One of the things we’ve done in the past few years to cut costs was to move to a no contract mobile provider.
In the past few months, I heard about a new low-cost provider that just launched on the Verizon network called Visible.
Visible is actually funded by Verizon, and while it is lower cost than being on the regular Verizon network, it uses the same calling and data networks.
The service is the perfect service for people who use a ton of data every month because every calling plan with Visible comes with unlimited everything. That means unlimited calling, texting and data. It does all that while having a plan that costs only $40/month!
So let’s take a look Visible and what they have to offer.
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Visible – Affordable Unlimited Everything
Visible is a relatively new service having only launched in 2018. From the Denver Post:
Visible, which opened its headquarters in Denver earlier this year, hopes to attract customers nationwide who want to pay less for unlimited data plans. At $40 a month, Visible’s only plan, the service is counting on a low price and stealth, invite-only launch to appeal to customers. The company enters a competitive market that has been upended by formerly last-place T-Mobile, which pushed for no contracts and cheaper, simpler plans. T-Mobile just announced plans to buy Sprint, to become the nation’s second largest carrier. It’s also getting an unlimited plan down to $40 a month — something most of other mobile services offer but only if several people join a family plan. T-Mobile’s plan, for example, is $70 a month, though with four lines, it’s $40 per line. But Visible isn’t going at it alone. It uses Verizon’s 4G LTE network to offer up to 5 mbps speeds, and it received funding from Verizon. CEO Miguel Quiroga also worked for Verizon since 2000, most recently as its vice president and head of digital.
Visible is focused on being a low cost option for people who want an unlimited data plan. At $40 a month, it does just that.
So what’s the catch? The only real catch is that their 4G data speeds are limited to 5-12Mbps, and on 5G, speeds are capped at 200Mbps. That might be a deal-breaker for some. For most people like me, however, I don’t need speeds any faster than that while I’m on the go, and I’m on WiFi most of the time anyway.
Signing Up For Service With A Phone From Visible
The folks over at Visible were kind enough to send out an Apple iPhone 8 for me to test the service.
The phone arrived in a plain brown box that contained the phone, the charging cable, charging plug, a SIM card removal tool and SIM card.
Here are a few photos as I unboxed the device.
Getting the phone up and running is a pretty simple process. You just put in your new SIM card and turn on the phone. Once the phone boots up just update your carrier settings, download the Visible app, and then follow the onscreen instructions.
The app is where you’ll do all of your account management from making payments, to adjusting your account settings.
Visible Cell Service
Since Visible is on Verizon, one of the big networks, it’s coverage and call quality is going to be top notch.
I’ve used them for a short time here in my area in the Minneapolis area, and the coverage and call quality have been superb.
Texting and data services work great as well. I’ve been able to text with my wife and family, watch video while on the go (without worries of going over my data allowance) and listen to podcasts and streaming radio.
In the past I may not have done that much video or streaming while out and about, but with Visible you have unlimited 4G data (and for some, 5G data as well now), so there’s never a worry about going over!
Visible also has free phone tethering available on their phones. Just enable it on your phone, and you can connect your other devices to your phone. That comes in handy if you’ve got tablets, laptops or other devices you want to connect.
Visible Customer Service
Visible is an app based service, and as such pretty much everything you do is going to be happening in the app on your phone.
If you want to contact customer service, you will have to contact the customer care team via in-app chat or text (text @99370). They also have some limited support via Facebook Messenger (@VisibleMobile) and Twitter (@VisibleCare).
Visible Chat Hours:
Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m. EST
Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST
If you really want to talk to someone on the phone, their FAQ says to contact them via the chat and ask to speak to someone on the phone.
Phones Available With Visible
When Visible launched they were strictly a “bring your own phone” mobile provider. Since then they have opened their own shop and you can purchase devices through their store.
At first they only had service on Apple devices. In the last month or two they’ve opened their service to Android users, and you can now use a few select Android devices as well.
Some of the phones available for purchase on the Visible Shop when I checked include:
- Visible Blade X1 5G (Visible’s own Android-based phone made by ZTE)
- Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Apple iPhone 12
- Apple iPhone 11
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Google Pixel 5
- Motorola Edge
- Motorola Moto G Power
So if you’re an Apple devotee, they’ve got you covered. If you’re a big fan of Android devices you have quite a few amazing options. There will be more down the road.
Bringing Your Own Phone To Visible
In addition to buying their phones, you can bring your own phone to the service as well.
So how do you know which phones will work? According to Visible you just check your device’s IMEI number on their site or in their app.
A good way to know is to find your IMEI number and then reference it with our app or site. If you don’t want to do that – no sweat, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR will work too, with the exception of one iPhone SE and two iPhone 7 models. Android users take note: right now Visible works with Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ SE models as well as the Visible R2™ available in our shop. We’ll be bringing our service to more phones, so stay tuned to our social media for updates.
So basically just about any recent iPhone will work with Visible, except a couple of models mentioned above.
In addition, there are only 3 Android phones that will work with the service currently, although they do plan on adding more once the beta on Android is complete. They now also have a wide variety of Android phones that will work with the service.
