- Visible just launched two brand new unlimited plans:
Visible and Visible+.
One gives you unlimited data on the Verizon network
at the cheapest price possible.
The other gives you a premium experience
at one of the best prices in the industry.
I've been testing both plans for the past two weeks
and running lots of comparisons,
and in this video, I have all the answers.
I'm covering the three big changes
with Visible and Visible+,
how they compare to Verizon and US Mobile's plans,
and if they are worth upgrading to
if you're an existing Visible customer,
and if they are worth signing up for
for new customers.
Let's start things off with the three big changes:
price, features, and network core.
First up is the price.
Visible's old plan launched at $40 per month in 2018.
But when Visible launched the Party Pay discount
in November of 2019,
the price effectively dropped to just $25.
The new Visible plan now starts at $30 per month
and it is not eligible for the Party Pay discount.
In fact, Party Pay will likely be going away entirely
in January of 2023.
I'll make a full video on it so you know the details
and what to do if you're an existing Party Pay subscriber.
So basically, the new plan is $10 less
in terms of the starting price,
but it's a $5 increase
in terms of what everyone was actually paying.
This is especially impactful for families
where their bill could go up by 15 to $25 per month
if they were to switch to the new entry level plan.
Then there's the Visible+ plan.
This is $45 per month
and offers a whole new set of features,
which we'll cover in a moment.
Both plans continue to include all taxes and fees,
so what you see is what you pay.
Okay, now let's talk about the second big change:
the plan features.
The old Visible plan included unlimited deprioritized data;
5G Ultra Wideband access
with speeds capped at 200 megabits per second;
unlimited hotspot data limited to 5 megabits per second
for one device at a time;
480p video streaming;
and calling and texting to Canada, Mexico,
the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Saipan.
The new Visible plan includes all the exact same features.
And even though Visible's website
doesn't say it gets access to 5G Ultra Wideband,
for my testing, the new plan
continues to connect to 5G Ultra Wideband
and gets the same 200 megabit per second speed cap.
Then there's the Visible+ plan.
For the extra $15 per month,
you get 50 gigabytes of premium data
before unlimited data that's deprioritized;
you get 5G Ultra Wideband access at full uncapped speeds;
unlimited hotspot at 5 megabits per second
for one device;
4K streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband;
480p streaming on 5G Nationwide or LTE;
free calling and texting to Canada, Mexico,
the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Saipan;
free talk, text, and data roaming in Mexico and Canada
with half a gig of high-speed data per day;
500 minutes of free international calling
from the US to over 30 supported countries;
and free international texting from the US
to 200 plus supported destinations.
These upgrades are awesome
and they make the new Visible+ plan compare really well
to Verizon's postpaid plans.
But more on that later.
Finally, we have the third big change:
a new network core.
The old Visible plan was using Visible's cloud network core.
This had two downsides.
One, it limited what devices were compatible with Visible.
Only a limited selection of newer devices
ever worked with the service.
And two, the cloud network core had high ping times.
The high ping times were caused
because the cloud core only had two servers:
one in Colorado and a second one in New Jersey.
All of the network traffic needed to be routed
through one of these two servers,
and this added latency to the connection,
especially if you were in a location that was farther away.
And even if you were in a spot with fast data speeds,
websites and apps could sometimes feel slow
because of the higher latency,
and Visible wasn't a good option for online gaming.
Visible's new plans use a new network core,
the Verizon network core.
This is the same network core that powers Verizon postpaid,
US Mobile and other Verizon MVNOs.
And it gives you three key benefits.
One, any device that's compatible with Verizon
should now work on Visible.
Two, you now get way lower ping times.
The lower latency makes your connection feel faster
and more responsive.
And three, using the Verizon network core
enables domestic roaming at 2G speeds.
Domestic roaming is where your phone connects
to a partner network
in areas where the Verizon network doesn't have service.
That's this extended network coverage
you see in areas of Kentucky, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho,
and a few other spots around the US.
