Carriers
Is Spectrum Mobile Worth It? What You Need to Know in 2020
Spectrum isn’t just for your home Internet or TV. Spectrum Mobile is a cell phone plan that wants to sell you cell service from the same company you get your Internet and TV from. They are targeting users looking for affordable cell phone service. Prices start at $14 per GB or $45 a month for unlimited and they promise great coverage and a lot of features. You can even get 5G coverage in some locations.
We’ll walk you through what you need to know before you sign up, or before you switch to Spectrum Mobile from Verizon, AT&T, or another mainstream cell phone company. We’ll also help you decide if Spectrum Mobile is worth it in 2020.
With a look at Spectrum Mobile coverage and Spectrum Mobile reviews, plus the information you need to know about what phones you can use, the features available, and key info about Spectrum Mobile WiFi, you can decide if this is the right switch for you.
Read: How to Save $100 on Spectrum
Spectrum Mobile ads focus on going places, streaming, uploading videos, live-streaming, and creating content with cheaper plans. Sometimes Ellen tells you about them, and other times you’ll simply see a teen enjoying a smartphone at home.
Spectrum claims you can save up to 40% every month compared to Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. In addition to using the LTE network when you are mobile, you can also use Spectrum WiFi hotspots that don’t use any of your data plan.
Spectrum Mobile Coverage
This is the Spectrum Mobile coverage map.
While they don’t come out and say it, Spectrum Mobile is very likely running on Verizon’s LTE network. Spectrum Mobile says it uses the “nation’s largest, most reliable LTE network.” They also don’t compare savings to Verizon. the coverage map is also Verizon red.
If you already have Verizon, or if you know someone who does, you can get an accurate feel for how good the Spectrum Mobile coverage is at your home, work, school, and other places you travel.
Spectrum Mobile 5G is available with select Samsung phones and you can connect in 35 cities.
You can also enter your zip code on the Spectrum Mobile website to check local coverage before you switch.
Spectrum Mobile WiFi
Spectrum Mobile WiFi gets you connected without using your WiFi.
One of the benefits of using Spectrum Mobile is connecting to Spectrum WiFi hotspots instead of using your data plan. While this isn’t a huge issue with the Unlimited Plan, it is a major upside to using a pay per GB plan on Spectrum Mobile.
You can find Spectrum WiFi around the country with the WiFi name Spectrum WiFi or CableWiFi. If you see these already, you will be able to connect to them with your phone on Spectrum Mobile.
Use this tool to search for Spectrum WiFi near you.
Spectrum Mobile Plans
You need to be a Spectrum Internet customer to use Spectrum Mobile. If you don’t use Spectrum for your home Internet access, you cannot use Spectrum Mobile for your cell phones. If you are a new Spectrum Internet customer you can only get two lines for the first 30 days, and then up to five lines after.
Spectrum Mobile plans include an Unlimited for $45 a month or a $14 per GB pre-paid plan that is a tempting option if you plan to use the WiFi that is part of this plan. With both plans, you need to pay additional fees, and taxes on top of the prices listed.
With the unlimited plan, you may see reduced speeds after 20GB of use in a billing cycle. You can use your phone as a mobile hotspot at no extra charge. With the unlimited plan, you get 5GB of full-speed hotspot use, and then it is downgraded to 600kbps for the rest of the cycle. With the pay per GB option, you don’t get any speed restrictions, but you pay the normal $14 per GB.
All plans stream video at 480P, which is DVD quality. There is no option to stream at 720P, 1080P or 4K when you are on LTE.
If you cancel your home Internet through Spectrum there is a $20 a month additional charge, Spectrum WiFi speeds are capped at 5Mbps and you cannot add any additional lines. The first GB is charged in advance, per billing cycle.
Spectrum Mobile Reviews
Overall the Spectrum Mobile reviews are good when it comes to connectivity, speeds, and pricing. One user shared a super fast Spectrum Mobile speed result, others like the coverage on WiFi hotspots and the Verizon coverage when you are away from them.
One complaint on Howard Forums starts off happy that support is based in America but then is frustrated that it took 6 hours on the phone to get a return label.
Spectrum Mobile Phones & iPhone
You can get the latest devices on Spectrum Mobile.
The good news is that you can buy the latest smartphones on Spectrum Mobile. You can buy the following devices on Spectrum Mobile from $7.50 to $$45.84 a month;
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- iPhone SE 2020
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- Galaxy Note 10
- Galaxy Note 10+
- Galaxy S10+
- Galaxy S10
- Galaxy S20 5G
- Galaxy S20+ 5G
- Galaxy S20 Utra 5G
- Galaxy A51
- Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy A21
- Galaxy A20
- Galaxy A10e
- Google Pixel 4
- LG Stylo 5
- LG K51
- LG K31
- LGQ70
Spectrum also offers a Bring Your Own Device option. This allows you to bring a compatible phone to Spectrum when you switch. This way you don’t need to spend any money on a new phone.
