Shopping for phone plans can be a bit overwhelming with all the choices available out there.
There are all kinds of options to choose from, especially when it comes to no-contract wireless plans.
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So, how are you supposed to research all of these companies and plans?
Well, we can’t do all the research for you, but we’ll help you learn more about one of your options.
That option is H2O Wireless, a no-contract mobile phone provider looking to provide services for every need and budget.
Let’s save you some time and give you everything you need to know about this provider.
What is H2O Wireless?
Now, you’re probably wondering what exactly H2O Wireless is?
H2O Wireless is a no-contract, wireless phone service provider owned by a company called Locus Telecommunications.
What exactly is a no-contract, wireless phone service provider?
Well, this just means that you don’t sign a carrier agreement when you buy the phone. These types of providers are great for people on a budget who still want excellent mobile phone service.
You’ve likely heard of MetroPCS or Cricket; H2O Wireless is the same type of provider.
H2O Wireless is another one of these solid, budget players. With over 100,000 retailers across the United States, you’re likely to run into them on your next trip to your local tech retailer.
The H2O Wireless network
One of the most important things when considering a mobile provider is their network.
So let’s break down every detail we can to get you informed.
Coverage
Naturally, you’ll want to know if the network will even work where you’re located.
Thankfully H2O Wireless has provided us with both a call coverage map and a data coverage map.
This way, you get to see what level of quality speed and service you can expect in different parts of the country.
Check out the call map:
With this H2O Wireless coverage map, the darker the colored area, the better the voice quality you will experience.
Here’s the data map:
On this map, you’ll see the blue and green coverage areas. Blue areas are where you’ll get the fastest 4G/LTE service, and the green zones are where you’ll see 4G/3G service.
Who’s network anyway?
Something many no-contract prepaid mobile providers have in common is that they utilize an extensive, already established network. H2O Wireless is no different. They have piggybacked onto the AT&T network to ensure that you’re provided excellent service and coverage.
AT&T, like T-Mobile, is a GSM network. That means that when you’re switching providers to H2O, your phone will automatically be compatible if you’re coming from AT&T or T-Mobile. If you aren’t, then you’ll have to ensure your phone is GSM compatible.
One thing to be aware of with providers that do this is customer prioritization. What that means is that if for any reason the service becomes bottlenecked, then AT&T will prioritize their primary customers over H2O Wireless customers on the same network.
It’s unfortunate, but customer prioritization is a sacrifice that comes with being able to use an already strong and established network.
Data speeds
Speed is the name of the game in the modern world, but unfortunately for H2O customers, the fastest speed isn’t exactly what you’re going to get.
While being on the AT&T network is already a huge plus, you’d also expect to get the big-time data speeds that come with it.
Wrong.
With H2O Wireless, you’re only going to be looking at roughly an 8 Mbp/s download speed — a far cry from AT&T’s 30 Mbp/s.
Another important note about H2O Wireless data is that it gets throttled — hard. That 8 Mbp/s is the max speed when you have 4G LTE service.
So maybe H2O might not be the best choice for those that are big on streaming or playing online games.
H2O Wireless plans
H2O Wireless offers a variety of mobile plans, so let’s take a look at the different plans within each category.
Monthly Unlimited Plans
First up is the monthly unlimited plans.
The “unlimited” in Monthly Unlimited refers to the unlimited talk and text that you’ll be receiving when you purchase one of these plans.
Each of these plans is pretty basic; you get call/text, and a certain amount of 4G LTE data at your disposal. Once you use up your data for the monthly cycle, you’ll get hit with a heavy throttle reducing speeds down to 128 Kbp/s. Ouch.
With each plan, you can expect to save some money if you add the Auto Recharge feature to your plan. This feature will auto-pay your bills for you, so you don’t have to worry about losing service for not paying.
The only bonus feature you get with any plan is the unlimited Hotspot data that comes with the Unlimited Plan. Aside from that and the data amount, each plan is pretty much the same.
You’ll notice that for a provider of this type, prices are a little high for what you get. Don’t worry, we saw it too. This might mean that H2O plans are great if you don’t plan on using your phone a ton, at least if you want to use the cheaper plans.
Pay-as-you-go
Up next is H2O’s pay-as-you-go plans.
These plans are a little more unique than the standard plans we talked about previously. H2O’s pay-as-you-go plans allow you to purchase only the amount of service you want, and bills are charged based on usage.
This is an excellent setup for those of you looking for something low commitment where you also have a pretty good idea of how much you’re going to be using your phone service.
H2O offers this deal in 3 separate 90-day packages and one 12 month package. So if you only need service for a short amount of time or simply want the freedom of not being tied up in a long-term plan, then these plans could be worth your time.
Multi-Line
The last type of plan H2O Wireless provides is the multi-line deal.
This deal provides you with the chance to add extra lines for $25 per line. You’ll also receive 5GB of 4G LTE data per line. This means that the multi-line plan is based around the value plan from the Unlimited Monthly plans.
This can be a decent deal if you know your family doesn’t eat up data at high speeds. Otherwise, you and your family will find yourselves struggling along at 2G speeds until next month.
So make sure you audit your family’s data usage to find out if this is the right plan for you.
Where and how to buy H2O Wireless
Let’s get into how to purchase a phone and plan with H2O Wireless.
Like we said previously, H2O Wireless can be found at a variety of retailers across the country. However, H2O Wireless doesn’t have dedicated shops (at least yet).
Thankfully, H2O Wireless does have a store locator that you can use to track down the closest store where their products are available.
You can also purchase plans and phones online at their website.
These are the following brands offered by H2O Wireless:
- Alcatel
- Apple
- Nokia
- Samsung
Even the apple fanatics can choose H2O Wireless.
To purchase the phone of your choice online, simply select the phone you’d like and choose the plan you want. This will add the items to your cart where you can checkout online.
One fantastic aspect of purchasing online with H2O Wireless is that they offer Affirm financing for buying phones.
Affirm is an online loan system to help consumers purchase products. We at Trickut have you covered if you don’t know what Affirm is. We already have a full review on Affirm ready to go for you.
Getting started with h2o Wireless
Let’s look at the ways you can get started with H2O Wireless.
If you’re looking to get an entirely new phone or set up your first phone with H2O, then either finding a store near you or purchasing a phone and plan through their website will be suitable routes.
To make sure your phone works with their network, we recommend buying straight from them. This way, you’ll be guaranteed to get a compatible phone and an H2O Wireless sim card.
Otherwise, you’ll have to purchase the H2O sim card separately and make sure the phone is GSM compatible.
If you’re switching to H2O Wireless from a different provider, then you’ll want to double-check your phone’s GSM compatibility before leaving your current provider. You’ll also need to purchase an H2O Wireless sim card to replace your phone’s current sim card.
With H2O, you can also get an entirely new phone number or transfer over your old number if you’d like to keep the one you’ve got.
To configure your H2O Wireless sim card, all you need to do is follow H2O’s provided configuration guide to get yourself on your way.
Conclusion
H2O Wireless is an excellent, budget phone carrier for people looking for quality service without spending more money.
If you don’t use your phone and its data much, then they’ll be a perfect pic. However, if you’re a big web-surfer and video streamer, it may be more worth your money to check out a more premium provider.
