17 Cheap Mobile WiFi Hotspot Plans
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Do you want Internet access anywhere you go without draining your cell phone data plan? A cheap mobile WiFi hotspot plan can connect your tech devices to the Internet.
So it’s possible to get fast 4G LTE mobile WiFi connection speeds almost anywhere in the United States.
That’s fast enough for online streaming plans and general Internet services.
Your monthly MIFI (Mobile Wi-Fi) hotspot plan may cost less than your cell phone bill. You can also use your hotspot whenever you leave home without using your phone data.
Our Top Picks
| Company | Key Features |
| Mint Mobile | 4GB Data is $15/Month |
| Boost Mobile | 2GB Data is $15/Month |
| AT&T | Free Hotspots Available |
Cheap Mobile Hotspot Plans
Most hotspot plans charge a flat monthly fee and don’t require a contract. In most cases, the only upfront cost is buying a hotspot modem. A hotspot typically costs less than $100.
Some hotspot plans require you to use your cell phone. In some cases, you can bring your own device to save money.
Each mobile WiFi hotspot plan will either use T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon. Besides the monthly price, check the coverage map to find your best option.
1. Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile offers free mobile WiFi hotspots when you get your cellular phone service through Mint Mobile.
The amount of data you have to use on your Mint Mobile hotspot depends on the amount of data available in your Mint Mobile Cellular plan.
However, if you have Mint Mobile’s Unlimited plan, you only get 5GB of mobile hotspot data per month. The Mint Mobile cellular phone with (WiFi hotspot) plans are as follows:
Mint Mobile Mobile Data Plans
- 4GB per month of data with unlimited talk/text: $15
- 10GB per month of data with unlimited talk/text: $20
- 15GB per month of data with unlimited talk/text: $25
- 5GB per month of data with the Unlimited data phone plan: $30
Note that you have to have a hotspot-capable phone for this plan to work. Mint Mobile has hotspot-capable phones for sale on the website. Or you can bring your own phone to the company.
Network Used: T-Mobile
2. AT&T
AT&T offers contract and prepaid wireless plans. Thankfully, their cheap mobile hotspot options fall in the prepaid category. This means you pay by the month and don’t have a contract.
They are also currently offering a free hotspot through the link above.
You have your pick of three monthly data plans:
- 3 GB: $25 ($10 per additional 1 GB)
- 10 GB: $50 ($10 per additional 1.5 GB)
- 18 GB: $75 ($10 per additional 2 GB)
Up to 10 devices can connect to the hotspot device at once. It’s possible to bring your own hotspot device or tablet to AT&T. Also, another option is purchasing a device from AT&T.
3. FreedomPop
FreedomPop is a leader in the low-price movement for mobile WiFi hotspots and cell phone plans. You can buy a mobile hotspot for only $39.99 that lets you connect up to 10 devices.
You will enjoy 4G LTE service via the AT&T networks.
The Basic 500 MB mobile hotspot plan is one of the very few ways to get free Internet. You get 500 MBs of free 4G WiFi each month. This plan is enough for basic web and email usage but too little for streaming.
FreedomPop Mobile Data Plans
For the first month, you get 2 GB of 4G and 3G hotspot data as a free trial! After the free trial ends, you will choose a monthly plan option.
Below are the current FreedomPop monthly plan options:
- Basic 500 MB (4G only): Free
- Pro 500 MB (4G and 3G): $6.99 per month
- 3 GB (4G and 3G): $28.99 per month
- 4 GB (4G and 3G: $34.99 per month
Download speeds are up to 1 MB per second for the free plan and up to 5 MB per second for paid plans. Paying $9.99 monthly for the FreedomPop Premier plan gives you download speeds up to 25 MB per second.
This faster speed is ideal for streaming video. You can also rollover up to 20 GB of unused data with the Premier add-on.
One downside to FreedomPop is their limited coverage area. You should have good reception in large cities and east of the Mississippi River.
However, coverage is sparse across the western United States. On the upside, they offer up to 50% off android and iPhone and devices.
You can read our FreedomPop review to learn more about cheap cell phone and WiFi hotspot access.
