabilities, or Tello which has lower prices. If you 

Page Plus

We always liked Page Plus because they had rock-bottom prices and used the Verizon network. But Verizon hasn't promoted anything about Page Plus, so we will guess it too is headed for the chopping block. We don't see a need to escape from Page Plus just yet, but you'd be more confident about the future if you moved to prepaid like Visible which has the lowest price that includes Unlimited Data, on the Verizon network, or Tello which has lower prices and lets you escape the Verizon family of prepaids.

Walmart Family Mobile

Walmart's Family Mobile web site says it is still "powered by T-Mobile", although coverage for new Family Mobile customers use the Verizon network. Does Verizon still want to handle these customers  for Walmart or do something else with them? Straight Talk was to be the 'official' Walmart carrier so what is the need for Family Mobile? This one is less obvious. Verizon could sell it to somebody else or just bring new Family Mobile customers onto the Verizon network and let Walmart do all the rest of the work. Since Walmart sells phones and service from all the other carriers, what's the advantage?

Verizon Prepaid

Verizon's own Prepaid is a high quality choice and they offer all of the advantages of the Verizon network but with none of the savings. If you truly are credit-challenged, you might benefit from Verizon 's own prepaid, but there are better alternatives. Besides, Verizon is already prepaid-heavy so why not get one that saves you the most money? Which one? Check out Visible who just recently lowered their price for Unlimited Talk, Text & Data.

What to Do?

Are you using one of these Prepaid carriers and want to switch? If you have a Verizon-compatible phone you have easy choices. In addition to the alternatives listed above, Visible is one of the best Verizon prepaids. For those of us who have a phone that is limited to a different network, like T-Mobile or AT&T, or if you want to get a new Prepaid phone, we highly recommend Boost Mobile. Boost gives you the best of AT&T and T-Mobile coverage at lower prices than the above carriers, and may eventually access Boost's own all-5G network. Another top choice is US Mobile. It's good for T-Mobile compatible phones, with great prices and international roaming capabilities. 

Simple Mobile Changes Coverage

 

Like all the prepaids now owned by Verizon, Simple Mobile's coverage reflects coverage that resembles Verizon's network. New Simple Mobile phones will have the new Simple Mobile coverage and older Simple Mobile phones should continue roaming on the T-Mobile network. This means if you change from one Simple Mobile phone to another, you may have a big change in your service.

T-Moble's network has more 5G coverage for Prepaid phones, but Verizon has more coverage overall. In most cases you won't notice a difference. For now, Simple Mobile's big advantage is their included roaming areas across Latin America in countries from Mexico and south. Let's hope Verizon continues to support it.

Updated Simple Mobile maps are shown at CellularMaps.com

Visible Makes a Big Price Drop

 

Visible has officially dropped the rate on their regular plan. Originally priced at $30/month, it's now $25 a month, taxes & fees included, for Unlimited Data, Talk, Text and Hotspot. It appears Visible has finally realized they were a bit overpriced and yet wants to ensure they offer a simple, fundamentally accessible and audaciously inclusive product. That means no more requiring port-in, using a code, or acting within a promotional window to get the rate.

The Visible+ plan will remain $45 a month and still includes 5G Ultra Wideband access, 50 GB of premium network experience, roaming coverage in Canada & Mexico, and global calling to 30+ countries. When users bring their own phone to the Visible+ plan in August they are also eligible for a Wireless Noise exclusive discount of $10 off/month with code VISIBLE35!

Visible uses the Verizon network and is one of the few Prepaids that now includes taxes and fees, and have now qualified for placement into our Prepaid Price Chart.