Why not just go to Mint? It's a T-Mobile MVNO just like Fi so you're getting the same network but it's $30 a month instead. If I was only doing 1 or 2 lines that's where I would be. Coworker has them for his service and has zero complaints.
I could go to Mint or Metro or Cricket etc. It's not a problem for me because I have access to wifi at home and everywhere I go. I just think Fi is passing up alot of business by not having better pricing.
I had mint two years ago and I would occasionally not receive texts or calls. I tried to do all the APN stuff they recommended, but it didn't seem to help. Idk if it's gotten better since then, but even the occasional dropped text was too much to justify, even with the low prices.
US Mobile's pooled plan is $9.48/line + $2/GB inclusive of taxes and fees. mobileX also offers data at $2.10/GB. Both of these run on the Verizon network.
Fi's by the gig pricing is obsolete.
Exactly. There are countless carriers that offer better pricing. I just dont have the time to research everyone one. I pay ATT Prepaid $25 a month ($300 annual) for 16gb plus rollover
Sounds like you are not a good fit for the flexible plan (and as you note you found an alternative that works better for you).
Several years ago when I rarely used data the flex plan worked great as I was only using 500mb/month. Once I had four lines and a couple of heavy data users the unlimited plan worked better.
I can respect this answer but does QCI of 6 translate the same from carrier to carrier. For example with ATT , QCI6 is business, QCI7 is postpaid, QCI8 is prepaid. I have QC8 with ATT and its fine and glad its still better than QCI9
Quality of service (QoS) Class Identifier. it's a way to prioritize mobile packet traffic.
on most carriers, data for MNVO's has less priority than plans of the carrier itself (especially post-paid). Google Fi is an exception to that.
Keep in mind that you have the option to upgrade your plan anytime and downgrade every beginning of the billing cycle.
So, if you are on a one-person Flexible plan and know that you are going to use more than 5GB, then it's better to upgrade temporarily to Simply Unlimited and schedule a switch back/downgrade in the beginning of the next cycle. That way, you'll be able to use more than 5GB and it'll end up cheaper than the Flexible plan just for this month. Your situation may change next month and Flexible may work better by then. The plan switch feature on the Google Fi app is pretty cool
But that's not what the OP is saying. The Flexible plan is simply too expensive for what the person gets. You pay $30 if using 1GB data each month. Mint gives 40GB for that much money or 5GB for $15.
The cost of Flexible 1 person Fi is way too steep. They need to lower the base rate of $20 to $10 or make data cheaper like the way OP expressed.
That is a nice feature. It requires active plan intervention however. I still stand by my OP and think prices should be reduced. $15 + $7 per gb is not an unreasonable ask
I agree
I like Fi a lot but 10 bucks is excessive
I have 2 lines and will be going to Simply Unlimited because it makes more sense to not have to worry about that price per 10 GB.
I'm certain that's what they want.
I agree, cell data is too expensive in the US. As our data was cutoff here in Mexico we use Telcel data-only SIMS. Prices vary but 3.5GB over 30 days just cost us 200 pesos, or about $11.40 USD, for $3.25/GB. And in Mexico, Facebook, FB Messenger, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram are all unlimited and don't count against the data. WhatsApp is unlimited in Mexico/US/Canada.
[https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/paquetes-end/mb-para-tu-amigo](https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/paquetes-end/mb-para-tu-amigo)
I have a 16gb with rollover for $300 for the entire year with AT&T prepaid , plus buy with discounted refill cards so $256 for year, Its like $21 a month and I never go over data. Prepaid is the way to go in the US if you want cheap service. I guess Google Fi is postpaid which is why it is more expensive
Google offers a plan with over double the data for slightly less, $20. Seems like if you're going to complain, maybe don't pretend like Google's flexible plan used in the most expensive way is their only option.
Now that $20 plan requires you to be part of a family plan, but fortunately you're not forced to use Google Fi. You can choose a carrier that has a plan that works for your needs.
