Family Mobile Pros and Cons: The Walmart Phone Service

With streaming services from fast food companies and grocery brands like Kroger making their own wireless service, it’s only right that other big brands make the leap to new heights and that’s exactly what Walmart is doing with Family Mobile. Walmart, the superstore retail company, started their own phone carrier back in 2010 and have been advertising themselves as a wireless service best for, you guessed it, families. A lot of the time nowadays you’ll find that there aren’t too many new exciting deals for multi-line phone plans. Family Mobile wants to make it so there is. 

In this article, we plan to discuss the ins and outs, the pros and cons of Family Mobile and what they offer. Here’s what to expect:

• A Quick Look at Family Mobile
• Family Mobile’s Coverage
• Their Plans and Prices
• Services and Features provided
• Family Mobile Pros and Cons
• How to Contact their Customer Service
• Review Summary

Quick Look: Family Mobile

Walmart created Family Mobile so that families can all get good phone service without compromising on price. Some carriers tend to overlook or not offer fair prices with additional lines, but Family Mobile makes it so everyone in the family will be able to stay connected at an “unbeatable” price point.

Family Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO. This means that they purchase service access wholesale from one of the three major networks that own infrastructure across the country – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile – giving customers service at a much cheaper price. In Family Mobile’s case they are a MVNO of Verizon.

A REALLY Tip: MVNO Edition

If you are unfamiliar with MVNO’s, you should know that they are more likely to subject users to data deprioritization and throttled speeds. 

• Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” Which means that those who are direct customers of the “parent” company will get network priority when you’re in a high traffic area like a concert hall or sports stadium, or when there’s network congestion.

• Throttling is also more likely to occur with MVNOs and “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” This will happen when you go over a certain number of gigabytes of data for the month, which is referred to as a “data cap.” You’ll see this number displayed somewhere on your carrier’s website. Your normal speeds will slow down until the start of your next billing cycle.

Family Mobile’s Coverage

Since now we know Family Mobile get their coverage via Verizon, let’s talk a look at Verizon’s coverage:

Verizon has the most nation-wide 4G LTE coverage out of every wireless carrier in the country which is no small feat. Covering over 70% of the country, Verizon has had its footprints all over the map giving reliable coverage to even the most rural of areas when it comes to LTE. 

When it comes to 5G however, Verizon loses a few credibility points as they are lower in volume compared to T-Mobile and AT&T. Both T-Mobile and AT&T have more widespread 5G coverage than Verizon, but Verizon’s 5G speeds are definitely performing at a higher rate. They’ve gotten the highest marks in “5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, and 5G Video Experience,” which means that when you’re in 5G Verizon covered area you’ll get some pretty amazing performance power.

One feature you’ll find on most provider’s websites is a “Coverage” or “Coverage Map” tab, this shows off the network’s coverage all throughout the country and subsequent regions. Here’s a screen-grab of the Family Mobile coverage map:

To get the most accurate account of what coverage is like in your area you will need to enter your ZIP when you go onto their coverage map page.

You can also get a different view via Ookla’s coverage map which allows you to see where cellular towers are located and which company owns them. This coverage map provides information about coverage from 2G to 5G for several providers.

Family Mobile’s Plans and Prices

Family Mobile has four phone plans to choose from, three “limited” data plans and one unlimited data plan. You can get up to 5 lines on any Family Mobile plan, but “the discount doesn't apply to the first line or when using Service Plan Cards” according to their website. The company deprioritizes data, which you know means you’ll have slower connection speeds in high traffic areas like concerts venues and sports arenas.

For each additional line it’s only $24.88 for every plan, and prospective shoppers who’ve researched their fair share of cell carriers know that’s huge savings should you need multiple lines- that’s what Family Mobile is best known for.

Plan One: 5GB

This plan gets you 5GB of high-speed data for $24.88/mo for one line and every additional line is $24.88 thereafter. You get unlimited talk, text, and then slow down to 2G speeds after the 5GB allotment. With 2G speeds, users can expect to send text messages and emails or scroll the internet, but streaming video or playing games will be difficult. This plan is mobile hotspot capable.

The plan costs $24.88 per month for one line. At this rate, you get 5GB of data at $4.97 per GB. 

Plan Two: 10GB

This plan gets you 10GB of high-speed data for $29.88/mo for one line and every additional line is $24.88 thereafter. You get unlimited talk, text, and then slow down to 2G speeds after the 5GB allotment. This plan is mobile hotspot capable.

The plan costs $29.88 per month for one line. At this rate, you get 10GB of data at $2.98 per GB. 

Plan Three: 40GB

We jump up in gigabytes here because this plan gets you 40GB of high-speed data for $39.88/mo for one line and every additional line is $24.88 thereafter. You get unlimited talk, test, and then slow down to 2G speeds after the 5GB allotment. This plan comes with a 10GB mobile hotspot.

The plan costs $39.88 per month for one line. At this rate, you get 40GB of data at $.99 per GB. 