Networks Used: AT&T
4. Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile offers a single mobile WiFi hotspot plan of 50 GB of monthly data for $50. This is one of the best deals for 4G LTE coverage. It’s also possible to add mobile hotspot to your prepaid mobile phone plan.
Your only option with a standalone WiFi hotspot is $50 a month for 50 GB 4G LTE data. You will need to buy a Boost modem for $49.99 when you join.
The mobile hotspot boasts a battery life of ten hours and connects up to ten devices at once.
You can also add mobile hotspot to your phone with a Boost Unlimited Plan. The hotspot feature is free on any phone plan that costs at least $50 a month.
Otherwise, you can pay $5 a month for 1 GB or $10 a month for 2 GB of data.
Network Used: T-Mobile
5. Cricket Wireless
Cricket Wireless is a prepaid network owned by AT&T and–as you already guessed–operates on the AT&T network. You can get a data-only hotspot or add a hotspot to select phone plans.
The cheaper option is buying the standalone hotspot device. Cricket offers the Moxee Mobile Device for $79.99.
There are two different monthly data plans:
- 20 GB Simply Data: $35
- 40 GB Simply Data: $50
Cricket’s mobile WiFi hotspot plan costs more than T-Mobile but less than Verizon. Your coverage area can also be better than T-Mobile in rural and metro areas.
Mobile Hotspot
A second option is adding mobile hotspot to your phone. This feature costs an extra $10 a month for 10 GB of hotspot data. You can add hotspots to the Unlimited plans starting at $55 per line.
Cricket offers a $5 monthly discount if you enroll in auto-pay.
6. Net10 Wireless
With Net10 Wireless, you can enjoy prepaid mobile hotspot access. It’s possible to choose a plan with any of the four WiFi carriers.
Net10 recommends the best carrier when you join for the best data coverage.
You will have your pick between GSM and CDMA network coverage from one of these four providers:
- AT&T
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
Your mobile hotspot device only costs $9.99. Net10 can be one of the best plans if you are trying to live cheaply.
Net10 Wireless Data Plans
Once you pick out your hotspot device, you can choose from one of four plans:
- 1 GB: $20 every 30 days
- 2.5 GB: $30 every 30 days
- 5GB: $50 every 60 days
Net10 offers different pricing plans that can fit any budget. The best deal can be paying $50 every two months for 5 GB of data. You can save $5 a month compared to the 2.5 GB plan and get the same amount of data.
Add-On Packs
If you need to “top off” your data balance in between billing dates, you can also buy add-on packs too. Net10 add-on packs don’t expire, and the unused data rolls into the next month.
You have two add-on pack options to choose from:
- 500 MB: $5
- 1 GB: $10
Network Used: AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
7. Family Motor Coach Association
Do you RV? If so, can join the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). Club membership costs $85 per year. Benefits include discounts on travel essentials like RV insurance, roadside assistance and WiFi.
Mobile hotspot plans are available with Verizon.
FMCA Connect-on-the-Go
For Verizon WiFi service, check out the FMCA Connect-on-the-Go plan. You pay $0.01 for your hotspot when you enroll in a two-year plan. Your monthly rate is $49.99 for 25GB of 4G LTE service.
After reaching the monthly high-speed data cap, you get unlimited data at a reduced speed of +/- 200kbps. This speed is fast enough for checking email and surfing the web but not for streaming a movie.
International WiFi plans are not included in FMCA’s partnership. Although you can contact Verizon to add a plan when you RV abroad.
As you’re locked into a two-year contract, there’s a $175 early termination fee. If you’re a new Verizon customer, you will also need to pick up your device at a corporate Verizon store.
Existing Verizon customers can receive their device with two-day shipping (excluding P.O. boxes).
8. T-Mobile
With T-Mobile Simple Choice Prepaid Mobile Internet, you can get up to 22 GB per month of 4G LTE network speeds. They even offer one-day passes if you only need the Internet for a single day.
The base price for a mobile hotspot device is $72. This device cost is one of the highest. However, you can also bring your own modem or tablet to save money.
Data Plans
If you only need mobile hotspot access for a day, you pay $5 per day for 500 MB of 4G LTE access.
