Simple Mobile is a prepaid cellular MVNO owned by TracFone, that runs on the T-Mobile network.
Plan Information
Simple Mobile offers plans for smartphones that include unlimited talk, text & data with hotspot/tethering caps.
Simple Mobile sells phones and a hotspot device - although their TOS prohibits the use of their phone plans in a hotspot device. Confusingly, if you purchase a hotspot device from Simple Mobile, the offer to pair that device with a phone plan is offered.
In January 2021, Simple Mobile absorbed Telcel USA.
Smartphone Plans
Smartphone Plans include unlimited voice & text in addition to differing allotments of data.
- Truly Unlimited with 15GB mobile hotspot use - $57/month
- Truly Unlimited with 5GB mobile hotspot use- $45/month
- 15GB - $40/month
- 5GB and 3GB plans - $25-$30/month
Plan Specs
- Carrier Networks Used: T-Mobile
- Carrier Relationship: MVNO
- Plan Types Available: Phone
- Device Types Permitted: Phones
- Unlimited: Yes - on device
- High-Speed Mobile Hotspot Use:
- Truly Unlimited $60 Plan - 15GB
- Truly Unlimited $50 Plan - 5GB
- Throttling:
- Capped data smartphone plans - 2G after data cap is reached
- Network Management: On unlimited plans, possible after 40GB. Always behind native T-Mobile customers.
- Video Streaming Resolution:
- Unlimited plans - 480p
- Capped data plans - 1080p
- 5G Access: No
- Device Purchase Required: No
- Plan Period: 30 days
- International Roaming: Yes, in 16 Latin American countries on smartphone plans.
- Domestic Roaming: No domestic roaming for data use.
- Data Roll Over: No
- Overage Charges: No
- Lines permitted per account: Up to 4
- Extras:
- Can top-up capped plans with 'data add-ons'
- 2GB/$5, 5GB/$10, 10GB/$20
- Usage begins after all the data on your active plan is consumed
- Balance does not carry over
- Remaining Data Add-On balance will be lost
- 2GB/$5, 5GB/$10, 10GB/$20
- $60 'Unlimited' plan includes 50GB of Cloud Storage
- Can top-up capped plans with 'data add-ons'
Data Only Plans
Data only plans are designed for use on Simple Mobile approved hotspot devices.
- 40GB - $50/month
- 15GB - $35/month
Plan Specs
- Carrier Networks Used: T-Mobile
- Carrier Relationship: MVNO
- Plan Types Available: Data only
- Device Types Permitted: Hotspots
- Unlimited: No
- High-Speed Mobile Hotspot Use: All data is available for hotspot
- Throttling: None
- Network Management: On unlimited plans, possible after 40GB. Always behind native T-Mobile customers
- Video Streaming Resolution: not specified
- 5G Access: No
- Device Purchase Required: No
- Plan Period: 30 days
- International Roaming: None
- Domestic Roaming: None
- Data Roll Over: No
- Overage Charges: No
- Lines permitted per account: Up to 4
- Extras: Can top-up plans with 'data add-ons'
- 2GB/$5, 5GB/$10, 10GB/$20
- Usage begins after all the data on your active plan is consumed
- Balance does not carry over
- Remaining Data Add-On balance will be lost
- 2GB/$5, 5GB/$10, 10GB/$20
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Finding the right plans for your needs is no easy task - quite simply mobile travelers using cellular data as their primary way online is not how most carriers have designed their plans. Many of us want plans that provide copious amounts of data.
Understanding the different plan terms (like network management, throttling, hotspot data, video resolution) is key to determining if a plan will meet your needs or not. You also need plans that are suitable for use in the device you want to use them in - such as smartphone, mobile hotspot device or cellular embedded router.
To learn more about shopping for dataplans, check out these key guides:
Here's a video going over the 'limits' on so-called 'unlimited' data plans:
But a data plan alone will not keep you online. For more education on assembling a cellular centric mobile internet setup, head on over to our collection of guides to help with selecting gear and your signal enhancing strategy:
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