Karma is a Sprint based MVNO, offering cellular data plans tied to their own proprietary hotspot devices - the Karma Voyage.
Karma as a cellular data provider has a history - and it's not all good.
Last Update: November 18, 2020
Sprint is now part of T-Mobile, as per the merger that closed on April 1, 2020.
New Sprint customers are directed to T-Mobile to sign up for their plans, however, some of Sprint's legacy plans are still available in-store or over the phone. Customers on existing direct Sprint plans will be able to retain those plans for the next three years without price increases or changes to features.
The two networks still operate mostly independently with their own towers and frequency bands. Some Sprint customers can have their Sprint phones coded to make the T-Mobile network the primary network for their phones instead of Sprint. Sprint customers with recent 5G phones such as the Galaxy S10 automatically use T-Mobile as the primary network since the combined company is shutting down Sprint's 5G service.
As of October, T-Mobile is offering most Sprint smartphone customers that use the Sprint cellular network the ability to choose the "T-Mobile Network Experience". In short, TNX allows Sprint network customers with compatible devices to trade in their Sprint SIM card for a T-Mobile SIM card and move their plan to the T-Mobile network while retaining the features, billing, and terms of their original Sprint plan. You can read more about what this means here.
Starting in late November, non-profit Sprint based plans have T-mobile roaming enabled via a PRL update pushed to devices.
At present time - aside from Boost being sold to Dish Network - there are no changes to 3rd party, reseller or MVNO plans sold on the Sprint network. However, we are continuing to monitor the situation and will update as appropriate.
Karma History and Information
History
History
Karma made headlines late in 2015 when it announced an unlimited data plan called 'Neverstop' for $50/month. Though speeds were capped at a modest 5Mbps, this plan generated a huge amount of interest from those desperate for a truly unlimited cellular data plan - and Karma sold a lot of hotspots.
It only took Karma a few weeks to discover that the usage demands of the Neverstop plan were higher than it could deliver, and in February 2016 Karma canceled the Neverstop plan entirely and introduced the Pulse plan instead.
Karma's original pay-as-you-go Refuel plan with non-expiring data was discontinued in late 2016 as well.
In late 2017, Karma changed its plans again, offering capped buckets of data on its plans - with purchased data lasting for three months before it expires.
Many of the customers who signed up for Neverstop sent their Karma Go's back for an "unconditional" refund. Unfortunately, even by the end of 2016 many of those refunds reportedly still had not been fulfilled, generating a whole lot of bad karma for Karma online.
Data Plans
Karma based plans are only available for use on Karma proprietary devices. They offer capped data plans and an app to monitor and navigate your data plans. All plans include a $2.95/month fee for Unlimited Rollover Subscription, which means your unused data will rollover to the next month.
Currently Available Plans:
- 5GB - $49.95 + $2.95/month for Unlimited Rollover Monthly Subscription
- 10GB - $99.90 + $2.95/month for Unlimited Rollover Monthly Subscription
Plan Specifications:
- Carrier Networks Used: Sprint
- Carrier Relationship: MVNO
- Plan Types Available: Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Karma Proprietary Hotspot Devices
- Unlimited: No
- High Speed Mobile Hotspot Use: All
- Throttling: None
- Network Management: None
- Video Streaming Resolution: No bundled services, no apparent speed caps.
- 5G Access: No
- Device Purchase Required: Yes
- Plan Period: 30 Days
- International Roaming: None
- Domestic Roaming: Unknown
- Data Roll Over: Yes
- Overage Charges: No
- Lines permitted per account: Not specified
- Extras:
Device: Karma Voyage
Karma offers their own proprietary device, and the device must be purchased for use with their plans.
Device Specifications
- Model Number: Karma Voyage
- # of Connected Devices:
- Control Panel and Default Password:
- Control Panel:
- Default Admin Password:
- USB Tethering Support: Yes
- Networks supported:
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- MIMO Support:
- LTE Performance Category:
- Cellular Antenna Ports:
- Other Ports:
- Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Battery:
- Claimed Battery Life: 10 hours
- Can Be Powered Without a Battery:
- Battery Part #:
- Battery Purchase
- Dimensions: 4.25 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches
- SIM Card Type: Nano
- Retail Price: $79.99
News, Videos, & Status
We purchased a Karma Go device when the very promising "Neverstop" plan was announced in November 2015. We used it sporadically until the Neverstop plan was discontinued in February 2016.
News Stories:
Potential Alternatives to Consider:
For other popular mobile hotspots on the market - here are our featured options:
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Selecting the right cellular data plan for your mobile internet needs is only one part of the equation. Here's some further guides on understanding the selection process as well as the additional gear you might need.
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