What's up, Steemians? About a month ago, I found FreedomPop, a Mobile Service Provider that offers a free service to anyone within their coverage area. I decided to give it a try and see how it works. In this post I will weigh the pros and cons of having a free mobile provider.
FreedomPop has been around for a while apparently, I had just never heard of them. I was searching the web for ways to lower my cell phone costs when I stumbled across them. Naturally, I was a bit skeptical. How could they offer a totally free cell service? We're told that Cellular Networks are expensive to maintain and operate, right?
Well, while I still don't know why cellular service costs so much in the 21st Century when the technology has been around for decades. Cellular Service should be pretty cheap by now, given that there are already towers EVERYWHERE, but I digress....
FreedomPop does in fact offer a totally free monthly service, but there are some caveats, and some workarounds to keep it that way. The Free plan gets you 200 minutes, 500 texts, and 200 MBs of 4G data per month. Sounds pretty low, right? It is if you don't consider that WiFi calling and texting IS free. For those of us who are almost always connected to WiFi, this isn't a problem. However, if you're a data hog, you will most likely lose your shit on the free plan. Luckily, they offer more robust paid plans that are still cheaper than most every other provider.
So, let's take a look at the pros of FreedomPop:
- It's Free
- The Sim card(really only needed when you aren't on WiFi) is cheap
- WiFi calling and texting
- They use the major existing networks (AT&T, etc..) so coverage is good
- It works with GSM or CDMA phones
- No long term Contracts
- Connecting with friends through FreedomPop will earn BOTH 50MB of free data
- You can earn free data by completing offers and surveys
- Did I mention it's free?
What about the Cons?:
- The free plan doesn't give you a lot of minutes, texts, or data
- Texting/calling on WiFi counts towards your minutes and texts unless you use a workaround
- They charge for Voicemail(I guess that's how they make money)
- They charge if you go over your data allowance
- They charge to port you number if you want to keep it
- They charge for the Sim Card
Here's how it works: You can use FreedomPop two ways. You can download a non-sim app from the Play Store/ App Store and have 200 Minutes and 500 Texts per month over WiFi for free, or you can order the Sim card and have 200 Mb of data per month along with the 200 Minutes and 500 Texts, for when you aren't near WiFi. If you use the FreedomPop Sim Card($9.99, but sometimes on sale for 99 cents!), you have to use a different app, so the mobile data will work. The apps are identical in function, except one is for calling and texting over wifi(they give you a phone number to use), and the other one is for calling and texting over WiFi or Mobile Data(with the FreedomPop Sim Card). You can't have both apps installed at the same time.
I should also mention that the first month with a FreedomPop sim, you get to use the Unlimited Calling and Texting and 2Gb Data plan(normally $14.99), and you have to downgrade at the end of the 30 days or they will charge your account and continue the $14.99/mo. plan(charged in 6 month blocks). I did, however, remember to downgrade to the free plan and that's why I'm just now posting this. I wanted to see how it would go without the unlimited calling and texting plan. So far, it's fine.
There are some workarounds I use to keep from using up the minutes and texts. First off, most of my family communicate over Telegram anyway, so I don't need a lot of texts. I really only need the Sim so I don't miss any calls when I'm driving to work. At work and home I have WiFi, so I don't really use any minutes or texts, and very little data. In fact, the first month, while I had 2Gb of data to use, I only used about 150Mb! Likewise, I barely used any texts, because we've all grown fond of Telegram for texting and sharing pictures/videos.
As for avoiding minutes usage, there are many options available for VOIP calling. Since I already had Google Hangouts on my phone, I just use the Hangouts Dialer to make calls, and no minutes are used. All my calls are over WiFi! Of course, if I use the phone in the car, I have the FreedomPop Sim for Mobile Data, or I can call normally and use a few minutes.
There is one really cool Pro, if you connect with friends who also use FreedomPop, you BOTH will receive 50 Mb of data free! I'm not exactly clear on whether this is a one time bonus, or if it is received every month. I would assume it's a one time bonus, but I haven't finished out the second month quite yet. I'll find out for sure next month.(If you use Freedompop, hit me up, we'll get some data!)
The Cons:
There are a few cons with this approach. If you want to be able to check your voicemail on FreedomPop, they charge a couple of dollars per month for that service. It's not expensive, but still, it's a charge.
Another con is, calls and texts have to go through the FreedomPop app, unless you use the above workarounds. This isn't a huge deal, unless you're on iOS. iMessage won't work over FreedomPop data. I think it will on WiFi though.
You will also have to pay $9.99 to port your old number over if you want to keep it. If you want a new number, there is no charge.
The last con that I can think of is, when you downgrade to the free plan, you have to put $5.00 in your account(in case you have used more data before it finalizes), and keep a $2 minimum balance in your account. While this is not a huge deal, it isn't something that is made clear on the site. It is only revealed when you actually begin to downgrade.
If you don't use a lot of data, or call a lot each month, and are always connected to WiFi, you could save a lot of money each month and still stay connected by using FreedomPop. If you are a data hog, or are not able to use WiFi, there are probably better plans out there for you. You might still save money, but going over your data allowance could get expensive quick. In my opinion the 2Gb data and unlimited talk and text plan would fit most people's needs and at only $14.99 per month, it could save a LOT of money. They also have plans with even more data that are still under $20/mo. if I remember correctly.
If you're on FreedomPop now, hit me up(we'll connect and get some data), or if you want to read more, click the link below. Hopefully, this will help you save a little cash!
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FreedomPop offers a FREE Basic Cell Phone service and deeply discounted Unlimited Plans!