Once you confirm that your phone will work, you just sign up for an account, and have a SIM card sent to your address. Pop the SIM card in and you’re set to go!
Visible Mobile Calling Plan
The average cell phone user pays somewhere in the range of $80-$100 per month for an individual line of service, depending on which study you look at.
Thankfully with services like Visible your costs can be much, much lower.
Visible doesn’t have a wide range of plans like some other services, they have only one plan, period. That plan, however, will give you everything you need, baked in.
You get unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and unlimited 4G LTE (and 5G if you have a compatible device) data. Yup, unlimited everything.
The cost?
$40/month
In checking around to other providers, many other MVNOs don’t even have an option for unlimited data. Most MVNO plans will top out at 10 or 12GB of mobile data. Granted, that’s quite a bit, but many don’t even have an option for unlimited data.
You can pay your monthly bill by PayPal, Venmo or any credit or debit card.
Visible Party Pay
While $40/month for unlimited everything is already a pretty good deal, you can pay even less if you’ve got a friend or family member that you can invite to the service.
Just invite someone to your “Party” after you’ve signed up and once they’re activated on the service you’ll both receive a discount on your bill. It works out to:
- Party of 1: $40/month per person
- Parties of 2: $35/month per person
- Parties of 3: $30/month per person
- Parties of 4: $25/month per person
So if you have 4 members of your family signed up for service you can pay as little as $25/month for service. You still all get your own bill, and everyone has their own account, no need to manage it like a traditional family plan.
Download Speeds Up To 5Mbps (UPDATE: No Data Speed Caps For Limited Time)
Visible will give you unlimited mobile data, however, it is with the understanding that it tops out at 5Mbps download speeds. NOTE: As of June 26th, 2019, for a limited time Visible has elected to lift that data speed cap for all new and existing members. For all existing and new members who sign up they’ll have no data caps for life. Visible may be going back to data speed caps soon, but for now, there are no longer caps.
Even with the caps, for most people 5Mbps should be more than enough to watch video, stream audio or surf your social media. Here is how much data you need for common mobile tasks:
- Streaming Video: 1-3 Mbps
- Video Chatting: 1-2 Mbps
- Scrolling through your social feeds: 1 Mbps
- Streaming Audio: 0.5 Mbps
As you can see, having 5Mbps should be more than enough to get you by, but thankfully now it isn’t a worry anyway, as long as you sign up while the data caps are gone.
Honestly, for years my home internet didn’t even have download speeds that fast!
Visible Is One Of The Most Affordable Unlimited Data Plans
Visible is one of the newest mobile networks on the block, and if you’re a heavy user of data, they may be just what you were looking for.
With their one size fits all unlimited everything plan for $40, you can watch video, stream your favorite music and chat on social media to your heart’s content. You never have to worry about running out of data!
Unlimited data just isn’t something that’s offered at a lot of MVNOs, but it’s included with Visible.
While this might not be the plan for you if you don’t use much data, if you’re constantly online and need to be connected at all times, this might be a good plan to check out.
Get Unlimited Everything With Visible
| Moble Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) | Mobile Network | Minimum Plan Price | Free Tethering | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen Mobile | T-Mobile | $5 (Unlimited Text - No Talk, No Data) $10 (300 Min Talk & Unlimited Text - 1GB Data) Discounts if prepaid for 3 months. | Yes | Review |
| Tello | T-Mobile | $5 (100 Min Talk & Unlimited Text - No Data) | Yes | Review |
| Twigby | Verizon Wireless | $15 (Unlimited Talk, Text, 2GB high-speed data) | Yes | Review |
| Ting | T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless | $9 (100 Min Talk & No Text - No Data) | Yes | Review |
| Red Pocket Mobile | Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US | $10 (500 Min Talk & 500 Text - 500 MB Data) | Yes | |
| Republic Wireless | T-Mobile | $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text - No Data) | Yes | Review |
| Mint Mobile | T-Mobile | $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text - 3GB Data) If prepaid for 1 year. Prepay in 3,6, 12 month increments. Buy 3 Months, Get 3 Free) | Yes | Review |
| Unreal Mobile | AT&T | $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text - 3GB Data). Prepay in 3,6, 12 month increments. | Yes | Review |
| TracFone | Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US | $15 (200 Min Talk & 500 Text - 500 MB Data) If put on auto-renew save 5%. | No | |
| Google FI | T-Mobile | $20 (Unlimited Talk & Text - No Data) | Yes | |
| Total by Verizon | Verizon Wireless | $23.70 (Unlimited Talk & Text - No Data) $25 without auto-pay. | Yes | |
| Cricket Wireless | AT&T | $25 (Unlimited Talk & Text - No Data) | No | |
| Boost | T-Mobile | $35 (Unlimited Talk & Text - 3GB Data) | No | |
| Straight Talk Wireless | Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US | $35 (Unlimited Talk & Text - 2GB Data) | No | |
| Visible | Verizon | $40 (Unlimited Talk & Text - Unlimited Data) | Yes | Review |
Visible
$40/month
Pros
- Great for high users of data
- Uses the Verizon network
- Simple, easy to use app
- One easy to understand price
- Lowest unlimited data plan
Cons
- No lower cost plans with less data
- Only one line per account, no family accounts
- Data speed cap at 5Mbps
The link at the bottom of the page to Visible is a duplicated URL, so it’s not redirecting correctly.