For ongoing hotspot access, you should consider one of these monthly plans:
- 2 GB: $10
- 6 GB: $25
- 10 GB: $40
- 14 GB: $55
- 18 GB: $70
- 22 GB: $85
T-Mobile is known for having some of the fastest 4G LTE speeds. If T-Mobile serves your area, you might try them out.
9. Google Fi
Did you know Google has its own cell phone company? It’s called Google Fi and partners with T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular for nationwide coverage.
Google Fi doesn’t have a standalone mobile hotspot yet. So you will need to use your phone’s mobile hotspot, which is free. You also have access to millions of free public hotspots across the world.
Flexible Plan
What makes Google Fi cool is that you may get free data. For instance, a single person only has to pay for the first 6 GB used each month.
Each GB of data costs $10. The first 15 GB monthly is at 4G LTE speeds. All data after 15 GB is slower the 4G LTE.
For each line, you get unlimited talk and text. The first line costs $20 monthly. All additional lines cost $15 per month plus. Then you pay $10 per GB of data up to the monthly plan cap.
The most a single person will pay is $80 per month. You can have up to six lines on any Google Fi plan. Your highest monthly bills is $275 if you have six lines and exhaust your monthly data allowance.
And if you travel the world, you don’t pay international data roaming charges. You still only pay $10 per GB in over 200 countries.
Unlimited Plan
Each person gets 22 GB of high-speed data every month. All excess data is at a slower speed for the rest of the billing cycle.
A single line costs $70 and six lines costs $270 per month. This plan can be cheaper if you’re a heavy data user.
10. Tello
A prepaid phone plan with free tethering is Tello. All plans include unlimited talk and text. You can make free international calls to Mexico, Canada and China. Tello uses T-Mobile to provide phone and data service.
You can choose from one of five monthly plans with 4G LTE data:
- 1 GB: $10
- 2 GB: $14
- 4 GB: $19
- 6 GB: $24
- 8 GB: $29
- 25 GB: $39
You get unlimited 2G data speed after using your monthly 4G data bank.
All plans renew monthly. Although you can change data plans or cancel at any time fee-free.
11. Xfinity Mobile
Xfinity Mobile provides phone service through the popular internet and cable provider. The cell phone plan includes options to add mobile hotspots. It’s an option whether or not you are an existing Xfinity customer.
Here’s how the price breaks down per line:
- 1 line is $45 per month with unlimited 5G data
- 2 lines are $80 per month with unlimited 5G data
- 3 lines are $100 per month with unlimited 5G data
- 4 lines are $120 per month with unlimited 5G data
When you use this phone service, your device will automatically connect to over 18 million hotspots around the U.S. Without any activation fees, there’s nothing holding you back from this treasure trove of hotspots.
12. NetZero
You might know NetZero for offering free home Internet. They also provide mobile WiFi hotspot plans of up to 8 GB per month. Their 200 GB data plan is free but only lasts 12 months.
A NetZero hotspot device has a one-time $59.95 fee. However, you can bring your own device to save money.
Check the coverage map as they primarily serve the eastern United States and the Pacific coastal states. If you live in a NetZero service area, you can save some money on your monthly WiFi subscription.
NetZero Data Plans
Surprisingly, NetZero is one of the few carriers that also lets you bring your own modem hotspot. It must be an eligible model of course. There may still be a small fee to purchase a NetZero sim card.
You have your choice of six different monthly data plans:
- 200 MB: Free
- 1 GB: $17.95
- 2 GB: $27.95
- 4 GB: $45.95
- 6 GB: $63.95
- 8 GB: $79.95
Besides the Free Plan (200 MB per month), you pay an additional $3.95 monthly fee.
The Free Plan is also only available for the first 12 months. After that, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan. Overall, the NetZero plans are expensive. However, their free 200 GB plan is good for basic web surfing.
13. Straight Talk Wireless
You can sign up for a Straight Talk Wireless plan at your local Walmart or also online. They partner with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to provide nationwide coverage.
A mobile hotspot costs between $9.99 and $19.99, depending on which model you choose. Straight Talk only lets you connect up to five devices at once.
Many other hotspot plans allow you to connect up to ten devices at once.
Data Plans
Your data purchase is good for either 30 days or 60 days. You get a small discount by purchasing a 60-day package like other WiFi providers.
