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When I first hit the road full-time back in September 2020, I knew that I needed a cell phone carrier that had reliable coverage all across the US. Having road tripped extensively across the Western US previously with friends, I also had an idea of which carriers had signal most often and which did not, and I knew that my old phone plan – a family plan through T-Mobile – was not going to cut it. However, this put me in a bit of a dilemma as a single person looking to switch carriers.
After doing a ton of research, I stumbled upon a carrier I’d never heard of: Visible Wireless. Visible uses Verizon’s network and offers unlimited data, talk, text, and mobile hotspot usage with plans starting at $30/month. It almost seemed too good to be true, but I had nothing to lose. Visible requires no annual contract, so I knew if it didn’t work out I could just switch carriers easily without paying any penalties.
More than 2 years later, I’m still using Visible Wireless and I’m convinced it’s the best cell phone carrier on the market for van lifers, especially if you’re solo. Below I break down plan options and pricing, the pros and cons of Visible Wireless, and how I use Visible to work remotely on the road.
Sponsored by Visible Wireless
This blog post is sponsored by Visible Wireless. BFT team member Courtney has been a paying user of Visible Wireless since 2020, using their unlimited talk, text, and data plan on the road. As always, we only recommend products and services we love and think you will love too.
What Is Visible Wireless?
Visible is a low-cost cell phone carrier that is owned by Verizon and runs off of Verizon’s 5G/4G LTE Network so anytime there is Verizon coverage, Visible should also have coverage. Their plans are designed for single-line users instead of families and there are no multi-line discounts.
Visible has two plans that both offer unlimited data, talk, text, and mobile hotspot usage. While Visible and Verizon operate on the same network, Verizon has higher speeds and prioritizes its customers in congested areas, although Verizon customers pay a premium for their service. Even if you’re not a van lifer, Visible could be a great carrier option if you live in an area with strong Verizon coverage.
Visible is a pre-paid service that requires no credit check unless you’re financing a new phone. There are no annual contracts or activation fees, so there’s greater flexibility than other phone companies. Billing is handled through their app where you can easily set up monthly auto-pay or manage your payments.
Benefits of Visible
- Low cost: Visible offers an unlimited data plan at a much lower cost compared to other major carriers.
- No hidden fees or contracts: Visible is more transparent and you can switch carriers at any time without paying any penalties.
- Use of Verizon’s 4G/5G LTE network: Visible operates on Verizon’s 4G LTE network, which is known for its strong coverage and reliability across the country.
- Unlimited mobile hotspot: this is a huge benefit for van lifers who use a hotspot to work from their laptop on the road
- Flexible plans: Visible users can upgrade or downgrade their plan at any time, with upgrades taking place immediately and downgrades taking place during the next billing cycle.
Drawbacks of Visible
- Not all devices are compatible with Visible: you may need to purchase a new device if your current phone falls into that category. Use Visible’s compatibility checker to ensure your device is supported.
- App-only customer service: Visible has no physical stores or an 800 number to call, rather, they provide customer service and support via a chat feature in the app.
- Potentially slower data speeds in congested areas: As a Visible user, your data speeds could be slower, or “deprioritized” in busy areas compared to Verizon customers
- Limited international roaming: Mexico and Canada are the only two countries with roaming capability through a Visible plan.
Visible Pricing and Plan Comparisons
There are currently two plans available, Visible and Visible+. I’ve used the basic Visible plan since September 2020 and recently upgraded my plan to Visible+ for my annual winter van trip to Baja, Mexico. What I love about Visible is that I’m not locked into a plan and can upgrade (or downgrade) my service at any time. Below is a breakdown of what each plan provides and my experience using Visible and Visible+.
Base Plan
$30/mo
inc. taxes and fees
Visible+
$45/mo
inc. taxes and fees
Data Speeds
The biggest difference between the base plan and the premium plan is data speeds. With Visible’s base plan, you’ll get 5G Nationwide and 4G LTE data, with 5G speeds capped at 200 Mbps.
