Cellphones, Providers, and Plans → [Review] Lycamobile Plus Speedtest

Let me start by saying how I use Google Voice to forward my calls making it easy to change out SIM cards monthly while maintaining the same phone number. I typically find deals for pre-loaded SIM cards around $20 on ebay for unlimited talk, text, 500mb-1GB LTE then 128kbps throttle from Lycamobile or Ultra Mobile. These are the ones that can be activated online directly through the MVNO, do not expire or require activation through the eBay dealer to get the funds/data.

Lycamobile is based in the UK and had roaming agreements with T-Mobile meaning the non-plus SIM cards were actually roaming inside the USA, sending all the data back to the UK as the jumping off point rather than right here in the USA. It's this high latency that kept me from considering them until recently when Lycamobile changed from being just roaming partners, to being a T-Mobile MVNO. This is where their new "Plus" SIM cards come in.

Their $23 plan for unlimted talk, text, 100mb LTE data w/128kpbs throttle is worth mentioning if you plan on keeping the same SIM card every month and don't need much full speed data. Additional full speed data is $5 for 500mb. If you are a heavy data user, then Harbor Mobile or Metropcs might be a better option for you.

I found email, web, navigation, apps all worked ok even at 128kbps throttle thanks in part to the very low latency when testing the throttle on Ultra. I expect similar results from Lycamobile in the event I use all 750mb.

$20 for unlimited talk, text, mms, 750mb then 128kbps LTE is a good value for me.