Spectrum Mobile Features
With Spectrum Mobile you get the same features that you do on most major carriers. You get LTE connectivity, which means fast speeds, but the video playback is limited to 480P streaming quality. You should get full resolutions when connected to WiFi.
You can also use your phone as a hotspot on Spectrum Mobile without paying any extra fees. You will see speeds throttled after 5GB of mobile hotspot use each billing cycle.
Is Spectrum Mobile Worth It?
Do you need a reliable cell network with cheaper prices and the option to connect to WiFi hotspots across the country? If you are OK with buying a new phone, you should consider Spectrum Mobile.
You get Verizon’s network, good plan options, US-based customer support, and the standard features. The downside is that you are limited to 480P video streaming and you need to be a Spectrum Internet customer at home. The last point isn’t a major issue for many users since in my city Spectrum is the only choice for high-speed home Internet.
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Passepartout22
03/05/2019 at 12:26 pm
I switched from Verizon to Spectrum last week, largely because of (1) their use of the Verizon network, which I’ve found much superior to my previous network; and (2) the much lower price ($46/mo for 2 lines vs $108 for 2 lines with Verizon). The service in my local area is comparable to what I had with Verizon, BUT I have just driven from San Antonio, Texas, to Tampa, Florida; and except for a few miles through Houston I have had ABSOLUTELY NO TELEPHONE SERVICE, AND NO DATA SERVICE the entire way. Service in the middle of New Orleans was so bad that I could not have a comprehensible telephone conversation. In Tampa I can only get 3G data service. If you break down in a rural area, don’t count on calling for help with a Spectrum phone.
Pat McGroyne
03/07/2019 at 7:53 am
Even getting the phone from Spectrum was a nightmare. You can’t redirect or ship to a different address. I get it. Probably because of terrorists or something. You DO have to wait for a delivery attempt, which you will likely miss because you work during the day. Dealing with FedEx is yet another nightmare. Can’t redirect, can’t get the package held at the depot. I’m guessing enough customers will encounter delivery issues that Spectrum will need to overhaul their policies or wither and die because people can’t get their phones. I’m super pi**ed already and haven’t even gotten the device. Their phone selection also sucks. I’m not going all in on a $600 phone, and the few middling phones they offer don’t even have 32GB memory.
Lyn
03/09/2019 at 6:13 am
Be careful about signing up. Signed up for service and new Galaxy S10 the day pre orders started for the new phone. Was sent email confirmation of my order that day. Didn’t hear anything else so decided to call on the 5th to be sure order was in before the free ear bud promotion ended on the 8th. Was told (after 30 minutes of searching) that I had an order, no problem. Called again on the 7th and after 40 minutes of searching for the order, was told phone would ship the next day. Nothing the next day so went to my local Spectrum office where they called and were told the phone would ship that day. Called today (the 9th) and was told something happened with the order and they would be happy to place the order again and start my new service. As for the free $130 earbuds for pre ordering? Sorry, they can’t do anything about that. The time for that offer has expired. Spectrum acknowledged the error but will not consider working that out with me. Needless to say, I will not be moving to Spectrum Mobile. Cheap deals sometimes just aren’t worth it.
Judy Abernathy
03/18/2019 at 12:26 pm
I switched from Verizon a couple years ago. I went with Total Wireless with voice and text included. I also get 5gb per month which is more than I’ll ever need. I pay $35/month and also using Verizon network. It isn’t perfect but fine for the price. All I had to do was buy a phone and chose an iPhone SE for $157 one time.
Eric Gran
04/11/2019 at 12:13 pm
For the first time in many years I didn’t trade my iPhone into Gazelle. Instead I signed up with Spectrum Mobile and traded in through their system with Assurant. WHAT A FRICKIN’ MESS!! My new phone came and for 3 weeks I couldn’t receive phone calls because Spectrum Mobile screwed up the SIM card. Since February 19th I have been going around and around with Assurant and Spectrum tech support because they lost my iPhone trade in. I have tracking numbers, delivery confirmation numbers, etc. This is crazy! Multiple calls to both companies and nothing is getting done about it… basically one blaming the other and sending me between the two. Bad choice… hoping others can avoid this!
Mobile Insider
05/16/2019 at 11:32 am
This article should be updated, as of April you can BYOD/Bring Your Own Device by visiting any Spectrum Store ( https://mobile.spectrum.com/byod ) and by May 30th or before you’ll be able to do BYOD by phone or internet ordering.