Oops, you’re right. I’ve done that a couple of times lately.. *sigh. Now fixed. Thanks Mike!
Peter did you review the Visible R2 phone?
No, I was given the iPhone 8 to test out the service, which worked great. I haven’t been able to try the service on an Android device, or the R2 specifically as of yet.
The R2 should be a relatively capable phone, while not having high performance like some of the newer phones. It has 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with MicroSD slot for up to 2TB.
So it may not has as much memory or storage as some of the higher end phones, but as long as you’re not planning on playing a lot of games or watching a ton of video or something it should be fine.
2.1 Mbps is my download speed today 04-24-19, Denver. I’m finding this is too slow and likely will cancel. Streaming Netflex at night is too slow to load home page icons and to launch service on my TiVo. Content plays fine and looks OK on my 120 inch projector screen BUT too many buffer events. I need the download speed to be closer to 5 Mbps as advertised. To test speed I used Speakeasy.com using Mac Mini with iPhone hot spot settings with iPhone connected to desktop via USB.
I’m not going to lie – it was a bit bumpy at first to get it all set up but now that it is everything is working great. Phone and Unlimited Internet for only $40 per month.
If you do decide to go with Visible you can use this code for $20 off your first moth –
https://www.visible.com/referral/tFjM7
Visible has no service at all. They forgot to put the mailing label to send my swap phone back. My ZTE phone did everything but call, recieve calls or text. I think it was just a defective phone but Visible won’t respond now & never sent a return lable as they said for the trade phone. I’ve never had such poor service.
Your review is based on a phone they set up. I bought an R2 and it needs updates. The app needed updating. The payment system wouldn’t accept my card for over two hours. I went back the next day and it worked. The next day delivery was off by 2 days. I got the phone and tried to pay for a months service and guess what? It wont accept my card again. So I put in a new card. Guess what it wont even let me try to pay for the service now. I spent hours on chat trying to get the phone and now have spent hours trying to get the service. Oh most of those hours are waiting for someone to chat with about the problem.
Sonia, similar experience here. Slower than expected shipping, then couldn’t get service and my form of payment had to be reentered several times. A week later, all is well. Also, I had to set my account up using a different email as the chat rep told me the original one was corrupted.
**To get a free $20 off your first-month use this referral code: tFgfn
I have been with Visible since the beginning. They have HUGELY improved their service. They run on the Verizon network and are owned by Verizon so you are getting Verizon service, unlimited everything, including data, for $40/month!
They are running a special right now where you get between $100 and $200 for switching to Visible or for buying a new or pre-owned phone through their website.
My wife and I are both on Visible and we actually stopped paying for home internet service and now just use our unlimited hotspot.
I’ve found their customer service chat and email to resolve issues quickly.
You get what you pay for. Can’t comment on how well Visible works but start-up has been tough. I’ve spent greater than 2 hours waiting for access to a customer support rep & then they disconnected my current telephone service before I received a new phone in the mail so only have internet based capabilities. No talk or limited outside the house. The phone that was sent to me via fed-ex needed a signature that they didn’t specific on the sent email so I wasn’t home & that has prolonged this time without phone service longer. I’m hoping once these problems are fixed the service will be worth what I’m saving.
works great
to get $20 off and up to $200 back use this referral code
https://www.visible.com/referral/wNmj2
We have been on Visible for about a month now and will be switching back to Verizon. To say their service sucks would be putting it mildly. Consistent problems with calling land lines and often getting a message saying network not available. Their data is ok, but slow to connect and often drops.
Also their installation seems to have broken the Bluetooth service on our phones as it crashes constantly and you need to reboot the phone to get it to come back on.
Yes the service is cheap, but you get what you pay for and you are getting crappy service from Visible. I tell people to avoid it all cost. Not worth the headaches.
I’m using Visible in Seattle on a Pixel 3a XL. I signed up and activated very easily. Had a hiccup when at first when texts and calls weren’t working. I did a factory reset which fixed the problem. It has been great since. The camera on the 3a is so nice! Also, I think I know have the best sounding phone calls I’ve ever experienced. I used a code to sign up and think it is worth a shot. Here is one you can use to get $20 off your $40 to try it out.
https://visible.com/referral/zGWHf
I just switched from Verizon to Visible. I have not yet received my sim card from Visible, but Verizon already canceled my account. Not sure how that happened but Im left without being to make phone/receive calls or text.
They have added Motorola Moto G7 power phones as well
The chat reps are busting their butts to be friendly, knowledgable and courteous.
I have had visible for 2 months and it works great.
Call quality data speed everything is great and for low cost it’s definitely worth trying. To get 20$ off first month please use my referral code BM2df at checkout thank you. I posted the link for your convenience.
https://visible.com/referral/BM2df