The catch? You get charged for usage over 500 MB and they "encourage" you to buy a device to access the data (a phone or tablet or hotspot). And of course they have paid plans for over 500 MB per month.
One of their devices currently offered is the MiFi 500 LTE Hotspot. This would allow me to use my ipad in places where I don't have access to wifi. The price is $79.99 which sounds like a deal considering that it retails for $199.
When I was about to sign-up, I notice that that you have to sign up for their free trial of Premium 2GB (4G/3G) Data Plan Trial. Reading the fine print, the trial is free for the first month. After that, you'll get billed $19.99 per month. If you want to cancel, you have to contact customer support.
There's also an optional FreedomPop Premier Free Trial - data compression, rollover data, secure internet and more. It's free for the first month but $9.99 per month after that. Luckily, you can opt out of the offer by unchecking the check box.
How do I cancel? Searching the help, it says
We recommend downgrading your account to our free plan as well as deactivating any value added services you are subscribed to. This helps you utilize our service for free which can be especially beneficial as a backup for an emergency, or when traveling. This also helps ensure you will not be hit with a reactivation fee if you decide to come back to FreedomPop.
You can downgrade your plan and deactivate any VAS by logging into your FreedomPop account and going into My Account > Plans, or My Account > Services.
If you still decide you would like to cancel your account, you will need to speak with one of our FreedomPop Support Agents. You can reach them by calling 1 (888) 906-3184, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm PDT or by emailing support@freedompop.co
So that's what I'm looking to do.
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From a review from a couple of years ago:
Is FreedomPop worth considering? Sure, but only if you’re keenly aware of its hidden costs and gotchas. And from what I’ve seen of FreedomPop’s existing free data service, the company seems to try its best to keep potential users in the dark.
Here are a couple things to know about FreedomPop’s free data service, which is already available today:
- If you use less than 5 MB of data in a given month, you get charged a $0.99 “Active Status fee.”
- By default, when you reach your final 100 MB of data in a given month, FreedomPop automatically charges $10 to fill your plan back up. To avoid the automatic charge, you must change your billing settings on FreedomPop’s website.
Finding the above stipulations on FreedomPop’s website isn’t easy. There’s no mention of them on the home page, nor on the terms of service page that’s linked from the home page. You’ll only find them on a separate “Service Plan, Equipment, and Payment Terms”
page, which is linked from the main terms of service. Even then, the
part about extra fees is buried beneath six other sections of legalese.
FreedomPop does give subscribers a chance to opt out of automatic
refills on the final service activation page, but the wording (“To
ensure uninterrupted service, top up my freedompop account”) is vague.
It doesn’t say that the charge is recurring, nor does it mention the
100-MB trigger.
FreedomPop also peppers users with additional offers during the
sign-up process, while engaging in some classic sneakiness: On one page,
an offer for 2 GB per month is advertised as “100% FREE” and selected
by default, while the fine print mentions that a charge of $17.99 kicks
in after one month. Another page offers faster speeds for $3.99 per
month with a big green “Get Offer!” button, while the option to pass is
presented in tiny text.
Other aspects of FreedomPop’s service are hidden from prospective customers as well. You can’t find out the cost of the devices without going through the sign-up process, during which you must enter an e-mail address and mailing address. And while FreedomPop’s home page advertises 4G speeds, users must pay $3.99 per month extra to guarantee the full speed that the network allows.
The fees themselves don’t bother me too much. They’re no worse than the below-the-line fees and value-added services of major wireless carriers, and if you’re mindful of FreedomPop’s policies, it’s certainly possible to get free data. I’ve used the service in Cincinnati, and it works.
UPDATE: FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols wrote in to address a couple of the points above. First, he pointed out that users receive an e-mail alerting them to the $10 automatic top-up after they sign up. FreedomPop began sending those e-mails to new users about 2.5 months ago. Second, starting last month, FreedomPop began waiving the $0.99 “Active Status fee” for new subscribers, and will eventually be doing so for existing users. It seems FreedomPop is working to address criticisms, but the company still has more work to do on being up front about the cost of the hardware and other fees before people sign up, not after they’ve handed over personal details and/or payment info. That issue, combined with the additional services that FreedomPop tries to sneak past new users, is what ultimately leaves a sour taste, not the fees themselves.
***
And here's a users review from a year ago.
You can think of it as pre-paying for the first year of data, which turned out to be slightly over $100 for me after all was said and done, or about $8/month for the first year of 500 MB allotments. Now a year later, I'm pretty satisfied with what I purchased and I have regularly used the data when I've been out and about.
I've routinely connected my data to any number of devices. This is one of the big advantages of going with a router rather than a device-specific solution. It works with laptops, iPads, Kindles and so forth. You do have to remember to charge and manage the tiny puck, so that's one extra thing to carry around.
Keeping on top of your data usage is key. In my first write-up, I mentioned how important it was to disable the auto-top-up feature. That feature automatically adds a data purchase after you use 400 MB of bandwidth. What I didn't realize is that even with that feature disabled, after reaching your 500 MB limit, the data doesn't shut off. You simply keep going and get billed $2 per 100 MB.
The most important thing to consider when evaluating whether these kinds of plans are right for you is how you use your data. Are you a light user who just wants to check email on the go? Or do you intend to heavily browse the web and get work done? Data prices generally go down in unit cost the more you buy. Budget solutions like FreedomPop's 500 MB plan work best for those who need only the lightest levels of connectivity and it's been a very nice perk for me and my family this year.
***
So I envision I can use this as long as I don't (often) go over the 500 MB per month. I wonder how easy it is to check data usage? Let's see.
How do I monitor my data usage? Here are a couple of different ways to do so efficiently:
- There are several different data monitoring applications that are downloadable by searching Google.com for mobile devices and computers.
- If you currently use an iOS device, you're able to download the FreedomPop app.
- Log into your account through FreedomPop.com, your data usage will be displayed by clicking the "Data Usage Detail" tab. Data reporting may be delayed for up to three hours.
- You also have the option of signing up for a "Usage Alerts" service that costs $1.99 a month.
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