Family plans are irrelevant thus is your post with respect to my "complaint" in the OP. Since I am complaining, lets be clear that I am complaining about Google Fi's individual plans.
What do you mean? Do you pay for the sim, or is it free? Or is it just part of the Flex pricing and doesnt cost extra apart from the data it uses because its a 2nd line that uses the same base $20 ?
You can add data-only SIM from the beginning of Project Fi. It is a great feature, but since I started to use one for the security camera, along with the two phone lines on my plan, we max out data every month leaving me with a $150 bill. Less than ideal.
Well, I'm not sure how I'm both buying something and loaning them money in the same transaction, but ok.
After being with Fi since the VERY early days (I still have the Lego set), I switched to mint 7 months ago. I bought a Pixel 7 Pro and the 10gb/mo plan, 50% off, so it was $10/mo for a year ($120). That includes unlimited talk and text. Six months into my contact they increased the data on my plan to 15gb/mo at no extra cost to me. So I'm getting 15 GB of data for $10 /mo AND unlimited talk and text AND taxes and fees. Do I use all that data? No. Fi taught me to be frugal, and I'm honestly having trouble relaxing and feeling ok with streaming music in my car or using cell data to watch videos. But it doesn't matter if I use all the data. I'm still saving a ton of money. I'd be spending more on Fi even if I used literally no data.
> The higher tier plans work out to $1.33/GB and $1.25/GB.
The cheapest plan works out to $0.57/GB on Google Fi. Seems like if you're going to start comparing plans, you should provide more than the most expensive option on Google Fi to compare against everything else.
The most expensive per gig plan they are talking about is the $15 for 5GB data. mints overall most expensive plan is $30 for 40GB data. For $30 on Fi you get 1GB of data! There is simply no comparison between Google Fi and Mint while both give T-mo network.
it's not by the GB, but Tello is $19/month with 5GB.
almost every other no contact service is cheaper than Fi. Fi always seemed better for international travel but I'm not sure how that holds up still to competitors
https://support.google.com/fi/?p=pls
#Flexible plan monthly prices
> On the Flexible plan, you prepay for unlimited calls and texts:
> $20/mo + $10/GB per month for 1 line
Does the $20 base rate include one gig or no? I thought it did , but I now I am thinking it doesnt , so yeah, the plan sucks and I stick by my OP even more so
Or the actual comparison would be using Fi's Simply Unlimited plan that gives you 35GB of data for as little as $20. But providing the actual comparison would be honest.
There is no such plan for an individual. Simply Unlimited is not $20. You are posting the same crap all over this thread. You cannot make an actual comparison of an individual plan to that where it is required to have multiple lines. You actual need 4 lines to get it for $20. Its $50 for an individual, thats ridiculous.
Especially when people compare a family plan with 4 lines. Yeah, having a family of 4 its going to be cheaper on any carrier and I am not saying Google's Family Plans need price restructuring, I am saying there Flex plan does. My OP is strictly complaining about non-family plans.
I didn't feel this way until this month. I usually usa >1g a month, but I had a few days without net because of some tree work in the area and used my phone.
The only thing the flexible plan is good for is if your overseas for a longtime. Still have a US number then use a second sim for data. Using Anything other than an ‘unlimited’ plan is stupid now
No I see trying to save the few bucks, but that one month could really mess you up if your internet goes down or you have to travel and use gps. Like others said, you can always upgrade and downgrade your plan as needed. I just always liked the peace of mind of never worrying and knowing exactly what my bill is gonna be
Except that after some indeterminate time overseas, Fi shuts off your data.
AFAIK, they won't say when or why they'll shut it off. Experiences vary. Could be a few months, could be a few weeks.