If you’re going to use at least 4 GB of data each month, go ahead and spend more upfront to save money in the long term.
- 1 GB: $15 every 30 days
- 2 GB: $25 every 30 days
- 4 GB: $40 every 60 days
- 5 GB: $50 every 60 days
- 7 GB: $75 every 60 days
None of the data plans require a contract, and you can switch plans at any time.
Don’t forget to join the Straight Talk rewards program. You earn points by paying your bill and even playing games. The rewards points you earn are redeemable for service plan credits and other add-ons.
Free Hotspot Data
You can get 10 GB of hotspot data if you pick the $55 per month Ultimate Unlimited phone plan. The phone hotspot isn’t available on the AT&T plans.
Networks Used: Verizon, T-Mobile
14. H2O Bolt
H2O Bolt uses the AT&T network and provides 4G LTE and 2G hotspot coverage. Opting for a 30-day plan instead of the 10-day option gives you a 10% discount when you sign up for auto refills too.
With the AT&T network coverage, you will enjoy hotspot access in most of the U.S.
A mobile hotspot will cost $29.99 from H2O Bolt.
Data Plans
H2O Bolt offers four different data plans. All four plans split your monthly data between 4G LTE and 2G network speeds (For example: 4 GB = 2 GB 4G and 2 GB 2G):
- 4 GB: $25 every 10 days
- 10 GB: $50 every 30 days
- 14 GB: $70 every 30 days
- 20 GB: $90 every 30 days
Because of H2O Bolt’s unique pricing, these plans are good for minimal WiFi use. The 2G data speeds are sufficient for basic email and web browsing.
However, you should determine if the 4G and 2G combination is worth the subscription.
If it is, you can save 10% each month on any of the 30-day plans. For example, you’ll pay $45 instead of $50 with the 10 GB plan or $81 instead of $90 if you decide to go with the 20 GB per month plan.
Network Used: AT&T
15. MetroPCS
MetroPCS offers both mobile WiFi and phone hotspot plans.
MetroSMART Hotspot
The MetroSMART Hotspot lets you connect up to 15 devices at once. Remember that ten is the maximum number of devices for most carriers.
This hotspot plan costs $35 per month for 10 GB of LTE data.
MetroPCS offers three data top-up packages:
- 15 GB per month: $45
- 20 GB per month: $55
- 30 GB per month: $75
Monthly Phone Plans
The two Unlimited phone plans offer built-in mobile hotspot data:
- $50 Unlimited Plan: Includes 5 GB of hotspot data
- $60 Unlimited Plan: Includes 15 GB of hotspot data
Both unlimited plans include 100 GB of Google One storage. You also get free Amazon Prime membership with the $60 Unlimited Plan.
Network Used: T-Mobile
16. Verizon Wireless
Although it’s not the cheapest mobile wifi plan, Verizon Wireless is one of the most reliable. Your smartphone may already include mobile hotspot. You can also get a WiFi hotspot device that connects up to eight devices at once.
Data plans vary between 2 GB and 100 GB each month.
Single device plans start at $10 a month for 1 GB of data. And shared data plans start at $20 monthly for 2 GB of data. Plus, hotspot devices have a one-time cost starting at $19.99 with a two-year contract.
The largest plan–40 GB per month–costs $150 per month. This cost might be worth it if you’re a small business or live in a rural area.
17. Ting
Ting is known for its low-cost voice and text plans. You pay for the minutes and texts that you use. A single-device plan costs $6 per month. Your monthly voice, text, and data charges hinge on your monthly usage.
For example, you may only pay $18 per month if you use 100 minutes and 100 text messages.
Ting can be an easy way to save money on phone plans. However, Ting only offers tethering and no longer offers mobile hotspots. This may be a good option if you need more data for a one-time trip.
You pay $20 a month for 1.1 GB up to 2 GB of data. Each additional GB costs $10 per month.
Summary
Mobile WiFi hotspots let you enjoy internet connections almost anywhere, including coffee shops to grandma’s house. Plus, the best hotspot plans can even deliver enough data for online jobs.
Your personal hotspot can provide fast and reliable Internet access to your Apple or Android devices.
