Red Pocket Deal: New Plans + A Free Month with Annual Plans – Technologist

This month, Red Pocket Mobile upgraded its lineup of cell phone plans to include more high-speed data. Additionally, Red Pocket’s annual plans now include one free month of service. 

In this article, I’ll take a closer look at Red Pocket’s new plan lineup and how you can save on annual plans.

Red Pocket Mobile’s New Plans Include More High-Speed Data

Red Pocket (Team Clark’s Review) offers four different cell phone plans that you can purchase monthly or annually. Monthly plans begin as low as $10 for 1GB of high-speed data, which hasn’t changed. However, the following monthly Red Pocket plans now include more high-speed data and/or mobile hotspot data:

• $20/month for 10GB of high-speed data (previously 5GB)
• $30/month for “Unlimited +5” (30GB high-speed data + 5GB mobile hotspot; previously 20GB high-speed data)
• $40 for “Unlimited +20” (30GB high-speed data + 20GB mobile hotspot; previously no additional mobile hotspot)

All of Red Pocket’s monthly plan prices remain the same, which means customers will now have access to more high-speed data and/or mobile hotspot for the same price.

Additionally, Red Pocket’s annual plans now include a “buy 11 months, get a month free” offer. While these plan prices work out to be cheaper than Red Pocket’s monthly plans, they are more expensive than the previous annual plan prices. However, most annual plans do now include more high-speed data/mobile hotspot.

Now, here’s how much you can expect to pay for an annual plan: 

• 1GB/month for $110 (previously 1GB for $99)
• 10GB/month for $240 (previously 5GB for $180)
• “Unlimited +5” for $330 (30GB/month + 5GB mobile hotspot; previously 20GB/month for $300)
• “Unlimited +20” for $440 (30GB/month + 20GB mobile hotspot; previously 30GB/month for $360)

While the annual plan prices have increased, they are still cheaper than paying monthly if you plan to stay with Red Pocket for a full year.

Red Pocket Mobile: A Flexible, Affordable MVNO

If you aren’t familiar with Red Pocket, it’s an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) that provides access to the major cell phone network of your choice. If you have the best service in your area with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon, you can choose to keep the same service with Red Pocket.

Compared to postpaid plans directly from any of the major cell phone service providers, Red Pocket Mobile offers excellent prices. T-Mobile’s plans begin at $50 per line per month with Essentials Savers while AT&T and Verizon’s plans begin at $65 per line per month. While you’ll get more high-speed data and additional postpaid benefits with these plans, you’ll find cheaper prices with Red Pocket.

When it comes to other prepaid phone plans, Red Pocket still offers competitive rates. However, you can find better deals with other prepaid MVNOs. To compare, here are a few of our other favorite affordable cell phone providers:

• Tello Mobile (Team Clark’s Review): Tello offers 1GB of high-speed data for $9/month or 2GB for $10. These prices are comparable to Red Pocket’s 1GB monthly plan for $10, though Tello offers double the data for the same price. Tello also offers 10GB for $19, which is $1 cheaper than Red Pocket’s 10GB plan. Finally, Tello’s Unlimited plan includes 35GB of high-speed data + 5GB mobile hotspot for $25, which is slightly better than Red Pocket’s “Unlimited +5” plan which includes 30GB high-speed data for $30.
• US Mobile (Team Clark’s Review): US Mobile offers a Light Plan for $10/month or $96/year ($8/month) for 2GB of high-speed data. Monthly unlimited plans begin at $25 for 35GB of premium data plus 10GB mobile hotspot. Annually, US Mobile’s unlimited plans begin at $210 ($17.50/month) for 10GB of high-speed data plus 5GB mobile hotspot, which is a better deal than Red Pocket’s annual 10GB plan for $240.
• Visible (Team Clark’s Review): Visible’s unlimited plans begin at $25/month or $275/year ($22.92/month) for unlimited data and mobile hotspot. However, mobile hotspot speeds are reduced to 5Mbps with Visible’s basic unlimited plan.
• Mint Mobile (Team Clark’s Review): Mint Mobile offers any plan for $15/month for the first three months to new customers, including the unlimited plan with 40GB of high-speed data that can be shared via mobile hotspot. After three months, you’ll find the best deals with Mint Mobile’s annual plans. You can get 5GB of high-speed data/month for $180/year ($15/month) which is a great deal for light data users. The Unlimited plan (40GB/month) is available for $360 annually ($30/month) which is comparable to Red Pocket’s annual unlimited plans.

When it comes to prepaid annual phone plans, here’s my recommendation: Try a month first if you haven’t used the service provider before. If you prepay for a year of service in advance only to find out later that you don’t have great service in your area or that the SIM card doesn’t work with your phone, you’ll be out a lot of money. 

Be sure to check out our full Red Pocket review before you purchase a plan. For more options, be sure to read our guide on the best cell phone plans and deals available now. If you do decide to make the switch, check out this guide that Team Clark put together to take you step-by-step through the process of changing carriers. 

Will you be switching to one of Red Pocket’s monthly or annual plans? Let us know in our Clark.com Community!

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