Twigby Review: Pay Your Mobile Provider Only For What You Use

Over the past few years I’ve had mobile phone service with several providers.

For the most part, I’ve been happy with the service with all of them – the services were all very similar.

Part of the reason why the services haven’t been all that much different is that many (most?) of them have been MVNOs, mobile virtual network operators. That means they operate on the networks of other providers. In my case, most of the cell providers I’ve used were using the T-Mobile network, and as such the network coverage, call quality, etc were very similar.

It comes down to figuring out which providers can provide the best combination of value when it comes to pricing, customer service, ease of use, and reliability.

Today I want to look at a provider that recently came to my attention when a colleague told me he was using them, Twigby.

After looking them up I realized they had monthly calling plans that were less than what I was currently paying. Not only that but they were on a reliable and high-quality network, Verizon.

I was intrigued. I asked Twigby if they would send out a review phone for this site, and they were happy to oblige. So today I want to take you through a quick unboxing of the phone they sent out, and then discuss what options they have available on their service. Stay tuned for a full review of Twigby.

Are You Paying Too Much For Cell Service?

Here’s a mind-boggling stat for you:

The average American spends about $1,000 a year on his or her cell phone bill. – ABC News

The average American is spending almost $83/month for their wireless service.  In a day and age when MVNOs are everywhere and low-cost service is much more available, I can’t even imagine paying that much.

I saw a post recently on CNBC where they broke down the monthly spending of a frugal 25-year-old entrepreneur who makes six figures. In the article, it mentions that he spends $40/month for his mobile phone bill. People on Twitter and elsewhere were savaging the article and this young man because his expenses seemed unrealistically low, especially on his wireless bill. They were saying things like, “Where can you get a mobile plan for that low of a cost?”.

While reading these comments I just laughed.  People who pay attention to these things have been paying $40 or less for their mobile bills for years! I’m amazed at how people continue to throw good money after bad – paying the big networks big money for plans they can get on a smaller carrier for much less!

Twigby is one of the new breed of providers who have calling plans that are much more customizable, and affordable than the mobile phone plans of yesterday.

Pay for what you need and nothing more.  You can get a calling plan for as little as $15/month. That’s much less than the $83 average!

Twigby History

Twigby is a wireless communications service provider that launched just a few years ago.

Twigby is a wholly owned subsidiary of SI Wireless, LLC. Founded in 2010, SI Wireless is a privately held company and one of the
most diverse Telecommunications companies in America – with over 100 years of combined wireless telecommunications experience.
In addition to Twigby, SI Wireless also operates a wireless phone company with retail stores serving Tennessee and Kentucky.

Twigby has been around since 2015, but they’re part of a company that has a longer track record, and from what I’m hearing they’re doing a great job so far.

Twigby – A Mobile Virtual Network Operator

Twigby is a mobile virtual network operator or MVNO. That means they do not own and operate their own wireless network infrastructure.  They rent space on an existing mobile network from a mobile network operator, in this case, Verizon. Twigby used to use service from Sprint as the main network, with a fallback network of Verizon when the Sprint coverage wasn’t there, but when Sprint went away Verizon became their main partner.

Since they don’t have to keep up the network and are only renting space on the network, they can get wholesale rates and pass some of the savings on to us.

I’ve been with other Verizon MVNOs in the past and we get great coverage in our area.  If you’re wondering if you get good coverage with Twigby in your area, click on the link below and then click on “support/coverage” to view a coverage map.

• Twigby Coverage Map

Unboxing The  New Phone From Twigby

The folks at Twigby were nice enough to send out a Motorola Moto E4 phone to try out on their service for a month.

Here’s a quick unboxing video of the phone, and a look at the My Twigby app:

View this video on YouTube

Here are some pictures I took as I was unboxing the phone I received from Twigby:

Bring Your Own Phone To Twigby

If you don’t want to buy a phone from Twigby, you can bring just about any device free of contract and developed for Verizon, over to Twigby. Some unlocked phones made for other carriers can be used as well. To find out if your phone will work, Go to the Twigby site and click on “Bring Your Own Phone” link. From there it will ask you to enter your IMEI/MEID code and the system will lead you through the process to find out if the phone is compatible.

