What is Hello Mobile? Hello Mobile plans, pricing, and more

With dozens of prepaid carriers in the United States, keeping track of them is hard. This is especially true for smaller players like Hello Mobile. What is Hello Mobile, who is it for, and what kind of plans do they offer? Let’s jump right in.

What is Hello Mobile

Hello Mobile is a privately owned prepaid MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). In plain speak, that means it uses an existing carrier’s network but provides its own plans, phone selections, and customer service. 

Hello Mobile Coverage 

Hello Mobile partners with T-Mobile to bring coverage, which means you’ll get a similar experience as you’d find with T-Mobile and other T-Mobile MVNOs.

If you haven’t used T-Mobile in a few years, you might have an impression that this network isn’t as extensive as Verizon or AT&T. This was true once, but this is no longer true with the Sprint merger and T-Mobile’s heavy investments in 5G and other technologies. 

To better understand what to expect, check out the Hello Mobile coverage map. Can you expect any differences from the official T-Mobile coverage map? For the most part, no. T-Mobile postpaid customers may have better roaming coverage due to its arrangements with other networks, but that’s about it. 

Hello Mobile has many different plans, including four limited data plans and two unlimited options. Keep in mind not all these plans are recommended. Let’s look at who these plans are best for, or if they are even worth it at all. 

• Hello 500MB plan: Yes, this is barely enough data to be usable and it’s typically capped to speeds around 5Mbps, but for $5 you get unlimited talk, text, and some emergency data. This is perfect for flip/feature phone users, kids, teenagers, and those who rarely use data outside of a Wi-Fi connection. You’ll be hard pressed to find a cheaper plan from any carrier, just be aware there are no family discounts like you’d get with the 1GB and 5GB options. 
• Hello 1GB and 5GB plans are the best limited data choices for families:  The 1GB and 5GB plan start at $10 and $20, respectively. While there are other prepaid carriers out there that offer the same or more data for less, Hello becomes more compelling once you add family members. The max amount of lines is set at five users, which brings the price down to $8 and $16 a month which is actually not bad at all. Just be aware these plans are best for those that will need limited 4G/5G access and plan to primarily use Wi-Fi for data. It’s also important to note that for $5 more a month you’ll get “unlimited” data (well, more like 15-20GB as we’ll explain in a bit).
• The 4GB Plan seems a bit unnecessary. Considering the 5GB plan is only $5 more and gives you an extra gig, this plan isn’t nearly as appealing as some of others. Adding to the issue is the lack of family discounts. If you have more than one line, you’ll find the 5GB plan is the better deal.
• The Unlimited plan is a fairly decent choice for families. Starting at $25 a month and dropping as low as $17 per line for five lines, this is not a bad plan, especially for families. Just be aware that there are no bells and whistles here; you don’t actually get hotspot access unless you pay an extra $15 per line, and the “unlimited” data can be suddenly throttled if they feel you are using too much in a month. The exact limit isn’t well defined by the carrier but based on my online research, most folks report being cut off of data for the month after exceeding 15-20GB. After this you’ll find speeds are 64Kbps, which isn’t really even enough to open an email hardly. 
• The Unlimited plan with hotspot access really doesn’t make sense. Usually a carrier’s more expensive prepaid option includes better prioritization or less throttling; this doesn’t seem to be the case here. This plan costs $40, but the only added benefit is hotspot access. The thing is the basic Unlimited plan is $25 a month, and you can add hotspot access for $15 — so you are paying the same price! There are also no multi-line discounts for this unlimited plan. If you’re a single-line user, it’s fine and doesn’t cost any more than getting the unlimited plan and adding hotspot access. It just seems a bit confusing to offer a plan that really doesn’t do anything different from its other unlimited option. 

Expect throttling and limited data to be a real thing

As a word of caution, all Hello Mobile plans are subject to throttling, and even the unlimited plans have a cutoff for data after around 15-20GB. All these plans will see inconsistent speeds. During times of low congestion, you’ll see speeds that are every bit as good Google Fi and other T-Mobile MVNOs. Other times, you’ll be more likely to see between 1-5Mbps speeds. As long as this isn’t an issue for you, there are still some great deals to be had. 

Prepaid carriers are a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to phone selection. Some carriers like Google Fi and Cricket, have nearly as many options as the major network carriers, while others offer nothing but cheap junk. Fortunately, Hello Mobile actually offers an extensive range, including new flagships like the Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 7 Pro. You’ll also find a range of Android budget phones going as cheap as $39.95 for the Hot Pepper Serrano (I’m not making this one up!). There are even a few feature phones offered.