It's not a big deal for most people,
but it does help out
and expand the coverage footprint of Visible,
especially if you are traveling
through those specific areas.
So those are the three big changes with Visible's new plans.
The new Visible plan is basically the same as the old,
but it's now $30, uses the Verizon network core,
and includes domestic roaming.
And the new Visible+ plan adds 50 gigabytes of premium data
and great international features for just $15 extra.
And both plans still allow you to add an Apple Watch line
for just five bucks a month.
But are these new plans worth it?
How do they stack up to the competition?
If we compare the new Visible plan
to Verizon Prepaid Unlimited,
Verizon Welcome Unlimited, and 5G Start,
you can see it kicks absolute butt.
It gives you truly unlimited data
at under half the cost of the other plans for a single line,
and you get unlimited hotspot data
compared to either no hotspot data
or just five gigabytes of hotspot data on 5G Start.
If you compare the pricing of four lines,
Visible honestly continues to be the best option.
The only plan that comes close
is US Mobile's Unlimited Basic plan.
It's more expensive for a single line
at about $40 after tax,
but the four line pricing
brings it down to just $25 per line after tax.
The plans are different, though.
US Mobile's plan only includes 30 gigabytes of data,
but it's premium data if you activate with a 5G phone.
This will give you faster speeds
and potentially a better experience
than the deprioritized data on Visible.
US Mobile also enables up to 720p video streaming
and gives you full speed data on Verizon's C-Band network.
You don't get access to Verizon millimeter-wave here.
A big downside to US Mobile is that hotspot
isn't available with the Unlimited Basic plan.
So definitely pros and cons to both plans here.
Next, let's compare Visible+ to Verizon postpaid,
and it compares really well here.
Visible+ has the exact same 50 gigabytes of premium data
as 5G Play More and 5G Do More.
It also has unlimited hotspot data
at 5 megabits per second.
Verizon's plans have either 25 gigs or 50 gigs
of fast hotspot data before your hotspot speeds
are slowed to 600 kilobits per second
on 5G Nationwide or LTE
and 3 megabits per second on 5G Ultra Wideband.
Visible+ also includes the same free talk, text,
and data roaming in Canada and Mexico,
and the same free stateside international texting.
One feature that's unique to Visible
is the 500 minutes of free international calling
to over 30 countries.
None of the Verizon plans support this.
The only thing Visible+ is missing
is the free streaming services and the extra perks,
but are those really free
if you're paying an extra 35 to $45 per month
on your cell phone plan?
I don't think so.
You can basically get Visible+
in the streaming services of your choice
and still end up paying less than Verizon postpaid.
The only way Verizon postpaid makes sense
is if you have a family discount.
Then the prices of postpaid are reasonable
and the perks are certainly a nice cherry on top.
But the real competitor to Visible+
is US Mobile's Unlimited Premium plan,
and this plan is stacked with features.
It's $50 per month after tax and it includes:
100 gigabytes of premium data;
5G Ultra Wideband access at full speeds;
50 gigabytes of hotspot data;
720p video streaming on 5G Nationwide or LTE;
4K video streaming on 5G Ultra Wideband;
and free international data roaming
in over 150 countries via US Mobile's
international eSIM plans.
It is important to note
that the international eSIM plans are data only.
There are currently no options for international calling
or texting from US Mobile.
It's also important to note the 50 gigabytes of hotspot data
deducts from the 100 gigabyte total allowance for the plan.
And after 100 gigabytes,
your speeds are slowed to 2G speeds,
AKA basically unusable speeds.
Still, 100 gigabytes is heaps of data
and far exceeds the needs of most people.
Where US Mobile shines is in the family discount.
Four lines drops the price down
to just $35 per line after tax, and the family plan
includes up to two free streaming services of your choice.
Finally, it's worth giving a nod to account security.
US Mobile supports two-factor authentication
for extra security, whereas Visible does not.