Michelle Cyr
05/21/2019 at 4:15 am
We just went through a similar issue with a purchase of a phone. My father was in the process of moving and the phone came four days later than promised. They delivered to his former address. Since his new address is on his ID, they would not let him pick it up at the fed ex drop off. He drove over an hour one way to get there! I called spectrum and Fed Ex and nobody could help, even though he had the tracking number. Did I mention my father is 79 years old! Still waiting and NOT impressed…..
Michelle Cyr
05/30/2019 at 3:33 am
UPDATE: Finally got the phone and activated it. We were told that in 72 hours, it would be programmed with my father’s old land line number. Well, that didn’t work, that number was no longer available! Also, I was on conference call when he was promised free long distance, now it’s 10 cents per minute. Plus, the service in his area stinks! It’s going back. The service with Spectrum was terrible and I feel they took advantage of an elderly man and me! Still must point out that all Spectrum reps are nice and polite. They “feel your pain”……
Michelle Cyr
05/30/2019 at 3:35 am
UPDATE: Finally got the phone and activated it. We were told that in 72 hours, it would be programmed with my father’s old land line number. Well, that didn’t work, that number was no longer available! Also, I was on conference call when he was promised free long distance, now it’s 10 cents per minute. Plus, the service in his area stinks! It’s going back. The service with Spectrum was terrible and I feel they took advantage of an elderly man and me! Still must point out that all Spectrum reps are nice and polite. They “feel your pain”……
Doug
06/20/2019 at 11:43 am
Signed up for Spectrum Mobile and bought phone through them. Didn’t have in stock so had to ship to me. Well its a company policy someone has to be at physical address of service when fedex delivers and you have to sign for it. Problem is I WORK for a living and am not home before 5pm. Well of course they try to deliver around noon each day. I call Fedex and they say no way they can be in my are after 5pm. I call Spectrum back and they say I would have to go to Fedex Hub to pickup or be at house is only option!!! I cancelled my new phone and service before I even got it. What a ludicrous policy. So if I work for a living I cant get a phone because I cant be home to sign for it??? Don’t waste your time.
Mike Fulton
08/10/2019 at 10:12 am
Spectrum employed bait and switch tactics to sell me. Three separate salespeople offered me the same solution, so clearly, the problem at Spectrum is systemic. Once I determined that the plan would not meet my needs, I immediately called to try to come to a solution. No solution was offered. After several phone conversations, the only reasonable solution was to send the phones back and cancel the plan.
Once I had done this I attempted for over 6 weeks to come to a resolution with Spectrum Mobile. They had admitted that the original communications with their sales department were misleading and led me to subscribe to a plan that did not fit my needs. Spectrum Mobile at no time made an attempt to modify the plan or provide an appropriate plan for my needs. As a result, I returned 5 phones after 5 days of use. During this 5 days, all phones were cased and protected; I had no plan to return the phones until Spectrum proved that did not have a plan that fit my needs, and could not offer me the plan they sold me.
I returned all phones in the original packaging in very good condition. I inspected each phone and noted no damage. Spectrum is calling 3 of the phones damaged; however, I did my part to protect the phones while they were in my care. Please note the images sent by Spectrum. Two phones have very light marks on them; both my wife and I inspected the phones before returning them and found no damage at all. These phones were cased, screen protected and used for 5 days. We had no intentions of returning them until we determined that Spectrum refused to supply the service we were sold. I assert that the $1,500 in “damages” and fees on these phones is strictly retaliatory. The idea that this is unusual damage for a phone is absurd. I believe that this simply a predatory practice used to trap people with their service.
Spectrum Mobile finally did offer to refund $500 of the $1500 they have charged me. This is not an acceptable solution as 100% of the issues with this transaction were caused by Spectrum Mobiles predatory and misleading sales practices.
My experience with Spectrum mobile has cost me over $2000 including charges from Spectrum, purchasing phone cases and screen protectors, and finally fees necessary to return to Verizon Wireless. I had their service for 5 Days. I do not have any phones and they are still charging me $1,500 and I literally have nothing for that money.
Judywalker
08/19/2019 at 1:53 am
Mike Fulton I really like the point you brought up about sending the phones back,and they claim cosmetic damage.It is retaliatory, and apparently they do the dam damage to the phones themselves after they receive them back. I ordered a cell phone,and the required internet and home phone. I spent total about 40hrs on the phone with them trying to activate it in one week.Finally they told me oh,we dont have coverage in your area. I sent phone back, and it never had a scratch or spot on it, hadn’t even used it. They refuse to refund my money, and same as you, say damage to the phone, which I am positive, it was fine. They keep billing me more for it. Yes it is predatory practice to sale me their products and they have no coverage in my area. I have sent letter to attorney general, consumer protection. They have done abusive things to other customers in the other.People are going to have to stand up against this abuse. WHen enough people complain it matters.