As for Apple devices, your selection is a bit more limited. The iPhone 13 series is the newest flagship offered on the iOS side, though you’ll find the refurbished iPhone SE 2022 and older iPhones going back as old as the iPhone 7. 

There’s also the option of bringing your existing phone or a new unlocked device to the network. You’ll want to ensure it plays nicely with Hello Mobile, which basically means it needs full T-Mobile network capability. Thankfully most phones sold unlocked in the United States will qualify.

Hello Mobile vs the competition

Hello Mobile has quite a few competitors, as we explore in more detail in our best prepaid phone plan guide. To make things a bit easier, we’ll highlight three of the best MNVOs that will feel would be a great alternative to Hello Mobile if it doesn’t catch your fancy. 

Google Fi Wireless is a T-Mobile MVNO, just like Hello. Fi Wireless Flexible plans honestly are a bit expensive compared to Hello, as you pay $20 just for talking and texting, though this can drop to as little as $15.80 per line for those with 6 lines.

You’ll then pay $10 a gig, for up to 6GB. Once you hit 6GB, you’ll get unlimited data for the rest of the billing period. If you stuck to 5GB, that would cost you $70 for one line versus $20 a month for Hello. Of course, Fi is going to be faster and allows hotspot access.

Fi really stands out because of its unlimited plans, which drop as low as $20 per line for 6 users. That’s still more than Hello, but you get better prioritization and speeds. There’s also a Premium option that gives you even more, including the best international calling options you’ll find from any US carrier. 

While Google Fi works on T-Mobile, Visible is owned by Verizon and runs exclusively on Big Red’s network. Visible doesn’t have limited data plans, making Hello a better fit for those needing only a little data. Thankfully it makes up for it by having great unlimited plans.

The base plan is $25 a month and includes unlimited talk, text, and data. This is truly unlimited data, though expect capped speeds, especially in times of congestion. Honestly, the throttling for Hello seems pretty similar during times of congestion. Nonetheless, the fact you truly get unlimited data and unlimited hotspot access makes Visible’s unlimited plan a much better deal than the $ 25-a-month Hello plan.

Want even more? There’s a wonderful Visible Plus option as well. This gives you access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network and its nationwide 5G and 4G LTE networks. You also get better data prioritization that’s almost as good as you’d get from Verizon postpaid. There’s also unlimited hotspot access, unlimited talk and text in and to Mexico and Canada, and international calling from the US to 30+ countries, while you get international texting from the US to over 200+ countries. 

Learn more about the Verizon-owned prepaid carrier by visiting our Visible plans guide.

Mint Mobile works a bit differently than the others in that you have to pay for three, six, or 12 months of service in advance to get its great pricing. Like Hello, Mint runs on T-Mobile’s network. 

For limited plans, you’ll find a 5GB option for what works out to $15 a month, though you’ll have to pay $180 upfront for the full year. This is about $5 less a month than the 5GB Hello Mobile plan, though family discounts can bring the price down to just $16 a line — or about $1 more per line than Mint. There’s also a 15GB plan for the monthly equivalent of $20, which means you’ll pay nearly the same for 5GB on Hello as you’d pay for 15GB on Mint. 

Before discussing Mint Mobile’s unlimited plans, we should mention that the Hello Mobile plans are capped at 15GB but often don’t cut off until closer to 20GB of use. That means you’ll be paying $5 less for Hello’s unlimited plan but will have almost the exact same amount of data and arguably better prioritization during times of congestion. 

On to the unlimited plans, you’re looking at a 15-20GB cap for Hello, while Mint cuts things off at 40GB. When you break the 12-month payment down into a monthly rate, that comes to just $30 a month for around 10-15GB more data. So basically, you almost double your data and only pay $5 more for it. You also get hotspot access included, something you’d have to pay $15 more for with Hello. 

Ultimately, Mint is going to be cheaper and offer a similar service to Hello, if not better. Learn more by visiting our Mint Mobile plans guide.

There are a lot of good carriers out there, and Hello is definitely a bit less proven than some of these. It’s a smaller MVNO, but it does have some decent deals for those that don’t really use much/any data. Really though, its 500MB $5 plan is the only option that’s truly not bested by anyone else.

Its unlimited plan isn’t bad for families, but you’ll do better with Mint if you don’t mind paying for a full year in advance.

Overall the service will be good, and the pricing is relatively cheap, but there are ways to save more money and get the same or better service. Be sure to check out our guide to the best cheap phone plans to see what else is out there before jumping in.