US Mobile also has a nicer application
with data usage analytics and more,
whereas the Visible app is more basic,
like, a lot more basic.
Both plans are great, though, and have their pros and cons.
So at the end of the day,
are Visible's two new plans worth it,
and should you upgrade to the plans
if you're an existing customer?
To answer that, we need to address the elephant in the room,
the one thing I haven't mentioned yet.
Visible is currently having activation issues
and some problems migrating existing customers
to the new plans.
Verge author and Visible customer Mitchell Clark
asked the Reddit community what their experience was like
switching to the new plans.
And let's just say there was some room for improvement here.
One user said they were without service for 22 1/2 hours.
Another said the activation failed
and after waiting 48 hours, it still didn't work.
So they ported to Mint Mobile.
One user even said they went seven days
without data service working properly on the new plan,
and multiple users reported issues with eSIM activations.
From my experience, I also had issues with eSIM activations.
When I activated a new line,
it got stuck for about 30 minutes
trying to download the eSIM profile.
And when I upgraded an eSIM line
from an old plan to the new one,
it got stuck for 55 minutes on the downloading eSIM screen.
It turned out the fix for both of these
was simply relaunching the Visible application
and then everything worked properly.
I also had an issue upgrading a physical SIM line
from the old plan to the new plan.
First, the app had trouble loading initially
and it inaccurately displayed I was in a Visible Party,
even after I had left.
Once the line was active,
calls were also not working at all.
Thankfully, resetting the network settings
fixed the problem.
So yeah, it's not smooth sailing.
If you're thinking about upgrading
or signing up for Visible,
you could be heading in to some choppy waters.
Here are my recommendations.
If you're an existing Visible customer
and you're happy with the service, stick.
Don't change plans just yet.
If you're an existing customer
and you're unhappy with the high latency,
it may be worth trying to upgrade to the new plans.
Just know what you may be heading into
and some tricks for troubleshooting any issues
that could arise.
Additionally, it may be worth
getting your account number and PIN
so you can easily port to US Mobile or another carrier
if something does happen
and your Visible service isn't working properly.
All of my upgrades did work.
They just required quitting
and relaunching the Visible application,
as well as resetting the network settings.
If you're a family,
then I would definitely consider switching to US Mobile.
You can keep roughly the same $25 per line price
with the Unlimited Basic plan,
or you could go Unlimited Premium
and enjoy a couple of perks.
And if you're a new customer
thinking of switching to Visible,
I would hold off for a moment.
I would wait maybe a month or so
for the issues to be ironed out
and for the activation process to be smoother.
Honestly, once Visible improves the activation process,
customer service, and adds better account security,
I think their plans will be my number one
and number two picks
for some of the best unlimited plans in the industry.
They really are an incredible value
for unlimited data on Verizon.
Until then, though,
you may want to keep some alternatives in mind.
US Mobile is a fantastic option on the Verizon network.
Mint Mobile is a superb value
if you want to try something on the T-Mobile network.
They support 5G and eSIM,
have good customer support, and fantastic pricing.
Mint also wanted to throw in a special deal for my audience.
So you can get $25 of free renewal credit
when you bring your number
from the Verizon network and switch to Mint.
All you need to do is use code stetson at checkout
and the $25 of credit will automatically be applied
when your plan first renews.
You can also click the link in the description
and the promo code will automatically be applied.
Finally, if you're looking for something
on the AT&T network,
you may want to check out Boost Mobile's $25 plan
with 30 gigabytes of data.
If you need truly unlimited data,
you may want to check out Cricket Core or Cricket More,
which are excellent options for unlimited data on AT&T.
Visible's plans are 100% worth it.
I just think the service needs a little bit more time
to smooth things out before you sign up.
Click the like button if you found this video helpful
and share this video with one friend
who should know about Visible's new plans.
I'm Stetson, and my goal is to help
as many people as possible
save money on their cell phone bill.
Thank you for watching this one,
and I'll see you in the next one.