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New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

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Re: New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

#71

Post by _Nat_ »

The pricing model feels a bit weird.

For the basic plan, it's [$20+$10/GB]/user/month for 1 user; [$17+$10/GB]/user/month for 3 users; [$16+$10/GB]/user/month for 6 users. So that's a max of a 15% discount for 3 or 20% discount for 6 (when not using data; less of a discount with data-usage).

Then for the next plan, it's $60/user/month for 1 user, $30/user/month for 3 users, and $30/user/month for 6 users. That's a 50% discount from 1 to 3, then no further discount for moving to 6.

I'd guess that the basic-plan is meant for price-sensitive subscribers, so they tried to keep it as cheap as possible, making further discounts difficult. Presumably they can still offer a discount for bundling users since it'd presumably save them by having fewer accounts to manage.

And then I'd guess that $60/month/user to $30/month/user might reflect a premium in the single-user plan. But presumably the sharp drop to a 50% discount by 3 users isn't due to reduced account-management costs (as it's not reflected in the basic-plan's discounts), so.. more competition in that market? Or maybe middle-tier subscribers are more likely to be price-sensitive if they're in a situation where they'd have multiple users on a plan? But then, why no discount for 3 users to 6?

In short, I wonder how they arrived at those price-points? Or, if those are affected by market-competition, I wonder why the market would've pushed them toward those price-points?

Re: New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

#72

Post by mdasen »

adamcstephens wrote: post #68
mdasen wrote: post #41

Is it actually unlimited if it's just 22GB? Most carriers offer unlimited data now that becomes deprioritized at a certain point. That means that if the network is congested, other customers are prioritized above them. However, this isn't deprioritization. This is a plan that is throttled down to 256kbps. Before the return of unlimited, most carriers got rid of overage charges and just slowed phones down to 2G speeds…

I used Verizon Prepaid for a while, but ended up getting annoyed at the lower prioritization. Even in a somewhat busy shopping area my data would barely function, let alone any sort of large event. If Visible is anything like that, I wouldn’t probably recommend it. I ended up joining a friend’s Verizon postpaid family. It’s more expensive, but I’m willing to pay it for reliable service. I’m not sure I’ve ever used 22…

Deprioritization can depend on your area. I have an always deprioritized plan (not with Verizon) and I don't notice anything. Maybe it seems slower sometimes? When I compare speed tests between myself and my partner who has premium data on the same network, it doesn't seem any different. Deprioritization can really vary.

Verizon's network has the worst consistency when it comes to delivering more than 5Mbps. That should change in 2022 when Verizon gets new spectrum, but in the meantime they have the most customers and the least spectrum.

22GB is a lot of data, but people are using more and more. T-Mobile recently increased its deprioritization limit to 100GB on their main plan and 50GB on their Essentials plan (and now offers unlimited premium data on their more expensive Magenta MAX). I think more people have started to use more data as video-based social media becomes bigger and bigger.

Re: New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

#73

Post by niyazpk »

barbazoo wrote: post #59
niyazpk wrote: post #48

Really wish they'd start supporting Canada. I recently moved to Canada from the US, and I have been using my US Fi number here in Canada too, but I'm dreading the day they will reach out to stop services on my number. (You cannot permanently use a Google Fi number outside the US right now).

Do you think they care? Do they have rules around residency? I did a bit of searching and found people saying you can sign up and use it in Canada without issues as long as you can provide a US address which shouldn't be a problem, especially that you don't need a physical SIM anymore if your phone supports that. However I was wondering if this is actually a good deal for us Canadians. I'm with Fido and pay CAD65 for…

Yes, you are right, Fi is expensive compared to many other options in Canada.

For me, this number is pretty much used for all my Bank/Investment/Social accounts (from my US life), and it will be too much work to replace this everywhere. Too many 2FA accounts use this phone number, etc. I'd like to get out of this dependency, but slowly if I have a choice.

Re: New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

#75

Post by rektide »

mdasen wrote: post #70
Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #8

Data slower after: 22GB > Anyone who uses more than 15 GB on Flexible or 22 GB on the unlimited plans in a single cycle will experience slower data until the next cycle (only 1% of people who use Fi ever hit 22 GB). If you want to return to faster data before the cycle's end, you can do so at a rate of $10/GB.

The "data slower" is 256kbps: https://support.google.com/fi/answer/9462101?hl=en . It's not just "slower" like going from 50Mbps to 10Mbps because you're a lower priority. It's like going back in time 10-15 years.

For compare, Comcast Xfinity Mobile is 1.5Mbps. Fucking Comcast is doing 6x less shit evil bad of a job than Google. Google, this is connivingly pathetically mercilessly bad. You need to fix this so bad. This is such an ugly scrooge of a move.

Google Fi launched in 2015, and I feel like this is one part of the plan that just hasn't received any updates or care. Once it wouldn't have been that bad. But now the internet ought move a little faster. Someone has a bad month & goes over & it makes life absolutely miserable on Fi. Google Fi does not have your back, does not care, is just as happy to have you go elsewhere or to work harder, be more careful next time. That your post-cap life is a shitty shitty hell is not a problem for Google Fi.

Re: New Google Fi Cell plans – unlimited data for $30

#76

Post by Sodman »

mdasen wrote: post #41

Is it actually unlimited if it's just 22GB? Most carriers offer unlimited data now that becomes deprioritized at a certain point. That means that if the network is congested, other customers are prioritized above them. However, this isn't deprioritization. This is a plan that is throttled down to 256kbps. Before the return of unlimited, most carriers got rid of overage charges and just slowed phones down to 2G speeds…

OP here, first, the "only for 3+ users" part is definitely strange, I didn't even realize that there was a group discount when I posted this, I just opened the e-mail they sent me and thought it seemed good - so my apologies for the misleading post title.

As for the "Why Google Fi" question... I have been a Google Fi user for about ~5 years now. First, as you said the international roaming is a big feature for me. I (used to) travel to Europe from the US quite a bit, and with Fi I never had to worry about anything. Just charged my standard plan and get a notification when my plane lands in a new country, otherwise business as usual.

But the main "feature" for me is "not having to deal with the phone companies". My experience with T-Mobile & AT&T in the past has been awful. Long wait times calling customer service for functionality that should be available via a website. Sales people trying to upsell when you try to cancel plans etc. In contrast when the pandemic started I switched my Google fi plan from "unlimited" to "flexible" by hitting a single prominent button the Fi app and I was on the cheaper plan for my next billing cycle. Now my phone bill is like $25 / month because I'm mostly on WiFi at home in the pandemic, but if my data usage creeps back up in the future I know swapping plans is literally as easy as hitting a button.

Finally, 22GB is not unlimited, true. I only use my phone on my daily commute but even if I spent 100% of my commute streaming videos on my phone I don't think I'd hit 22GB in a month. If you use more than 22GB mobile data, then Fi is probably not for you. However, unlike other other providers, at least they're completely transparent about it. It's literally in the second line-item of their plans page. Most carriers just say "Unlimited!*" and you have to dig deep into the ToS to find out what the "real" limits are. And if you find yourself somehow over 22GB and need* fast internet again, you can just pay for more if you need to get yourself out of a bind.

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