• Twigby Bring Your Own Phone

Twigby Calling Plans: Pay For What You Use

So what is service with Twigby going to cost? As little as $15/month, and no more than $35/month.

To start, all Twigby calling plans get unlimited global texting, calling and data included for free. All you have to do is choose how much high-speed data you’re going to need. Let’s take a look:

High-Speed Data Packages

• 2 GB – $15/month
• 5 GB – $20/month
• 8 GB – $26/month
• 20 GB – $35/month

My Customized Monthly Plan

To get started with Twigby you would typically choose a plan that fits your specific needs.  For me, that would probably be this plan:

• $15/month for unlimited talk, texts, 2GB of data.

$15 for a plan that fits my needs perfectly? That would have been unheard of even a few years ago.  Even at $20 it would be less than my most recent plan!

If you have a family that you want to add to your account, you can add a calling plan for them as well, you can add up to 5 phones per account.

With whatever plan you choose you’ll get no contract, no hidden fees whatsoever, and you can reconfigure your plan at any time with no extra fees.

Plans renew automatically every 30 days, and you can cancel your plan at any time, without any charges.  Just make sure to cancel before the next billing period, or you will be charged for the next month.

Overage Protection

Twigby also has what they call “overage protection” on all accounts. Basically, it allows you to turn this feature on and be assured that you’ll never have to pay for overages on your account. It will monitor your account, and if you use up your allotted minutes or data it will turn off your calling until the first day of the next billing cycle. Or for data, it will throttle speeds for the remainder of the billing cycle. You won’t be forced to pay for a higher-priced plan.

Of course, if you leave it off, you’ll have to pay the difference between your lower plan and the plan one level up. No big deal.

Referral Rewards

Another cool way to save on your monthly calling costs is to take advantage of Twigby’s referral credits.

Refer someone in January 2024 and you’ll get a $15 credit, and they will too!  Normally it’s a $10 credit for each person. Why not help your friends and family save, and get a free month of service?

How Good Is Twigby, Would I Recommend Them?

So how is Twigby working out now that I’ve been using it for a short while?

So far it has worked just about as expected, which is great.  It’s on the Verizon network, and we have great Verizon coverage where I live.   The call quality has been good, the phone they sent me was a great deal, and so far it’s been extremely reliable.

I would have no qualms about recommending Twigby to anybody who’s looking for a low-cost calling, texting, and data plan.

Pros & Cons Of Twigby

What are the pros and cons of cell service with Twigby?  Here are a few:

Pros

• Very low cost: Depending on your needs your service will be anywhere from $15-$35/month, never more.
• Coverage of reliable mobile network: Verizon network is the main network, one of the more reliable networks.
• Calling plans to fit your needs: Their calling plans all have texts for free, and then you choose the talk and data that fit your needs. Don’t pay for what you don’t need!
• Switch your plan when you need to: If you need to upgrade your data allowance one month because you’re on vacation, just do it and then switch back the following month!
• Good selection of phones on their site: The service has everything from iPhones to  Samsung Galaxy smartphones available, and you can bring your own phone to the service as well!
• Easy porting of your existing number: You can port your current cell number and keep it while you’re with Twigby. You can do this easily during the activation process.
• Great customer service:  Their customer service is top-notch, getting a 98% customer satisfaction rating in a survey of their customers.
• Free tethering: You can use your phone as a hotspot (don’t forget to enable this in the settings), you just have to pay for the data. Not all providers have this.

Cons

• Can’t choose network to be on: At the current time Verizon is the main network. If that network doesn’t work for you, there are no other options.

Twigby Has Affordable Calling Plans And Reliable Service

Twigby has only been around for a few years, but they have been making an impression with their low-cost service that doesn’t sacrifice good customer service or good call quality.

They use the Verizon network for making calls, which is one of the best mobile networks for reliability and coverage.

If you’re looking for a new low-cost cell service, I’d recommend you give Twigby a shot.

Find out more about the service and sign up via the link below.

Get More Details About Twigby

Are you using Twigby?  How has the service worked for you? How much are you saving?

Twigby

8.5

Rating

8.5/10

Pros

• Very low cost
• Uses Verizon network
• Customizable calling plans
• Great customer service
• Switch plans when you need to

Cons

• Only one mobile network option

Sign Up For Twigby