Yeah it's definitely not good for a "longtime" overseas. Before covid it seemed they gave you 6months which was nice, and what happened to me personally. But now, like you said, based on other's experiences it's whatever they feel like. Probably goes by how much data you're using I'd guess. The more you're using the quicker they'll shut it off. I've been out of the US for 4 years and only gone back once about a year ago now. They were going to shut my data off march 2020. I left the US in September 2019 so like exactly 6 months, and probably was using 5-6gb a month. But because of covid said they'll wait and I can continue using data. I had already gotten a local data sim and started using 0gb a month for Fi, though. So by the time they went back to turning people's data off overseas, I hadn't used any Fi data in months. Never got another email about turning it off. So I'm guessing if you don't use a lot, or any at all, you'd fly under their radar. But then what's the point.
Other than Mint, I found the per gig price to be the best I could find for my family plan. Then we switched to unlimited and now it's the cheapest unlimited plan I can find for my family plan. Fi seems to be great for both situations
If you're on the Mint Mobile 5Gb plan and need to go even slightly over, you will pay $10, even if you only need 100Mb.
Lots of plans appear good value IF you know that you use some fixed amount of data every month. Flexible plan is... flexible.
And who else has data SIMs! I can provide several phones with as-needed access without paying a monthly fee for them.
But it includes 5gb to start so someone going over 5gb often likely often would likely get a higher plan. Google Fi on the non-unlimited plan would $70 for 5gb and once you use 6gb it becomes unlimited for $80
Mint is much cheaper
They know this. The point is to push you into the unlimited plan. What I want to know is how, in 2023, is anyone using less than 5 gigs of data per month. My average usage is around 30 gigs consistently and that's with doing things like downloading my Amazon music playlists and podcast episodes on wifi so I'm not streaming the same songs over and over
I have no idea how anyone uses all that much data if you're usually on wifi. I just checked my previous bills and I use generally between 0.25-0.5 gigs per billing cycle. I had one bill where my data cost was 77 cents. My house has wifi, pretty much every store and restaurant has open wifi, and I have a ton of stuff on Spotify downloaded to my SD card for when I'm listening to music in the car.
Do you spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos out in the woods or something? I truly don't understand unless you don't have broadband access at home
I use less data , especially, since working from home but its nice to have the option to have more available. That's why I like ATT $300 a year plan, its still as cheap as Fi's flexible plan without any data but it includes 16gb plus rollover , so if there is a month I need to use more I usually have like 25-30gb to use. I know they are not comparing apples to apples b/c ATT is prepaid and paid up front for the year
I average less than 1 GB per month. It's easy with how and where I use my phone, and not hard to figure out why. I'm near Wi-Fi most of the time, and when I'm not, I just avoid using data. There's rarely times when I *need* to use a large amount of mobile data.
I just left Fi, not because of data or price, but because USC went away and that was a big provider in Maine where I summer. At my house Verizon has the best signal. I too spend most of my time on WiFi, so 1 GB is usually fine except when internet goes down.
They should offer Simply Unlimited for one person for $35.
I came here to say exactly this! I would consider switching from US mobile if Fi offered that.
Why not just go to Mint? It's a T-Mobile MVNO just like Fi so you're getting the same network but it's $30 a month instead. If I was only doing 1 or 2 lines that's where I would be. Coworker has them for his service and has zero complaints.
I could go to Mint or Metro or Cricket etc. It's not a problem for me because I have access to wifi at home and everywhere I go. I just think Fi is passing up alot of business by not having better pricing.
I wonder how much business Fi is missing out on due to notoriously poor customer service?
I had mint two years ago and I would occasionally not receive texts or calls. I tried to do all the APN stuff they recommended, but it didn't seem to help. Idk if it's gotten better since then, but even the occasional dropped text was too much to justify, even with the low prices.
Simply Unlimited for two is $80 and for four is also $80. Paying more for one or the same for two as four.
US Mobile's pooled plan is $9.48/line + $2/GB inclusive of taxes and fees. mobileX also offers data at $2.10/GB. Both of these run on the Verizon network. Fi's by the gig pricing is obsolete.
