Charity Mobile Pros and Cons: All You Need to Know Before You Sign Up

Charity Mobile is an MVNO that advertises as a pro-life carrier. In their advertising, they do not mince words. They donate 5% of all plan earnings to pro-life organizations and are very up-front about their political leanings. This is a service for pro-life people. Now, politics notwithstanding, let’s take a look at Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans, service, and how their offerings hold up to fellow MVNOs. 

Charity Mobile Pros and Cons

There are a lot of cell phone providers on the market, making it difficult to decide which one is the best for you. In this section, we will cover the pros and cons of Charity Mobile to help you decide if you like Charity Mobile for your new cell phone plan. There are many factors to this decision, including data consumption, coverage, price, phone selection, cell phone plans, customer service, and more.

PRO — Cell Phone Plans

Charity Mobile offers five cell phone plans, each of which has its benefits and downsides. The five Charity Mobile phone plans are as follows:

• 1 GB for $30 a month
• 5 GB for $38 a month
• 10 GB for $48 a month
• 20 GB for $55 a month
• 25 GB for $60 a month

Relative to their own cell phone plans, all of Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans are well-priced based on their data allocation. With any limited-data plan, it is important to figure out how much high-speed data you need each month. If you need all 25 GB, for instance, you should stick with their high-data plan at $60 a month. That is a tough pill to swallow. 

On the other end of the spectrum, if you can work with almost no high-speed data each month, you can cut your costs to just $30 a month, half of what you had to pay for the 25 GB. We recommend starting with a higher-data plan to figure out how much you can limit your data usage rather than starting at the lowest-value plan, because cell phones use a lot of data. 

If you can limit your cell phone usage to WiFi networks, then you can make the most of their low-data cell phone plans. You can download audio and video before you go out and configure settings on your device to limit background data usage when you are out and about. Taking advantage of this, you can keep 500 MB or 1-5 GB of high-speed data for emergencies while using WiFi for the bulk of your data. 

PRO — Bring Your Own Phone

You can bring just about any unlocked cell phone onto Charity Mobile’s network. You should check your phone’s compatibility before switching, but it is likely that your favorite device will work just fine! Charity Mobile’s store does not have too many devices, but you can purchase unlocked devices from Amazon, Best Buy, and many other cell phone providers when you need a new device. 

PRO — Coverage

Charity Mobile uses every major wireless provider’s network to provide its customers with fantastic coverage in almost every state. This ensures you are covered no matter where you are and where you go. Make sure to check your local coverage maps for information regarding the best cell phone coverage in your area! 

PRO — Multi-Line Savings

Charity Mobile offers multi-line savings. When opening a Charity Mobile account, you can add another line to your account for a reduced price. The prices are as follows: 

• 1 GB for $25 a month
• 5 GB for $25 a month
• 10 GB for $25 a month
• 20 GB for $25 a month
• 25 GB for $40 a month

The multi-line savings for the more expensive cell phone plans are very significant, but there is a downside to CharityChairty Mobile’s multi-line savings. The data is shared between all lines. That means their 25 GB plan, though you save $20 on the second line, becomes much less flexible with another line. If one of the two members chews through the majority of the data it leaves the other person out to dry with little to no high-speed data remaining. 

CON — Price

Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans are all priced significantly higher than cell phone plans offered by the competition. Take the MVNO Tello Mobile, which offers a similar set of cell phone plans. Tello’s 1 GB cell phone plan only costs $9 a month, and their high-data plan, with 35 GB a month, only costs $25 a month. 

CON — Low High-Speed Data Caps

Charity Mobile is only viable for low-data users. With the data intensity of so many phone processes, regular mobile data usage will quickly rack up data usage throughout the month. With Charity Mobile, you can only use 25 GB of high-speed data, max, before your data speeds are throttled for the rest of the month. 

This is one big downside to Charity Mobile. There are no ways to get around this limitation. If you use more than 25 GB of high-speed data each month, you will be in trouble with Charity Mobile. That being said, if you are a low-data user and use less than 25 GB each month, then you are all set. 

Charity Mobile, like most MVNOs, offers “unlimited” cell phone plans with a limited amount of high-speed data (4G LTE/5G) and unlimited 2G or 3G data. Using 2G or 3G is unbelievably slow compared to high-speed data speeds.

CON — Data Deprioritization

Charity Mobile, like all MVNOs, operates with MVNO data. This means Charity Mobile customers are slowed down first whenever there is congestion in the area, while major wireless customers retain maximum data speeds. There are, generally, three tiers of data in the United States, with all MVNOs using the lowest tier of data. 

Charity Mobile users have high-speed data whenever there isn’t congestion in a major wireless network. Anytime you are in an area without congestion, you have the same data speeds as T-Mobile customers! This is an amazing way to get the same coverage and speed that T-Mobile customers receive. The downside comes whenever there is congestion on the network. This is, unfortunately, hard to predict. 

Festivals, concerts, and sporting events are common times when a lot of congestion hits the area. If you’ve ever been to a football game and tried to access your phone for just about anything, we are certain that you’ve seen what it feels like to try to use data with congestion. With MVNOs, many city areas receive congestion with some regularity, making the difference between the major provider and its MVNOs more distinct. 

Charity Mobile At a Glance

Charity Mobile is a fair cell phone service, if a bit more expensive than its competition. 

Charity Mobile is here to provide affordable MVNO coverage on every major wireless network. Charity Mobile is available all across the United States, and it has seven plans ranging from 1 to 25 GB each month. This section will cover the basics to help you decide whether this carrier is right for you. 

What Sets Charity Mobile Apart? 