I only need a hotspot for traveling in the car. My wife likes to use her chromebook. Don’t use a lot of data. We also have android phones. Is there a prepaid, byop, inexpensive service that has or uses one of the nationwide carriers for coverage that would work?
1) Ting no longer offers their 30 GB hotspot, or any hotspot plan at all, per looking at the store and confirming via a chat with them.
2) Typo in NetZero section says the free plan is 200 GB in the first and last paragraphs when it should be 200 MB. I sure with it weren’t a typo though!
Great catch JL. We have made the updates and a few others.
I currently I have T-Mobile as my cell carrier. Formerly, I had AT&T. T-Mobile is fine for my local area, but my work requires me to go to areas without T mobile service – areas where I formerly had great ATT service. I go to these work sites 3-6 days @ every 4-5 weeks. I am looking for a reliable, cost effective hotspot that will allow me to have internet access while working in these remote area. Suggestions?
Freedom POP is a very dishonest company. They certainly scammed me. I am a very savvy consumer and read all the fine print. Freedom Pop upgraded me form the free plan to “trial one month free plan” at a higher tier. I immediately called them asking to switch back to the free plan – I did not want the free trial, because I knew it would be trouble. They refused, giving me some dumb excuse. then, after 2 weeks, the service stopped working altogether. their excuse was something to to do with 3G vs 4G upgrades in my area. I called a dozen times and finally got one rep who could and did resolve the problem. But, 2 days later the service failed to ever work again, in spite of another dozen calls to freedom pop. I filed a dispute with my credit card company. They found it too difficult & time consuming to work with freedom pop. My credit card company just reimbursed my charges back to me & took the loss themselves. I guess thats what freedom pop counts on. No one is going to fight them in court over such a small amount, but it all adds up to a huge profit for them.
I am a mobile Notary and am unable to use unsecure hotspots. And am trying to figure out which plan to go on. Will be hooking up other devices, including a mobile printer for remote business. I have an older iphone to use as a hotspot. But am looking for the most affordable plan. I am keeping my cricket phone. But don’t want to pay for one of their stand-alone hotspots. Too expensive. Which do you suggest. I am in Ky and eastern Ky has areas without sprint coverage lol. So sprint and boost will be a pain where a pill don’t reach;-)
Just got back from that Azore islands. Vodafone data plan for my unlocked hotspot was 30 Euro’s for 60 gig for 30 days. These islands are 850 miles off shore and better rates anywhere. WTF.
Great article! I need a mobile hotspot only to take a programming course online. It will roughly be around 2-3 hours a day. What plan do you suggest? Thank you in advance
Definitely depends how much data you think you’ll use! If it’s something where you’ll be watching videos then you’ll want something with more data available! Do a little research on what you think you’ll need and that will help you figure out which plan is the most valuable to you! Best of luck!
Guys if you have a valid complaint and your carrier will not help you on a mobile plan you can always report them to the Federal Trade Commission and report there violations. The FTC has oversight over all websites in the USA.
Thank you for the additional information!
Steve is absolutely correct about Freedompop being shady. In fact, I was recently knocked off the free plan with a ridiculous 13-step process (translation: many hours of nonsense) to get back on the free 500 MB per month plan. I have had other weird things happen, such as suddenly getting charged an extra $5.99 a month for international service I neither needed nor requested. Moreover, the hotspot never seemed to work when I went out to local restaurants. Plus there was a lot of trickery with 3G vs. 4G vs. both with $4 extra to get the slower 3G, believe it or not!
In any case, service was poor to mediocre in my area anyway for when I did get it to work. RUN AWAY from Freedompop as fast as you can! Life is too short to waste on trying to get this so-called “free” service!
Second, the article appears to make an error in reporting Netzero
It’s too bad to hear you had a bad experience with Freedom Pop! It’s good for everyone to do as much research as possible when they’re trying a new service so thanks for sharing your experience!
I use the hotspot, Metro by T-Mobile. I average 70 GB a month in data usage. I get 15 GB in data with the hotspot that is gone in 10 days or so. Who should I look at for a truly unlimited hotspot?
If you look at our post, early in the post we list Xfinity Mobile. They charge $45 for unlimited hotspot data.
