Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Helium Zero Plan is no longer completely free as of January 27, though it’s not actually being discontinued either.
- Helium will now require Zero Plan users to add a card and pay taxes and fees, likely totaling around $5–$8 per month.
- The plan is still one of the cheapest ways to get a low-cost backup plan, but there are certainly other options if you’re willing to pay just a bit more.
I’ve been a huge fan of Helium’s free plan since its introduction early last year. While the plan is understandably limited, it makes for a good backup plan as it gives you 3GB of data, 300 texts, and 100 minutes a month for nothing. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and starting January 27, the Helium Zero Plan is no longer completely free.
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While the plan isn’t necessarily going away, customers must now add a card to their account in order to handle taxes and associated fees. I have yet to receive my first tax bill, so I can’t speak to how much it costs in total, but I’d guess a $5-8 price range is probably about right.
I can’t say this is too surprising. When Helium first introduced the plan, it required location data at all times. This, understandably, considered users as they were basically agreeing to sell their data for a free service. Eventually, Helium walked back the requirement, but at that point, they were basically losing out as they no longer got location data.
The change to paid taxes and fees fits the current mobile landscape pretty well, even if it’s annoying. The bigger question is whether the Zero Plan is still worth keeping, since it’s no longer completely free.
Honestly, it really depends. If you don’t mind paying a little more than the $5-8, the taxes and fees will cost you, there are other options out there. For example, the US Mobile Light plan is $10 a month with taxes and fees included, or the equivalent of $8 a month if you pay for a year upfront. This plan only has 2GB of data, but it doesn’t have the calling or texting restrictions, and you’ll have the optional advantage of picking between any one of the big three major networks for coverage.
That said, there aren’t many alternatives that are this cheap. If you are looking for a low-cost way to have a secondary network as a backup plan, this still remains one of the lowest-cost ways to do it. if you’re hoping for more data and features than the Helium Zero plan, you’ll likely have to pay closer to $20-$25 a month, which opens the door to options like Visible.
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