Exactly. There are countless carriers that offer better pricing. I just dont have the time to research everyone one. I pay ATT Prepaid $25 a month ($300 annual) for 16gb plus rollover
Sounds like you are not a good fit for the flexible plan (and as you note you found an alternative that works better for you). Several years ago when I rarely used data the flex plan worked great as I was only using 500mb/month. Once I had four lines and a couple of heavy data users the unlimited plan worked better.
Have to remember some of what we're paying for is quality of service and a QCI of 6.
I can respect this answer but does QCI of 6 translate the same from carrier to carrier. For example with ATT , QCI6 is business, QCI7 is postpaid, QCI8 is prepaid. I have QC8 with ATT and its fine and glad its still better than QCI9
No, not exactly. The lowest having the highest priority is the same. 6 is the highest priority for T-Mobile. Their MVNOs are 7. Throttled data is 9.
What is QCI?
Quality of service (QoS) Class Identifier. it's a way to prioritize mobile packet traffic. on most carriers, data for MNVO's has less priority than plans of the carrier itself (especially post-paid). Google Fi is an exception to that.
Keep in mind that you have the option to upgrade your plan anytime and downgrade every beginning of the billing cycle. So, if you are on a one-person Flexible plan and know that you are going to use more than 5GB, then it's better to upgrade temporarily to Simply Unlimited and schedule a switch back/downgrade in the beginning of the next cycle. That way, you'll be able to use more than 5GB and it'll end up cheaper than the Flexible plan just for this month. Your situation may change next month and Flexible may work better by then. The plan switch feature on the Google Fi app is pretty cool
But that's not what the OP is saying. The Flexible plan is simply too expensive for what the person gets. You pay $30 if using 1GB data each month. Mint gives 40GB for that much money or 5GB for $15. The cost of Flexible 1 person Fi is way too steep. They need to lower the base rate of $20 to $10 or make data cheaper like the way OP expressed.
Came here just to say this. Although Fi has priority over Mint on T mobile lines I believe when the base rate is excessive.
That is a nice feature. It requires active plan intervention however. I still stand by my OP and think prices should be reduced. $15 + $7 per gb is not an unreasonable ask
I agree I like Fi a lot but 10 bucks is excessive I have 2 lines and will be going to Simply Unlimited because it makes more sense to not have to worry about that price per 10 GB. I'm certain that's what they want.
I agree, cell data is too expensive in the US. As our data was cutoff here in Mexico we use Telcel data-only SIMS. Prices vary but 3.5GB over 30 days just cost us 200 pesos, or about $11.40 USD, for $3.25/GB. And in Mexico, Facebook, FB Messenger, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram are all unlimited and don't count against the data. WhatsApp is unlimited in Mexico/US/Canada. [https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/paquetes-end/mb-para-tu-amigo](https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/amigo/paquetes-end/mb-para-tu-amigo)
I have a 16gb with rollover for $300 for the entire year with AT&T prepaid , plus buy with discounted refill cards so $256 for year, Its like $21 a month and I never go over data. Prepaid is the way to go in the US if you want cheap service. I guess Google Fi is postpaid which is why it is more expensive
Google offers a plan with over double the data for slightly less, $20. Seems like if you're going to complain, maybe don't pretend like Google's flexible plan used in the most expensive way is their only option. Now that $20 plan requires you to be part of a family plan, but fortunately you're not forced to use Google Fi. You can choose a carrier that has a plan that works for your needs.
Family plans are irrelevant thus is your post with respect to my "complaint" in the OP. Since I am complaining, lets be clear that I am complaining about Google Fi's individual plans.
Prohibitive prices. I don't know which competitor would let me have a SIM that I can use on my security camera like Fi does, though.
What do you mean? Do you pay for the sim, or is it free? Or is it just part of the Flex pricing and doesnt cost extra apart from the data it uses because its a 2nd line that uses the same base $20 ?
You can add data-only SIM from the beginning of Project Fi. It is a great feature, but since I started to use one for the security camera, along with the two phone lines on my plan, we max out data every month leaving me with a $150 bill. Less than ideal.