I’m one more voice of painful experience warning against FreedomPop. They employ lots of hidden maneuvers to automatically upgrade you and invoice your card for things you don’t want. If your time being frustrated with unhelpful customer service is worth more than 35 cents per hour, then FreedomPop is no bargain.
I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with FreedomPop. thanks for sharing about them.
I was trying to comment in the FreedomPop review above. I had a horrible experience, as so many do. They don’t answer questions about billing in a clear way. Many say the same as the previous reviewer. They snuck in “surprise” bills without notice on a hotspot I had with “free” data. I rarely used it, yet I kept getting billed. Then suddenly my bill went up for no reason. I had back and forths with them all the time as a user, and they were not forthcoming. I reported them to BBB before it was semi-resolved. Just look up reviews and you’ll read a lot of what you just said!
I’m looking into purchasing a mobile hotspot for my grandma so she can connect a MemoBird in her house. She doesn’t have internet, and she doesn’t need a new cell phone. She will have minimal usage of the data. Is FreedomPop the best choice?
That’s really up to you guys, bit it might not hurt to compare any other features as well. It might also depend on her location.
I’m looking to get rid of Suddenlink to go with a prepaid plan. Which carrier has the best plan for the home?
It depends on your own unique situation. What’s good for one person won’t work for another. Check out the ones in this post that interest you to find a plan that works for you.
Is there a plan that you can truly just pay for what you use? We have a vacation house in the country where I am not sure how often we will be there or how much usage we will have. Sometimes it will be just moderate web browsing vs grandkids streaming video. But I would like to have WiFi available both when we are there and when we are not, like for security etc. Do you have any advice?
If I were you I would compare the prices of a hotspot to a pay as you co internet plan. One of these might be a cheaper option for you. The hotspot could be used at your main address as well as on the go and at your vacation house. It might be cheaper than paying for two separate locations. I hope that gives you some direction.
Thank you, I appreciate the info. I’ll contact Version to see what they say.
We are grandparents and have the grandkids a week or two, two to three times a year. We take them places which may be a few hours away. They entertain themselves with IPADs, but can’t access Wifi for many of their games while travelling. What are the best options for our situation? We only need mobile wifi a few times a year for short periods. I posted this earlier, but forgot to mention, we have a Version wireless plan and Comcast Xfinity internet.
One place to start is by looking at how much it would cost to add a mobile hotspot to your plan through Verizon. Then, ask if you can get it turned off and on again, without being charged extra, at certain times of the year. You may have to look over several different companies to find something that works for your situation at the lowest price, so be prepared to check out other plans as well. During your search, make sure you list what each one will and won’t cover as well as the areas in which they will work.
MyiInternet on the goHOTSPOT died after 5 years. I purchased the Walmart Straight Talk hotspot and loaded 1G ($15) on it 2 days ago. I used it for 15 minutes of navigation with my Republic Wireless phone. My data was gone. I called customer service and they said I had used all the data – too bad. The Republic Wireless phone actually tracks that data usage. I had used 14.37 MB of data. There are 1000 MB of data in 1G. I told them I would screen shot my phone and send all the information to Miami headquarters if they didn’t give it back. They did. I think customer service in these third world countries is stealing the data and using it. There are 50 complaints about this on Amazon and other websites.
That’s possible. I’m glad you pursued it and stood your ground. Not everyone does and they could end up being taken advantage of. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I travel overseas quite often. Can I use a mobile hotspot device from here in the US and also during my trips to Europe? I am an unlimited plan T-Mobile customer, but I am not sure if my iPhone’s built in hotspot would work over there as far as speed and data. And, of course, if so, would that be cheaper than buying a stick overseas?
That’s something you need to ask T-Mobile. Since every company is different, their requirements could be different as well as what they charge. In addition, it’s possible your phone won’t even support it. The best way to find out the answers to all of your questions is to contact them and provide the information they need to determine if it can be done and how much it would cost.
