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Ultra mobile Cell Phone Plans Review (2023)

Special offer: Get 20% off any single-month plan

Nadav Shemer

In a Nutshell

Ultra Mobile sells prepaid cell phone plans with unlimited nationwide talk and global text with free international calling to 80+ countries on the T-Mobile network. Option to renew on multi-month plans and unlock further savings is available after the first month of service. All Ultra Mobile’s plans include 5G and 4G LTE coverage up to varying data limits, unlimited global text, and mobile hotspot.

pros

  • Free unlimited calls to 80+ countries
  • No long-term contracts
  • Up to 10 GB mobile hotspot

cons

  • More expensive than other prepaid plans
  • Poor customer service ratings
  • Unlimited plan data speeds slow down after 40GB

Ultra Mobile Ultra Mobile Visit Site

Ultra Mobile at a Glance

Best for: Flexibility of short prepaid plans
Price: $15-$49/month
Plan: Unlimited domestic talk and text plus varying high-speed data. Unlimited international calling to 80+ countries and unlimited global text.
Network: T-Mobile
Use your own phone: Yes

What Services and Features Does Ultra Mobile Offer 

All Ultra Mobile plans come with the following features:

  • 5G and 4G LTE coverage (whichever is best at the time)
  • Wi-Fi calling and text
  • Unlimited global text
  • Unlimited talk to 80+ international countries
  • Mobile hotspot (varies - up to 10 GB on Unlimited plan)
  • Bring your own phone or buy one from Ultra Mobile
  • Bring your current number or get a new one
  • Free 3-in-1 SIM card

Prices, Plans and Value for Money 

Ultra Mobile currently offers three different single-month plans with 250MB, 2GB, or Unlimited data. 

  • 250MB -  $15/month
  • 2GB - $19/month
  • Unlimited - $49/month

When you’re ready to commit to a multi-month plan, you can unlock additional savings with 3, 6, or 12 month plans. The longer your commitment, the more affordable it is.

If you find yourself needing more monthly data while in the middle of a multi-month plan cycle, you can pay a prorated fee to upgrade to a higher data allotment plan for the remainder of the cycle. However, keep in mind that you can only upgrade, not downgrade.

The other piece of good news is that you can get $10 renewal credit when you refer a friend or family member and they activate a plan. Your friend/family member will also get $10 credit when they sign up with your referral code.

Activation Process

When you sign up to Ultra Mobile, you get a choice of bringing your own device or upgrading to a new one. If you’re bringing your own device, check compatibility using the free tool on the Ultra Mobile website.

Your free SIM card should arrive within 2-3 days of order or you can pick it up from a participating retailer. When it arrives, just follow the instructions on the Ultra Mobile website (see the FAQ section to activate).

Selection of Phones Available 

When you sign up to Ultra Mobile, you get the option of purchasing or financing any of the newest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy devices. As a provider of prepaid plans, Ultra Mobile doesn’t match the attractive deals offered by the bigger providers (who offer phones at discounted prices when you commit to 12 months or more). However, it does offer 0% financing through Affirm for a range of new phones, including the iPhone 12 Mini (starting at $31/month) and iPhone SE (starting at $17/month).

Ultra Mobile Call and Text Performance 

Ultra Mobile operates on the T-Mobile network, one of the big-three U.S. wireless networks covering more than 99% of Americans. Based on a study of the IHS Markit RootMetrics map of the T-Mobile network, call performance is good across the vast majority of locations in the United States, with fair or poor performance in only a handful of rural areas.

Ultra Mobile Data Speeds 

When you use Ultra Mobile, you get high-speed data through T-Mobile’s 5G and 4G LTE network. High speeds continue until you hit your data limit, after which it slows down to 3G. Note that the data limit on the Unlimited plan is 40GB. T-Mobile currently has the largest 5G network of the big-three wireless networks, covering more than 80% of Americans.

Ultra Mobile Customer Service

Ultra Mobile has poor customer service reviews (1.7-star rating from 1,102 reviews on Trustpilot), which is a little surprising given it’s a small player and its subsidiary Mint Mobile is one of the most popular operators on the market. Common complaints include the cost (although this is part and parcel of most prepaid plans), unreliable service (particularly with the international calling features), and billing errors.

To speak to customer service, call 888-777-0446 from any phone or 611 from an Ultra phone. Alternatively, the Ultra Mobile website has an extensive FAQ section.

What People Say About Ultra Mobile

Here’s a sample of (rare) 5-star reviews about Ultra Mobile on Trustpilot:

“For the price 5 stars. If it was big carrier prices, 3 stars. Been using for 1.5 months. Used in San Francisco, San Jose, Hawaii. Overall, works well. Made fixed line calls to Japan for free with no problems. Kept on dropping calls on the Motorola G6 phone and unusable. Totally fine on Pixel 2XL.