With Visible+, you’ll get 5G Ultra Wideband data plus 50GB of premium data when connected to 5G Nationwide and 4G LTE.
Using Visible’s base plan, I’ve rarely had any issues with slow internet speeds in areas with coverage. When running internet speed tests from my phone, my download speeds with the basic Visible plan are often 60Mbps or greater, sometimes even topping 100Mbps. With these speeds, I’m able to browse the internet, stream Netflix, and use my phone without lag or much thought at all about data speeds.
The biggest thing to know about Visible’s data speeds is if you’re frequently traveling in highly-congested areas, you may be subject to “deprioritization” as a Visible customer vs. someone with Verizon, especially if you’re on the base plan. Since I’m typically not traveling to highly-populated areas, I wasn’t too worried about the potential service downgrade, and it hasn’t been a noticeable issue in my 2+ years as a basic Visible customer.
In fact, I’ve only noticed slower service twice – once at a music festival in San Francisco and once having no cell reception in the small town of Stanley, Idaho while my friends with Verizon had a little bit of reception. I chalked this up to the town itself having super spotty coverage, and to date, that’s the only time I’ve ever not had any reception when Verizon customers had signal.
Visible Wireless Mobile Hotspot
What sets Visible apart from other carriers is its unlimited mobile hotspot. Using a phone as a hotspot is a very common way for van lifers to get internet on the road, but it’s pretty uncommon to have a plan that offers truly unlimited mobile hotspot data usage. Most other carriers will cap data usage and severely slow down your internet speeds once you’ve hit your data limit for the month, making your hotspot unreliable and unusable once you’ve hit the cap.
Instead of capping data allowance, Visible caps your data speeds. Using your unlimited mobile hotspot, speeds are always capped at 5 Mbps. For the average person, this shouldn’t cause many issues. I’ve used Visible’s mobile hotspot as my primary internet source for working on the road for 2+ years will no complaints. I’m able to do all of my computer work with no issues and join video calls with minimal to no disruption. Visible is reliable and fast, and I never have to worry about how much data I’m consuming.
However, if you are someone who is frequently downloading/uploading large files, is on video calls often, or needs incredibly fast internet speeds, this might not work as your primary laptop internet.
Using Visible+ In Mexico
When I first joined Visible in 2020, there was no option to use my phone outside of the US which was a bit of a downside. However, in August 2022, Visible opened up Visible+ plans which include unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada, unlimited talk, text, and roaming in Mexico and Canada (data up to .5GB/day), and international calling/texting to many countries.
I spend winters traveling in my van down to Baja, Mexico so this was a huge added benefit to Visible’s service. I upgraded my plan to Visible+ before crossing the border, which took less than 10 minutes and could be completed on the Visible app without any assistance. The change took place immediately; I didn’t need to wait until a new billing cycle.
I’ve been in Mexico for over a month now and have been really impressed with Visible’s service down here. In areas with cell coverage, I’ve been able to call and text family and friends back in the US as normal and use my phone minimally for Google Maps, social media, and light internet browsing. The speeds are fastest in the morning and slow down over the course of the day, as data usage is capped at .5GB a day and slows down significantly after that. As long as you manage your expectations (you’re not going to see the same internet speeds roaming in Mexico as in the US), it’s a great perk and the service is comparable to other major carriers’ international services.
Now, there are limitations to Visible’s international capabilities – most notably that international talk, text, and data are limited only to Mexico and Canada – but I am hopeful that Visible will expand its international roaming coverage in the future.
How To Switch Your Phone Plan To Visible
As a paying user of Visible Wireless for over 2 years, I couldn’t recommend it more, especially for van lifers. With its unlimited data plan, unlimited hot spot usage, and low monthly cost, it’s been essential for living and working on the road.
Additionally, Visible plans are flexible and adaptable, so you can pick the plan that best suits your needs, which is very important when living on the road.
You can either use your current phone to join Visible (not all devices are compatible – use Visible’s compatibility checker to ensure your device is supported) or you can get a new phone through them.