I have to concur with Steve about FreedomPop. I was with them for two years, until very recently, and their customer service is zilch. You are stuck with a page of FAQ’s that are barely intelligible. While the ease of increasing your data plan as needed during the month, without penalty, is a plus, their invoices are as impossible to figure out as the people are to understand – if you can ever get anyone on the line. Furthermore, your service gets cut off abruptly if you fail to alter your data plan in advance, even though they have your credit card on file. In my opinion, there are too many aberrations with FreedomPop to be comfortable with the absence of a customer service feature or any recourse in the case of billing issues.
I’m sorry you have had trouble with FreedomPop. Luckily, there are some other choices for you! 🙂
10-4 ! After two go-rounds with FP had to get card issuer to deny their auto-charges. Ill-supported and inconsistent as in the value of FREE marketing come-on IMHO.
Which would you recommend if I’m trying to get enough hotspot data to Twitch stream Halo 5 around 3 days a week for roughly 3 hours at a time? I live in an area where it is impossible to get fast internet so I want to use mobile hotspot data for the sole purpose of streaming. I just want to buy the cheapest phone I can with the cheapest hotspot plan, maybe around 20 GB or so.
You’ll just need to compare the plans out there to see which features you need and don’t need along with the price of each.
Some of the information here is incorrect. I do not see any mobile WiFi hot spots that are cheaper then most of the plans offered by the main cell companies. T-Mobile offers a 55+ plan with unlimited data, and 20 gigs of high speed 4G for 15 bucks more. After the 25 gigs it just slows down, but I can still stream Hulu, even then. I’ve found it best, only if you want to save money though, to actually call and talk to a real person, and they can easily tell you about which plan best suits your needs. I have unlimited data, talk and text, with 20 gigs of high speed 4G, for $65 plus about 5 bucks in additional charges, making it average 70-73 bucks a month.
Whether or not you think it’s cheap can depend on the circumstances. For instance a mobile hot spot might be more expensive that regular WiFi, but if you own more than one home or travel a bunch, a mobile hotspot might be cheaper than paying fees for multiple locations. This post is about some hotspot plans that may be cheaper than others that are higher priced.
If you buy a mobile hotspot can you hook two smart TVs up to it for Netflix and YouTube and maybe 3 cell phones?
Yes, you can hook multiple devices to a hotspot. This is called tethering. Once your phone’s hotspot is turned on, open the second device’s list of WiFi options and look for the hotspot name and choose it. Some hotspot plans may charge extra for this, so check out your plan first to see how many devices it will support without extra fees being charged.
Do your research before considering Karma hot spot. You pay $200 for a very nice looking device, deceptive marketing, and virtually no support. Although the “Drift” plan says that you “get credit for unused data”, your data expires every month and they will use a portion of your “credit” and you pay cash for the rest. I don’t know how you would ever use all the credits. Just check the Better Business Bureau for numerous horror stories dealing with this company. There isn’t a phone number to call for support and when you email them, they do quickly respond, but usually with very vague non-answers. Their site brags about an app to manage your account, but it doesn’t exist on either Google Play or App Store. Support replied that they will notify their engineering department of this problem, until I pointed out it hasn’t been available for at least 4 months. I will have to eat the $200 for the device and move on.
I’m sorry that you had a bad experience with them. Thank you for sharing what happened to you. Fortunately there are other choices available to you should you decide to try again.
I have used both Cricket and Pure Talk. Cricket has a good 4 line unlimited data and talk,but as you stated, you pay extra for mobile hotspots. As far as I know, there is no tethering, so you can’t share your data with another phone. Pure Talk has a decent plan, but there’s no unlimited group plan like Cricket has. But, you can tether and have a hotspot. Of the data you have with Pure Talk, you just can’t add more data to it, but they don’t charge extra for the tethering or hotspot.
Thanks for your extra input!
Can you clarify a few things for me? When you talk about the data plans charging an average of $10 per gig, is that the amount of data or is that the speed of the day that you use?
That is the amount of data you use.