Plan Four: Unlimited

This is Family Mobile’s only unlimited plan and it is $49.88/mo for one line and every additional line is $24.88 thereafter. You get unlimited talk, text, and data, but once you use over 40GB your speeds will slow down. This plan comes with a 30GB mobile hotspot.

The plan costs $49.88 per month for one line. At this rate, you get your full 40GB of high-speed data at $1.24 per GB. 

Family Mobile’s Features

While this carrier offers pretty good deals for their customers, there are some differences in the features and benefits that may entice you to pick this one over another. If you’re a frequent traveler, talk to your international friends and family a lot, or are looking for a bit more “perk” with your plan then this section will break down all of that juicy info so you can know what you’re potentially gonna get: 

• Domestic Roaming Data

• Family Mobile does not offer this feature.

• Mexico & Canada Connection

• Unlimited international calls are available to landline and mobile numbers in Canada and Mexico only for the 10GB, 40GB, and Unlimited phone plans.

• International Connection

• Plan offers International Roaming in Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. You can get the $10 Extras Pack Card International Calling and Roaming Card with your plan added on.

• Video Streaming Quality

• Family Mobile streams video at 480p SD resolution and then at 720p HD resolution on the Unlimited plan.

• Streaming Services and Cloud Storage

• Family Mobile does not offer these features.

• Device Financing

• Family Mobile does not offer this feature.

• WiFi Calling

• Family Mobile offers WiFi calling, which allows you to send and receive phone calls over a WiFi connection rather than cellular reception.

• Spam Protection and Free Trial

• Family Mobile does not offer these features.

Family Mobile Pros and Cons

We’ve taken a look at Family Mobile’s coverage, plans, prices, and features. Now let’s dive into the pros and cons to help narrow down your decision:

👍Pros:

• Access to America’s biggest wireless network
• Offers both limited and unlimited data plan options
• Additional line savings
• No contract plans

👍Family Mobile is on Verizon’s Network

When you sign up for a Family Mobile plan you have access to and are using Verizon’s wireless network which we know is the most nation-wide 4G LTE coverage out of every wireless carrier in the country. That’s one of the biggest pros for the carrier.

👍Family Mobile has Limited and Unlimited Data Plans

A lot of cell carriers now only have unlimited data options, but not everyone needs that, some only need a few gigs a month to get by but they end up paying for unlimited because that’s the only option available. With Family Mobile you get your choice of a 5GB, 10GB, 40GB, or Unlimited data plan. This means both low-data and heavy-data users can get the choice that best fits their needs.

👍Family Mobile’s Plans is Best for: Families

There’s a reason Walmart calls their wireless service Family Mobile and that’s because it is one of the best multi-line cell phone carriers for families as each additional line no matter the size of the plan you choose is only an additional $24.88 a month. This is big for money-savers and for those who have big families.

👍No Contract Plans

When it comes to wireless, there are a lot of carriers that require you to sign a contract in order to use their service. With Family Mobile you won’t ever have to worry about a contract and that means you won't be tied down to the provider if you’re unhappy with the way your service is going. A lot of people look for no-contract plans, so this is definitely a pro in their column.

👎Cons

• Subject to Data Deprioritization
• No International Features
• Data Cap slows speeds

👎Family Mobile’s Plans are Subject to Data Deprioritization

With every plan from Family Mobile you will be subject to data deprioritization which means your data speeds could be inconsistent when you’re out in public not on wifi. This can cause some frustration for those who frequently use their phone away from wifi as there is normally an inconsistency with data deprioritization.

👎International Benefits are Add-on Only

A lot of other MVNOs and major network operators (MNOs) have international benefits built into their phone plans, but with Family Mobile you only get unlimited international calls that are available to landline and mobile numbers in Canada and Mexico only for the 10GB, 40GB, and Unlimited phone plans. To access other countries with your cell service you have to add-on their $10 Extras Pack Card International Calling and Roaming Card.

👎Data Slows After Cap

On every Family Mobile plan users will have their data speeds throttled once they go over the data cap congruent to their plan. Along with that, their 40GB plan and Unlimited plan is essentially the same as speeds will slow after 40GB of usage on the Unlimited Plan which makes the data cap the same at a higher price point- the only difference between the two plans is with the Unlimited you get a 30GB mobile hotspot. 

Family Mobile’s Customer Service

Family Mobile does not have any physical stores- however since they offer Airtime Cards (a gift-card like card that phone users can buy from grocery stores and other retailers to add additional “airtime” to their phone plan: like minutes, texts, and data), you can get Family Mobile Airtime cards from Walmart stores. For help or support you can call 1-877-440-9758. Call centers operate from 8 AM to 3 AM (EST) 7 days a week. They also have a Live Bot on their website for quick-question assistance.

Review Summary

For the additional phone lines only costing $24.88 a line no matter the size of the plan, Family Mobile is a great affordable option for big families. We recommend going with their 40GB Data Plan as that gets you the best service for the listed price. 

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