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Fi uses TM where available & US mobile in other areas. I will admit that coverage in the parts of MO we were coverage was spotty at best, but that was over 3 years ago, the last time we were in MO.
Small correction - it's US CELLULAR in other areas, not US mobile.
How would this compare to Cricket four lines $100 including all tax on the AT&T network ?
I've had Cricket for 8 years now with no issues - but I am always looking for a better deal.
I left Google Fi for Cricket. Never looked back. Especially with an iPhone.
I switched to Google Fi a few months back from ATT Prepaid. I was paying $75 for 2 lines with ATT Prepaid and was very happy with the service but always thought I could do better on price. When I switched I did the 4 lines for $80 and I am really disappointed. Each month my bill ends up being about $96. The worst thing though is my data speeds are noticably slower even when it says I'm in 5G. Sometimes it's as slow as dial up when I am needing it most it seems. I am no where exceeding my data limits so I guess this is normal with their service. I guess data traffic have a lower priority than cell tower owner traffic, I dunno. I wish I could find a service as good as ATT Prepaid for a net price of $80 for 4 lines.
I switched to Google Fi a few months back from ATT Prepaid. I was paying $75 for 2 lines with ATT Prepaid and was very happy with the service but always thought I could do better on price. When I switched I did the 4 lines for $80 and I am really disappointed. Each month my bill ends up being about $96. The worst thing though is my data speeds are noticably slower even when it says I'm in 5G. Sometimes it's as slow as dial up when I am needing it most it seems. I am no where exceeding my data limits so I guess this is normal with their service. I guess data traffic have a lower priority than cell tower owner traffic, I dunno. I wish I could find a service as good as ATT Prepaid for a net price of $80 for 4 lines.
Data is not deprioritized on Fi. It's a separate issue, likely related to t-mobile's coverage in your area vs ATT.
T-Mobile uses QCI 6, 7, 8, and 9. They are generally considered to be only a bit behind ATT in their traffic deprioritization policies for MVNOs.
QCI 6 is applied to all of T-Mobile's postpaid and prepaid plans (except for Essentials) and Google Fi which also has QCI 6 as well. This means if you want the absolute best from T-Mobile, you want to get a plan directly from them. Even their cheap $15 Connect 2.5GB plan has postpaid priority data which is a huge bonus for such a cheap plan.
QCI 7 is applied to T-Mobile's Essentials plan as well as all MVNOs (besides Google Fi) such as Mint, Metro By T-Mobile, US Mobile GSM LTE, and Tello.
QCI 8 is believed to be for any hotspot usage on a consumer plan.
QCI 9 is for their home internet service (yes, its deprioritized to last network priority) and all plans once their data bucket is exhausted.
Be careful if you have iPhones. Fi does not support 5G on iPhones. I know they want to have more people use Android. But no one's going to take them seriously if they leave iOS devices behind intentionally.
"Fi is in beta for iPhone®. Bringing your iPhone® to Fi requires some extra setup, like changing a few of your Settings. We'll walk you through it step-by-step, and our support team is always available if you need help. Currently, iPhone® does not have network-switching technology, and 5G is not supported for iPhone®, but you'll still get great coverage." https://fi.google.com/about/phones/
How would this compare to Cricket four lines $100 including all tax on the AT&T network ?
I've had Cricket for 8 years now with no issues - but I am always looking for a better deal.
Taxes totally depend on your state. We are in Ohio. Ours are like $8, so $88. I have not had Cricket recently, but considered it. I like that Google Fi is not deprioritized on T-Mobile network, which is atypical for MVNOs. I believe Cricket is deprioritized on AT&T.
Google Fi works best with Android phones. Like iPhones don't currently have 5G, but it is improving. They recently added WiFi calling for iPhones.
One nice thing is that they frequently have good deals on Samsung phones. Like right now, you can get unlocked S23s for several hundred bucks off, with just a 3-month commitment. You can get an S23, which retails for like $800, for $300. I am getting one for my wife and will probably sell her S22 for at least that. So we end up with a flagship phone for $0 out of pocket (after selling our old ones) with no contract. It is a pretty good deal.
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I've had Cricket for 8 years now with no issues - but I am always looking for a better deal.
Thanks for the info, We have four iPhones on our plan for 8 years now absolutely no issues.
Thanks in advance for any feedback,
-Topper
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T-Mobile uses QCI 6, 7, 8, and 9. They are generally considered to be only a bit behind ATT in their traffic deprioritization policies for MVNOs.
QCI 6 is applied to all of T-Mobile's postpaid and prepaid plans (except for Essentials) and Google Fi which also has QCI 6 as well. This means if you want the absolute best from T-Mobile, you want to get a plan directly from them. Even their cheap $15 Connect 2.5GB plan has postpaid priority data which is a huge bonus for such a cheap plan.
QCI 7 is applied to T-Mobile's Essentials plan as well as all MVNOs (besides Google Fi) such as Mint, Metro By T-Mobile, US Mobile GSM LTE, and Tello.
QCI 8 is believed to be for any hotspot usage on a consumer plan.
QCI 9 is for their home internet service (yes, its deprioritized to last network priority) and all plans once their data bucket is exhausted.
"Fi is in beta for iPhone®. Bringing your iPhone® to Fi requires some extra setup, like changing a few of your Settings. We'll walk you through it step-by-step, and our support team is always available if you need help. Currently, iPhone® does not have network-switching technology, and 5G is not supported for iPhone®, but you'll still get great coverage."
https://fi.google.com/about/phones/
On Google Fi or Cricket?
I am thinking of switching our iPhones to Google Fi.
I've had Cricket for 8 years now with no issues - but I am always looking for a better deal.
Google Fi works best with Android phones. Like iPhones don't currently have 5G, but it is improving. They recently added WiFi calling for iPhones.
One nice thing is that they frequently have good deals on Samsung phones. Like right now, you can get unlocked S23s for several hundred bucks off, with just a 3-month commitment. You can get an S23, which retails for like $800, for $300. I am getting one for my wife and will probably sell her S22 for at least that. So we end up with a flagship phone for $0 out of pocket (after selling our old ones) with no contract. It is a pretty good deal.
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Estimate 10 to 20 dollars on $80 a month plan depending on your state and local taxes
really close to crickets ( AT&T ) 4 lines $100 including taxes
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