FreedomPop’s “free” plan is a classic instance of the “bait and switch” ploy. Upon downgrading to their “free plan,” I was informed that rather than 500MB of free data, I would only get 200MB of free data because “GSM hotspots can’t get 500MB of free data.” I was charged $20 for account credit (to cover overages in case my usage exceeded the 200 MB of free data) instead of $10 as was explained to me by their sales rep, Allen. After about a month, I was charged $50 for “subscription credit.” When I opened a trouble ticket to protest this charge, I was met with an incomprehensible response that went (and this is verbatim from an email I received from their customer support), “We sincerely do apologize for the confusion this has caused you. Upon account review; you was charge dated 11-25-2018 7:11 PM for subscription credit that equivalent into $65 where in it apply on renewal charge however we confirmed here account has been downgraded into Freedom Basic GSM 200 (plan-free-zmp). We regret to inform you that we unable to issued refund since this charged is non refundable.” A day after I began a dispute with my credit card company, FreedomPop promptly closed my account. We’ll see if I’m able to get my money back. The bottom line is, don’t trust FreedomPop to abide by their promises for a free plan. Perhaps they’re better with customers on other plans, but I’d be very, very wary and look at alternatives.
I’m sorry you had a negative experience with FreedomPop, but I thank you for sharing it with us and other readers. Hopefully this is a one time occurrence that other’s will not experience.
I have FreedomPop as well, and have had it for a couple years. i shopped their site, then decided I wasn’t sure about how reliable things would be. Thanks to their 3rd party cookie tracking, I started seeing deals on other sites after that.
I clicked on a free SIM card on AT&T, and there was a special on shipping for $.99 (as I remember it. I downgraded to their free 500mb GSM plan after a few days, and had to pay a $5 fee to credit my account.
To date, I’ve used their services for over two years with an Android tablet in my wife’s car (she uses 300-450 Mb/month) and have not paid a penny more to date.
I will say that I’ve not been able to find the same deal since then, as I’d love to have another SIM card as a spare “just in case”, but they don’t seem to offer it any more.
They still offer 500 Mb but only on Sprint, where the 200 Mb version is for AT&T.
If you’re an RVer and a member of FMCA it’s $50 for Sprint Unlimited. Go to FMCA’s website as Sprint knows nothing of this plan. Pay your bill to FMCA.
Thanks for mentioning that benefit for RVers. For any readers interested, keep in mind there’s also a one time fee of $40 for this service.
I use this FMCA plan and it is truly unlimited, with no hard throttling. So far I’ve used 85g of data this month. The main problem with this plan is Sprint’s spotty coverage when boondocking in the middle of nowhere out west, and its slow speed. Usually I only get about 4mbs throughput, which is fast enough to stream Netflix and youtube videos without buffering in std. resolution, but not high res. The main advantage is that it is a monthly plan with no commitment – you can quit anytime if you find something you like better. A nice feature is unlimited roaming which is often faster than the Sprint.
FMCA also offers a $50 a month Verizon plan with better coverage, and faster access – till you get to 25g of data when they hard throttle you down to dial-up speed, making it practically unusable at this point.
Thanks for letting us know that, Chip. We are going to have our writer look into that and update the article as needed.
We are semi-retired. Although we live in PA, we are interested in a snowbird lifestyle. My husband would work remotely 4 hours per day. What type of hotspot would probably be best?
That depends a bit on just how much data he’ll need. You could always click on the link in the post for one, such as FreedomPop, and try out their free trial period. For your info, their plans say you can change them at any time. So if the plan needs to be upgraded for more data, you can do that.
I have a house in Rancho Mirage, CA and in Kirkland, WA. I am currently paying for WiFi in both locations. Would it be smarter to get a Mobile Hot Spot device to move between the two locations and not pay for the WiFi? I need to connect to my work network while in CA, so I’m not sure how much data that would use. Any help would be appreciated.
It might pay off. Perhaps you can find out how much data you are currently using each month? That might help you compare plans and prices to decide if a mobile hot spot you can use anywhere is cheaper. Also, it could prevent you from getting a mobile hot spot that is slower than what you need.
I have the T-mobile international one plus plan. I get unlimited 4G LTE mobile hotspot for an extra $25/Month. I can’t afford to buy AT and T’s Wi-Fi services at $60 per month, and only get about 7MB’s when I’m supposed to get 18MB’s of speed. It’s a total rip off. Spectrum offers 100MB’s of speed, but they want $49.95 per month. So, I think that my T-mobile plan seems to be the cheapest way to go.
I’m glad you found a way to get your Hotspot for less!