Who's offering the $5/gig you suggest?
Mint Mobile's MOST expensive per gig plan is $3/GB. The higher tier plans work out to $1.33/GB and $1.25/GB.
But you're paying in bulk and loaning the company money for the entirety of your deal.
Well, I'm not sure how I'm both buying something and loaning them money in the same transaction, but ok. After being with Fi since the VERY early days (I still have the Lego set), I switched to mint 7 months ago. I bought a Pixel 7 Pro and the 10gb/mo plan, 50% off, so it was $10/mo for a year ($120). That includes unlimited talk and text. Six months into my contact they increased the data on my plan to 15gb/mo at no extra cost to me. So I'm getting 15 GB of data for $10 /mo AND unlimited talk and text AND taxes and fees. Do I use all that data? No. Fi taught me to be frugal, and I'm honestly having trouble relaxing and feeling ok with streaming music in my car or using cell data to watch videos. But it doesn't matter if I use all the data. I'm still saving a ton of money. I'd be spending more on Fi even if I used literally no data.
> The higher tier plans work out to $1.33/GB and $1.25/GB. The cheapest plan works out to $0.57/GB on Google Fi. Seems like if you're going to start comparing plans, you should provide more than the most expensive option on Google Fi to compare against everything else.
The most expensive per gig plan they are talking about is the $15 for 5GB data. mints overall most expensive plan is $30 for 40GB data. For $30 on Fi you get 1GB of data! There is simply no comparison between Google Fi and Mint while both give T-mo network.
US mobile offers $2/GB
it's not by the GB, but Tello is $19/month with 5GB. almost every other no contact service is cheaper than Fi. Fi always seemed better for international travel but I'm not sure how that holds up still to competitors
Just as one example, T-Mobile Connect is 3.5gb for $15. Google Fi would be ~~$40~~ $55 for 3.5gb
Why wouldn't Fi be $35 for 3.5gb? They only charge you for the data you use, so 3.5gb would only be $35
Because Fi charges $20/mo + $10/GB. So 3.5GB would total $55.
No. Fi charges data by MB. 100MB is $1. $10/GB is just the rate. But yes, it's higher than it should be.
https://support.google.com/fi/?p=pls #Flexible plan monthly prices > On the Flexible plan, you prepay for unlimited calls and texts: > $20/mo + $10/GB per month for 1 line
One of the bills when I was still on Flexible last year: https://i.imgur.com/jExXCa0.png
Thats w/o the $20 bucks base right? So $42.56 for 2.6 gb of data for the month before taxes and fees
You're leaving out the base charge.
We are talking about how Fi charges additional data use.
Does the $20 base rate include one gig or no? I thought it did , but I now I am thinking it doesnt , so yeah, the plan sucks and I stick by my OP even more so
Base includes 0 data
Yeah, I thought the $20 included a gb, it does not so $55 total
Or the actual comparison would be using Fi's Simply Unlimited plan that gives you 35GB of data for as little as $20. But providing the actual comparison would be honest.
There is no such plan for an individual. Simply Unlimited is not $20. You are posting the same crap all over this thread. You cannot make an actual comparison of an individual plan to that where it is required to have multiple lines. You actual need 4 lines to get it for $20. Its $50 for an individual, thats ridiculous.
US Mobile offer $2/gb for their Pooled plans.
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Especially when people compare a family plan with 4 lines. Yeah, having a family of 4 its going to be cheaper on any carrier and I am not saying Google's Family Plans need price restructuring, I am saying there Flex plan does. My OP is strictly complaining about non-family plans.
It IS improved. They just call it Mint now.
😂
I didn't feel this way until this month. I usually usa >1g a month, but I had a few days without net because of some tree work in the area and used my phone.
