Hello Mobile Review: An Affordable MVNO on T-Mobile’s Nationwide Network

Hello Mobile is an MVNO carrier that uses T-Mobile’s network to deliver affordable plans to customers interested in a budget phone service. The major tradeoff with Hello Mobile is deprioritized data. All users may experience deprioritized data whenever their area is in high demand, and Hello’s unlimited plans start throttling data much faster than other unlimited MVNO plans on the market. That being said, Hello Mobile is still a good option for an affordable phone carrier, which we will get into in this article! 

Hello Mobile At a Glance

Hello Mobile is best known for its affordability. With its unlimited plan coming in at only $25 and the second month is completely free, Hello Mobile is here to provide affordable MVNO coverage on T-Mobile’s network. Hello Mobile is available all across the United States, and it has seven plans ranging from 1 GB per month to unlimited! This section will cover the basics of Hello Mobile before we move into the pros and cons and how they hold up to the competition. 

What Sets Hello Mobile Apart? 

There are so many options for MVNO cellular providers and it is very important to know what sets Hello Mobile apart from its competition. Hello Mobile’s $25 unlimited plan and the affordability of their plans across the board make it a strong contender for an MVNO in the area. If you are looking to switch to an MVNO from your major wireless provider or looking to change carriers from one MVNO to another, this article will review the ins and outs of Hello Mobile so you can decide whether or not it is right for you. 

Price of Hello Mobile Plans

Hello Mobile is very cheap. They have seven plans, and the cheapest comes in at $5 a month for unlimited talk and text with 500 MB of data. Their plans rise in price and data allocation up to their $40 unlimited plus plan which comes with, of course, unlimited data as well as unlimited international calling to select countries and a mobile hotspot. 

‍

The affordability of their plans make them stand out among the competition and makes up for some of the areas in which they are not as strong. Hello Mobile also offers significant multi-line discounts, with their flagship $25 unlimited plan lowering to $17 a month with five lines. 

What Kinds of Plans does Hello Mobile offer?

There are two major plans at Hello Mobile. They offer two unlimited plans (priced at $25 and $40) and a variety of limited data plans that are much cheaper. 

‍

All of their plans have unlimited talk and text, but even their unlimited plans only come with around 15 GB of high-speed data before your plan gets throttled down to significantly lower speeds. One of the major pain points in Hello Mobile customers is the fact that their unlimited 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 Hello Mobile, in fact, just about every phone company has a semi-hidden threshold where they will cut off high-speed data to their customers. Wireless carriers have just taken to calling those plans “unlimited,” because users are still able to use data after they reach the threshold, just not high-speed data like before. 

What Network does Hello Mobile Use?

Hello Mobile runs on T-Mobile’s network. Hello Mobile’s network covers a fair portion of the continental United States, but their 4G LTE Network coverage is the lowest out of the three major wireless companies. That being said, if you are living in a city or suburban area, the chances are that you are receiving excellent service from T-Mobile and, by extension, Hello Mobile. 

Can You Bring Your Own Cell Phone?

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

Hello Mobile: Pros & Cons

Before you switch to a new carrier, it is important to understand the pros and cons and compare them to the competition. No MVNO is perfect, and shopping around is all about finding which ones are best suited to your situation to help you land with a company that will work well in the future. Switching carriers is always going to be a hassle, and you want to choose the right carrier, first try! 

👍 What We Liked

• Affordability. Hello Mobile’s least expensive plan is only $5 a month! For people looking to save money on their plan, be it limited or unlimited data, Hello Mobile is a great place to look. 
• Free second month. A lot of MVNOs have pretty barebones plans with few perks for sticking along, but a free second month is a great part of Hello Mobile’s 
• Strong multi-line savings. The single-line plans are very affordable and they reduce the costs of their unlimited plan by $5 a line when adding the second line. That’s fantastic savings on an already affordable plan.  
• Leading 5G network. T-Mobile holds the crown as the major wireless company with the best and most far-reaching 5G network, and Hello Mobile customers (with compatible phones) get to enjoy that same network. 
• You can bring your own phone and number. This greatly reduces the hassle of switching carriers, and Hello Mobile has a good system in place to assist new customers in porting over their numbers, keeping all their contacts and information. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Spotty 4G LTE coverage. While T-Mobile has the most 5G coverage, their 4G LTE coverage in the continental United States is lagging significantly behind the other two major wireless companies. We recommend checking their coverage map to make sure that they have strong coverage in your area.  
• Data Throttling. While Hello Mobile is very affordable, that comes at a price. After using 15 GB of data, your high-speed data vanishes for the rest of the month. 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 15 GB allocation can vanish with haste. 
• Low quantity of phones in the store. Hello 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 Hello Mobile’s store. 
• Bad Customer Service. Many user reviews talk about the poor customer service from Hello Mobile, from slow response times to not having the right information to solve any problems.
• 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 Hello Mobile plans. They make up for it in the affordability, but in order to keep their prices low they have to remove the bells and whistles. 

Hello Mobile Services & Features

Hello Mobile offers a variety of services and features, and understanding what they have to offer is an important first step in figuring out whether this MVNO is right for you. Features on Hello Mobile plans include unlimited talk and text, and free international calling to select countries. Since Hello Mobile is an MVNO, users are able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s 4G LTE and 5G networks at a much lower price point. The major downside is that T-Mobile users have priority data if the bandwidth is ever getting strained in the area.

When there is high-density data usage, MVNO users get their data speeds throttled even if they haven’t reached their data allocation. That is the major downside to the affordability of MVNOs, so you should be ready and prepared for unexpected data deprioritization when using Hello Mobile.

