Helium Mobile has
Helium Mobile Zero Plan w/ 100 Minutes Talk, 300 Texts & 3GB of Data (per month) for
Free when you
Bring Your Own Device and follow the instructions below by using code
BREAKFREE at signup.
Thanks to community member
WackyP for finding this deal.
Deal Instructions:
- An unlocked T-Mobile-compatible device is required.
- Download the Helium Mobile app (Android / iOS)
- Open the app and when prompted, enter invite-only code BREAKFREE
- Proceed through the setup process by proving the following details:
- Valid email address
- Your name, home address and date of birth
- Complete the identity security check using a valid government-issued ID (i.e. a driver's license) and taking a 'selfie' photo.
- No credit card or other payment info is required for this free plan.
- You may select eSIM or physical SIM card activation (SIM card ships free).
- Your monthly Zero Plan w/ 100 talk minutes, 300 texts and 3GB of data will be Free
How is Helium Mobile able to offer a free phone plan? (
source)
- "Helium Mobile's free plan is made possible with its community-built network, a new type of infrastructure that is less expensive than legacy carriers. In exchange for the free plan, you'll share your anonymized location data, enabling the community to create coverage where it's most needed."
Plan Features (per month):
- 100 minutes talk
- 300 texts
- 3GB of high-speed data (4G LTE/5G)
- Note: hotspot data is not available on the free Zero plan.
- No credit card needed
- You may port your existing number to Helium Mobile if desired
- Earn Rewards with Cloud Points
- Redeem points for gift cards to travel, dining, and other experiences.
- Helium Mobile operates on the T-Mobile network
Top Comments
If you think I'm joking, check your own current paid ISP plan's terms of service. Non-trivial probability they're already doing similar to you, at least if you're not protected by something like the EU's GDPR.
Is that what's going on here, or is their business model different somehow?
Anyways...So they will pay you in their crypto token., Which they then accept as payment.Or you can sell yourself. Im assuming they are going to expand on this somehow.
Also a while back they were talking about another app that carriers were going to opt into that allows people to use each others phones a a hotspot for a small fee.
Just a guess but maybe something with this as well.
They are not the only company going this way there are going to be some announcements very soon of others going this path
594 Comments
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At the 3gb point, data completely stops. User would have the option of paying $7.50 for another gigabyte of data.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank nickdigger
We don't store any of it. We have no access to them. And we obviously do not sell that information.
Yes.
I doubt it.
Native.
No.
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https://docs.helium.com/faq/helium-network
There's a link to the Helium discord at the bottom. Higher up is the written version of a lawyer shrugging and saying "hey, we're not *telling you* to use our hotspot. You're responsible for whatever you do wrong, not us." It calls into question the legal sustainability of people connecting their hotspots to their "wi-fi" as it was called on the page) but, I assume they're talking about the home's existing internet service.
Most ISPs aren't going to want you piggyback other customers of another service off your account for their service and will eventually make that illegal, if it isn't already. But, Helium doesn't want to come out and say they know about this, as it makes their business model sound unsustainable.
It sounds like they're asking for unusually in-depth personal information and, when linked to a device that tracks your location, that's a dangerous combination. Just imagine if that information was bought by/fell into the hands of [insert your favorite bad guy].
The required mapping is anonymous and not tied to a specific user. As I said previously, Helium's objective is to build a large network of hotspots. In order to attract more hotpost owners, Helium needs to show them a high enough number of users to justify starting a partnership.
For the hotspots itself, I believe what usually happens is somebody offers to pay the ISP bill of an organization in exchange for them allowing hotspot activity in the area. The ISP would not be able to tell the difference between data from Helium hotspot activity and data from the organization just offering free wi-fi.
But as I told them, maybe those making such a claim can state when it was that I provided a gov ID and selfie to buy a phone or port (I never did).
While I know you aren't making that same claim as the other user, I do see you making claims of the internal workings of either helium or persona.
The issue stands that they are having you provide information that should not be needed.
If they are requiring that geo-loc be enabled, they have an email address, they have a phone #, they have a unique sim, that should be plenty to limit multi-plan abuse.
EDIT0: Hey slickdeals, I still hate this garbage desktop-web input-box interface which destroys formatting.
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