The Walmart Family Mobile plan could give you the affordability you're looking for in a cell phone plan without the hassle of locking you into a long-term contract. While it may at first seem odd to you to buy mobile services from a big box retail giant, Walmart has offered competitive rates that use cell towers in place via the nationwide network of T-Mobile.
For competitive rates you can get unlimited web, texting and talk features all through the Walmart Family Mobile service plan. The company won't require a credit check from you and charges no added annual fees, either.
Alternatively, you can compare cell phone plans or compare MVNOs at Wirefly to find other cell phone plans that might work for your needs.
The plan from Walmart is available on a month-to-month basis, so you can cancel the service anytime you feel the need. In addition, the nature of the plan means you won't need to worry about early cancellation fees since there isn't a contract to break. While these features sound great on the surface, we wanted to offer you a more in-depth look at the Walmart Mobile Plan. Our detailed analysis can help you decide if these services are something that can benefit you.
If you're using a different cell phone plan, switching over to Walmart's Family Mobile one is simple. First, pick up a Family Mobile Starter Kit. You'll need one such kit for each line you'd like to connect to Walmart's plan, and each one costs $25. This price includes a SIM card and unique activation code, one for each phone. You can pick up Starter Kits at any Walmart location or order one right to your door through their official site.
Once you begin the setup for one or more phones, you can opt for a new number or transfer your existing one. If you want to transfer your existing phone number, it's possible you'll need to put in a call to Walmart's customer service department to complete the changes.
Related: Best Cell Phone Plans of the Year
| Carrier | Plan Name | Features | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | TextNow Wireless Unlimited LTE |
| $ 0 /mo |
Luckily, you can bring your existing phone model into the Walmart Mobile Family Plan. However, not all phones work with the service. You must have a GSM-networked phone. These are the phones used by carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, while carriers like Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology instead.
If your current phone isn't compatible, but you'd still like to switch over to the Family Plan from Walmart, they offer a few popular models that will work with their services, such as the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. However, because the mobile plan is not under contract, you must pay full retail for any of these new phones.
Now that we've covered the details for switching over, we can discuss network coverage for the Walmart plan. It's powered thanks to T-Mobile's existing network, which covers 280 million people across the nation. We do recommend that you check T-Mobile's coverage map before you sign up for this plan, just to make sure your area will receive proper support. If you're located in a rural area that is far from any large cities, it's possible that the Walmart plan may not provide the coverage you'll need.
The basic plan is only $24.88 per month, which includes all the features we discussed. Unlimited data additions are only 39.88 and increase the first 3 gigs of your plan's speed to 4G LTE. Walmart offers five-dollar discounts for each added line you want to add to the plan. That means that at the basic level, each line after the first one will only cost you $19.88 per month. A single account-holder can have a maximum of five lines on their account. Even the most basic plan offers your first gigabyte of data at 4G LTE speeds. If you go over that speed will drop to 2 gigabytes for the rest of your billing cycle. This dip applies to all versions of the plan though higher-tier plans get more data at 4G speeds before experiencing a decrease.
The Walmart Mobile Family Plan is a great choice for those who need something affordable without the desire to sign a contract. Various unlimited data, talking and texting options are available and each person can place up to five different lines on their accounts. The service uses T-Mobile's network, so it enjoys the same coverage. You have a decent selection of phones if you need to switch to a new one or don't want to bring your current one. We find it to be an affordable, dependable option for the shopper on a budget.