There are so many options for MVNO cellular providers, and it is very important to know what sets Charity Mobile apart from the competition. Charity Mobile’s use of every major wireless network sets them apart from the competition. Cell phones on Charity Mobile’s network can jump from network to network to ensure you are always receiving the best data coverage you can. 

Price of Charity Mobile Plans

Charity Mobile is expensive. They have five plans, with the cheapest cell phone plan coming in at $30 a month for only 1 GB of data. The plans rise in price and amount of data up to their $60 plan which comes with 25 GB of high-speed data. This cell phone provider’s plans are more expensive than other MVNOs that provide similar amounts of data, but they are less expensive than major wireless providers, especially single-line major wireless providers! A big factor in deciding what carrier is right for you is whether you will create a single- or multi-line account. Providers with multi-line savings, well, provide better value with multiple lines!  

What Kinds of Plans does Charity Mobile offer?

All of Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans offer limited high-speed data, with each one providing different amounts of data at different price points. 

All of their plans have unlimited talk and text, but their unlimited plans only come with around 25 GB of high-speed data before your plan gets throttled down to significantly lower speeds. One of the major pain points for Charity Mobile customers is the fact that their high-speed data is so quickly used up if they are streaming or using any other significant amount of data regularly. Data deprioritization is not unique to Charity Mobile. Many MVNOs have a semi-hidden threshold where they will cut off high-speed data to their customers.

What Network does Charity Mobile Use?

Charity Mobile runs on all the major wireless networks. Since they have access to every major network, Charity Mobile’s coverage extends throughout the entire continental United States with fantastic 4G LTE and 5G connectivity., If you live in any major metropolitan area, you can be sure that Charity Mobile has you covered with high-speed data. 

Can You Bring Your Own Cell Phone?

Yes! As long as your cell phone is compatible with Charity Mobile, you can port over your phone and phone number to the new carrier.

Charity Mobile vs. Competitors

The market is saturated with wireless providers. It is difficult to narrow it down, but it is important to cross your T’s and dot your I’s before you sign on to a new carrier. It is all too easy to overpay for wireless service when it’s not what you need. Charity Mobile is a good provider for low-data users who can limit their high-speed data consumption during the day-to-day. Let’s take a look at how Charity Mobile holds up against the competition. 

Charity Mobile vs. T-Mobile

First, let’s look at Charity Mobile compared to the major wireless network T-Mobile. Charity Mobile utilizes T-Mobile’s network when it is the strongest in the area, so you can expect similar coverage using T-Mobile as when you use Charity Mobile. Two big benefits to using T-Mobile over Charity Mobile are unlimited data and priority data. With T-Mobile, you can use as much data as you want without worrying about data deprioritization. Alongside that, you have priority data, meaning your data stays at max speeds even when there is congestion on the network. 

T-Mobile is much more expensive than Charity Mobile. That is the main trade-off between these two companies. If you are a high-data user, T-Mobile is the way to go. They have plans with unlimited high-speed data and a guarantee that your data will always be at maximum speeds, but you pay a premium for that service. If you are a low or mid-data user and don’t utilize your phone as much when outside of Wi-Fi — Charity Mobile is the place to be. 

Charity Mobile vs. Visible Wireless

Visible Wireless is one of our favorite MVNOs. Visible offers unlimited high-speed data for only $25 a month with no contracts and no need for multiple lines on the account. With the price of Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans, Visible Wireless has them beaten across all metrics. Charity Mobile’s 1 GB cell phone plan costs more than Visible’s unlimited high-speed data plan. 

Charity Mobile vs. Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile has a great list of cell phone plans. They offer similar low-data plans and have an easy family plan that nets great prices on all their options. The downside to Mint Mobile is that all their plans are contracted out in three-, six-, or twelve-month contracts. Mint Mobile offers a great set of plans with easy family savings, but you must pay for the whole contract upfront. Charity Mobile offers no-contract service with a lot of flexibility. 

Mint Mobile has a great set of low-data offerings, with plans offering 5, 15, or 35 GB of high-speed data. This lets you choose what low-data plan works best for you and save big on your cell phone service while you use it! 

Charity Mobile: Review Summary

The Good

• Affordability. As an MVNO, Charity Mobile offers plans that are more affordable than those of major wireless networks. This lets you save money on your cell phone service.  
• Leading 5G network. Charity Mobile uses every nationwide network to provide the best coverage to all their customers. No matter where you are in the country, your cell phone will search for the strongest signal and keep you covered. There are spots where AT&T is best, where Verizon is best, and where T-Mobile is best. Charity Mobile customers (with compatible phones) get to enjoy that network. 

The Bad

• Politics. Charity Mobile is aggressively pro-life. There is no way around it. If you are not pro-life and don’t want to support pro-life foundations, then this MVNO is not for you.  
• Price. Charity Mobile’s cell phone plans are significantly more expensive than those of other MVNOs that offer similar services. If you are interested in affordable low-data cell phone plans we recommend looking at Tello Mobile, which offers 1 GB of high-speed data for only nine dollars a month. 
• Data Throttling. After using your high-speed data allocation, your data is throttled down to 3G speeds. These low speeds make it difficult to do anything but the most basic tasks, and if you are using your phone off WiFi to stream video or load anything significant, your data allocation can vanish with haste. 
• Low quantity of phones in the store. Charity Mobile’s phone store is, unfortunately, lacking in new models. Users have the choice of many models from 2020 and 2021, but it seems like the latest and greatest are not available in Charity Mobile’s store. 
• Lack of Perks. This is a bit of a reach, but do not expect to see any free subscription services or cloud data included with any Charity Mobile plans.

Charity Mobile offers good service for its users and stands by its political leanings on every front. This is an MVNO for pro-life customers who want to support that political platform with their cell phone payments. If you want more information regarding cell phone plans in your area, you can check out Really’s comparison tool for all the information you need!