In congested areas like airport, Internet seemed to slow down somewhat but fine elsewhere. Strangely, sometimes Internet speed was faster than T-Mobile, the network it uses. (I tested for a month before switching over.) Played data heavy games like PUBG no problem.” – Joe

“Had no issues - bought the SIM at the airport activated it myself and we were able to use it with no trouble while we were on vacation in Los Angeles. The data worked fine for google Maps and WhatsApp - which was mainly what we needed it for, and I loved the fact I was able to call back home to the UK both on my mums home phone and cell phone at no extra cost. lol it costs me more to call her cell phone when I’m in London!! definitely recommend.” – Nanditas Shower

“This is not for everyone so if you hope to save money on a plan without reading ALL terms and conditions, it is on you if you're not getting something you thought you would have.

The roaming wasn't working the best when I joined them in 2013 but recently it got better (whenever you go abroad, it is cheaper to buy a $20/30 local simcard if the length of your trip is more than 3 days). Never had problems calling abroad to the countries I made sure where listed as Free Calls Countries I was interested in (all the big companies charge you a load per minute). Another thing with data - low limit on 4G LTE but I just use Wi-Fi wherever I can. I'm not getting group messages or MMS unless through iMessaging (thanks Apple) but I wasn't interested in those - I wanted to be able to call my family and friends around the world FOR FREE and Ultra has the best combination for me. Highly recommended if that's what you are looking for.” – Olimpia Z

Ultra Mobile Ultra Mobile Visit Site

Bottom Line

Prepaid mobile plans serve a certain purpose and as long as you know what it entails, then Ultra Mobile may be a good choice for you. If you’re in the U.S. on a temporary basis, have reasons to not want to use your credit card, or don’t want anything more than a one-month commitment, Ultra Mobile’s prepaid phone plans are a viable option for you.

Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Ultra Mobile?+-

Ultra Mobile was founded in Costa Mesa, California, in 2011 by David Glickman and Rizwan Kassim.

Does Ultra Mobile throttle or limit data?+-

Yes, you will notice a slow-down in your data after exceeding your monthly limit. The Unlimited plan slows down after 32-50 GB of monthly data usage (depending on the length of your plan).

Does Ultra Mobile have any physical stores?+-

Ultra Mobile works with countless retailers across the U.S. Check the “Store locator” tool on the Ultra Mobile website to find one near you.

Nadav Shemer specializes in business, tech, and energy, with a background in financial journalism, hi-tech and startups. He enjoys writing about the latest innovations in financial services and products.

Ultra Mobile customer reviews

Based on 29 reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

Top Reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

1 years ago

Works like it should. I make calls easily with it. Not higher tech but it works well for me. Would definitely recommend to anyone who want to purchase a phone.

1 years ago

Excellent service. My phone calls never drop and my text messages always go through and never Any issues. So I'm happy to never have to worry about that. Would not change providers due to excellent service and even better customer service. Ultra mobile is a top tier cellular provider.

1 years ago

I have yet to have any issues with dropped calls or slow data speeds. My brother is the one who recommended it.

1 years ago

It may be laggy sometimes, and it does annoy me when the wifi or battery goes wackey, but I supposed It's normal. I use my cell phone a lot, so I love this.

1 years ago

Simply an amazing and honest brand. Their items are effective with affordable prices.

1 years ago

The signal is great, and there are a lot of great bundles and offers, and it is a good value for money.

1 years ago

Ultra Mobile offers great value and reliable service. I am more than satisfied with my experience with this company and would recommend it to others. My phone service is always dependable.

1 years ago

Because I really like it. Nothing beats the time I used this and it was great.

1 years ago

Very easy to use, they have excellent customer services, I definitely will refer more people to them. It is also reasonably priced.

1 years ago

Very easy to use, very few glitches in the system, would do business with again.

1 years ago

One of the best services out there. I would recommend to friends and family.

1 years ago

The offer good service and coverage, but I still think that cell phones service is way too expensive in this country.

1 years ago

This is particularly like other cell phone providers and is not well known. I would say that they provide quality service.

1 years ago

Because it is a good phone company. Nice reviews price can be a little up there but It's not a bad company at all.

1 years ago

They prices are a little bit too high compared to other popular brands so that's the only reason.

1 years ago

It's a decent brand, not the best phones but good, and I like the customer service.

1 years ago

Helps to provide customers with data and mobile even when going to outer regions of the service area.

1 years ago

I sometimes have trouble with the customer service only because sometimes I don't have service in some areas.

1 years ago

Ultra mobile is a good product but I wouldn't use it again. The audio would sometimes cut off and sometimes messages didn't go through.

1 years ago

This plan is a much better plan than my other cell phone carriers I used to have.

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