Hello Mobile Plans & Pricing

Hello Mobile offers seven plans, each of which has its own benefits and downsides. The seven Hello Mobile phone plans are as follows: 

• 500 MB for $5 a month
• 1 GB for $10 a month
• 2 GBs for $14 a month
• 4 Gbs for $15 a month
• 5 GB for $20 a month
• Unlimited for $25 a month
• Unlimited Plus for $40 a month (comes with mobile hotspot)

While Hello Mobile’s $25 unlimited plan offers, in our opinion, the best value, their 500 MB and 4 GB plans deserve honorable mentions. The ability to get a phone plan with unlimited talk and text for only $5 is fantastic and lets users who spend the majority of their time covered by WiFi have a great talk and text plan for incredibly cheap. For users looking for a great deal but still wanting some GBs to use during the month, we like the $15 4 GB plan the most. It is a good mix of data allocation while remaining a cheap option for phone coverage. 

Hello Mobile Phone Selection 

You can bring your own phone to Hello Mobile, but if you are looking to purchase a new one, they have a fair selection of phones which you can use to get an upgrade. You can choose from one of these cell phone options when switching to Hello Mobile. 

• HP Serrano
• Nuu A10L
• Nuu X6 Plus
• Nuu A11L
• Nuu A9L
• TCL A30
• BLU View 3
• Nuu B10, B15
• TCL 30 Z, 30 XL, 20 SE
•  Nokia 1.4, 3.4, G100
• Moto G Pure, G Play, G Fast, G Power
• Samsung Galaxy A03S
• Nord N200 5G 
• And more! 

How Well Does Hello Mobile Actually Work?

Call & Text Performance

Users report inconsistent cell and text performance when using Hello Mobile. They say that this is compounded by spotty customer service, leaving them with problems and uncertain of how to best solve them. 

Data Speeds

The data speeds of a prospective MVNO are a huge factor in whether or not they are right for you, and Hello Mobile data speeds can compete with other MVNOs in the United States. 

Hello Mobile vs. Competitors

After the Hello Mobile review of their plans, phones, and service, let’s jump into how they hold up against the competition. 

Hello Mobile vs. T-Mobile

Hello Mobile operates on the same network as its parent company, and this comparison is pretty easy to make. T-Mobile offers faster speeds and more perks at a higher price. Hello Mobile’s affordability is tied to their lower data speeds and more barebones plans. That being said, T-Mobile’s customer service is much better than Hello Mobile’s customer service, and since T-Mobile is a much larger company, it is likely that any issues you have will be resolved quickly. 

Hello Mobile vs. Visible

Visible is a fantastic MVNO that works on Verizon’s network with two unlimited plans to its name. Their unlimited plan starts at a strong $30 a month, which is a close match to Hello Mobile’s. The major benefit of Visible is that they actually have a truly unlimited plan. While data speeds are slowed during high network congestion, they never throttle data based on usage. For that reason, we think that the extra $5 for their unlimited plan is worthwhile over Hello Mobile’s plan. 

Hello Mobile vs. Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile has an incredible unlimited data plan. For just $30 a month you get a plan that has some of the bells and whistles that we have come to expect from major wireless companies. There is one catch. That price is only available when you get a 12-month contract with them. If you are willing to sign on to a year of phone service with Mint then it's a great deal, but if you would rather have the flexibility to change carriers or plans whenever you want, Hello Mobile’s month-to-month plans provide better value

Hello Mobile Customer Service

Hello Mobile’s customer service is, unfortunately, difficult to get in touch with. They offer 24/7 support through Facebook messenger and they have a service line during most hours of the day at 1 (888) 95-HELLO

What Customers Have to Say About Hello Mobile

“I signed up for unlimited talk/text/500 MB data. It's only $5 and I can also make calls to many countries for free. That's the reason I switched to Hellomobile. I don't need data as I have broadband in my home and lots of free wi-fi hotspots thanks to Comcast. I made a test call to Germany and it works, no minutes from my plan were deducted. That's awesome.” - John B. (via Trustpilot)

“As a mom on a budget, I loved Hello Mobile’s multi-line price. $55 for 3 “unlimited” lines is pretty darn good. What wasn’t good was the spotty coverage and the slow speed, but I went along with it until my phone just stopped working one day. Turns out that, without my permission, they just ported out my number?! And when I say the customer service was useless that’s an understatement no help at all so I said goodbye. And to top it off, weeks later I got an email saying my old number had been ported back to Hello-are you kidding me?” - Chris. (via Trustpilot)

“This is the second time I have had hello mobile, the first time it worked without a hitch but did not need it so let it go. Now I am trying again, ordered Fri and the sim was here today on Sunday no less. put the sim in and turned on the phone, 5 minutes phone was online for data and wifi or 5G my choice. I will see. Everyone says it is no good well I am happy so far is a backup phone so not using massive amounts of data or text or calls going to push it the first month and see what happens.” - Darrell Chiapusio. (via Trustpilot)

Hello Mobile FAQ

What is Hello Mobile?

Hello Mobile is an MVNO that offers well-priced phone plans.

Is Hello Mobile Worth it?

If you want a very cheap phone plan, Hello Mobile has a variety of excellent options. Their service is not the best in the business, but becoming a Hello Mobile customer will result in much cheaper phone bills each month. There is no perfect MVNO, and we hope that this article has helped you figure out if Hello Mobile is the one for you! 

Does Hello Mobile Support Hotspots?

Yes! Their hotspot add-on comes with 5 GB of data for $15 a month.

TLDR; Hello Mobile is an Affordable MVNO with Great Unlimited Plans

Hello Mobile offers great plans for cheap, but users should prepare for deprioritized data as they use the service. Hello Mobile is a great MVNO for people who are looking to save on their monthly bill, but if you are okay with spending a little extra, other MVNOs provide more comprehensive service and plans.