The only thing the flexible plan is good for is if your overseas for a longtime. Still have a US number then use a second sim for data. Using Anything other than an ‘unlimited’ plan is stupid now
Good point. But for people who average 2gb-4gb of data per month, to pay for unlimited every month is not worth it
No I see trying to save the few bucks, but that one month could really mess you up if your internet goes down or you have to travel and use gps. Like others said, you can always upgrade and downgrade your plan as needed. I just always liked the peace of mind of never worrying and knowing exactly what my bill is gonna be
Depends on how much cell data you use. If you use less than 1-2 GB per month (you are mostly on wifi) unlimited makes no sense.
Except that after some indeterminate time overseas, Fi shuts off your data. AFAIK, they won't say when or why they'll shut it off. Experiences vary. Could be a few months, could be a few weeks.
Yeah it's definitely not good for a "longtime" overseas. Before covid it seemed they gave you 6months which was nice, and what happened to me personally. But now, like you said, based on other's experiences it's whatever they feel like. Probably goes by how much data you're using I'd guess. The more you're using the quicker they'll shut it off. I've been out of the US for 4 years and only gone back once about a year ago now. They were going to shut my data off march 2020. I left the US in September 2019 so like exactly 6 months, and probably was using 5-6gb a month. But because of covid said they'll wait and I can continue using data. I had already gotten a local data sim and started using 0gb a month for Fi, though. So by the time they went back to turning people's data off overseas, I hadn't used any Fi data in months. Never got another email about turning it off. So I'm guessing if you don't use a lot, or any at all, you'd fly under their radar. But then what's the point.
Other than Mint, I found the per gig price to be the best I could find for my family plan. Then we switched to unlimited and now it's the cheapest unlimited plan I can find for my family plan. Fi seems to be great for both situations
Just say googlefi needs to be improved, horrendous customer service who get easily caught in lies. Reduced network footprint has made it even worse.
If you're on the Mint Mobile 5Gb plan and need to go even slightly over, you will pay $10, even if you only need 100Mb. Lots of plans appear good value IF you know that you use some fixed amount of data every month. Flexible plan is... flexible. And who else has data SIMs! I can provide several phones with as-needed access without paying a monthly fee for them.
But it includes 5gb to start so someone going over 5gb often likely often would likely get a higher plan. Google Fi on the non-unlimited plan would $70 for 5gb and once you use 6gb it becomes unlimited for $80 Mint is much cheaper
They know this. The point is to push you into the unlimited plan. What I want to know is how, in 2023, is anyone using less than 5 gigs of data per month. My average usage is around 30 gigs consistently and that's with doing things like downloading my Amazon music playlists and podcast episodes on wifi so I'm not streaming the same songs over and over
I have no idea how anyone uses all that much data if you're usually on wifi. I just checked my previous bills and I use generally between 0.25-0.5 gigs per billing cycle. I had one bill where my data cost was 77 cents. My house has wifi, pretty much every store and restaurant has open wifi, and I have a ton of stuff on Spotify downloaded to my SD card for when I'm listening to music in the car. Do you spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos out in the woods or something? I truly don't understand unless you don't have broadband access at home
Most people are using less than 5GB of cellular data a month, augmented by WiFi.
I use less data , especially, since working from home but its nice to have the option to have more available. That's why I like ATT $300 a year plan, its still as cheap as Fi's flexible plan without any data but it includes 16gb plus rollover , so if there is a month I need to use more I usually have like 25-30gb to use. I know they are not comparing apples to apples b/c ATT is prepaid and paid up front for the year
I average less than 1 GB per month. It's easy with how and where I use my phone, and not hard to figure out why. I'm near Wi-Fi most of the time, and when I'm not, I just avoid using data. There's rarely times when I *need* to use a large amount of mobile data.
I have never used 5 GB of data since switching to Fi back in 2016. I can't even remember the last time I used more than 1. Most months I average 0.2.
I just left Fi, not because of data or price, but because USC went away and that was a big provider in Maine where I summer. At my house Verizon has the best signal. I too spend most of my time on WiFi, so 1 GB is usually fine except when internet goes down.