H2o Wireless Review

A prepaid provider that makes sense for low-data users who want AT&T'due south network.

H2O is a prepaid provider that runs on AT&T's network. It's got some decent deals on pay equally you go and talk and text plans, simply its high-speed data is surprisingly expensive (and surprisingly not so high-speed).

For instance, its unlimited data plan is $60, which is about as much as other the major providers charge. But information technology doesn't come with any great perks, and your data speeds will exist throttled. No thanks.

Water Wireless unlimited information plan

If you lot want an unlimited data programme that volition permit yous stream, post, twitch, scroll, swipe, and everything else, then H2o is non the provider for you. If yous just desire a cheap and elementary way to hop onto AT&T's network, so read on (or only get ahead and sign up).

H2o cell phone plans

Plenty of diverseness, good coverage, and complimentary international calls. Only information technology will toll you lot.

Pros

  • Plenty of plan options

  • Good network coverage

  • Unlimited international talk and text

Cons

  • Can be pricey

  • Data is throttled

What nosotros like

For a select group of customers, Water could exist as refreshing equally a cold glass of water on a hot day. And so let'southward dig into all of the things nosotros like most the company. (Don't worry, we'll talk virtually the drawbacks in a 2d.)

Plenty of plans to choose from

While many traditional providers are slimming downward the variety of plans they offer, Water Wireless is bulking up. It has five tiers of prepaid plans to choose from plus some pay-as-you-become options.

H2O'due south $twenty talk and text plan volition be great for those that just need a phone to coordinate rides and catch up with family—perhaps your kids or your parents. You lot'll fifty-fifty get 500 MB of full-speed information and unlimited data at 2G speeds (which is actually irksome).

But H2O Wireless also has plenty of high-speed data plans that will appeal to those who desire to post, stream, and game on their phone. (If you're not sure exactly how much data y'all want, employ our handy guide to figure it out.)

Skilful network performance

H2O Wireless is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means that it uses another visitor's cellular network. In this case, it's AT&T, which is both good news and bad news.

The bad news is that AT&T can prioritize its own users over H2o's users (nosotros'll talk about this more below). But the practiced news is that H2o customers will be on one of the fastest and most wide-reaching cellular networks available.

Info Box

Sure, H2O and AT&T use the same network, merely that'south almost where the similarities stop. H2O'due south plans are prepaid, and they don't come up with many extra features. Meanwhile, AT&T's plans tend to cost a bit more but will give you more data and extra perks, like costless movie tickets and discounted phone upgrades.

Unlimited international talk and text to l+ countries

If you're sick of ownership international calling cards at your corner bodega (or paying extra for an international calling add-on), so H2o might be able to help you lot out.

All of H2O's monthly plans include unlimited international talk and text to over fifty countries, similar Japan, Chile, and Russia. Y'all can check the full list of countries and read about Water'southward international calling policies on the visitor'southward website.

There are some foreign limitations to these international calls: you tin telephone call only landlines in many locations, and calls are disconnected after one 60 minutes. If you're looking for a prepaid company with more robust international benefits, nosotros suggest Ultra Mobile.

What nosotros don't like

H2o is non for everyone. Well, let's analyze: the phone company called H2O is non for everyone. Y'all yet need to hydrate.

H2o's relatively high prices (for an MVNO), throttled data, and lack of perks will bulldoze many customers away.

H2O is pricey for an MVNO

At the end of the 24-hour interval, there's really one reason that people use MVNOs: they're a cheaper way to get admission to major jail cell networks. So, we're a fleck dislocated about Water's high prices.

Yes, a $20 unlimited talk and text programme is a pretty good bargain (though it's not every bit good every bit Twigby'south). Merely when you start to add information to H2O's plans, its prices skyrocket and even become college than AT&T's.

Looking for the all-time deal on a prepaid plan?

Money

If yous're non feeling what Water is selling, and so check out these other prepaid providers that we similar.

For instance, here'southward a look at how H2o'due south unlimited data plan compares to AT&T's ain prepaid unlimited program. We've thrown in another MVNO, Visible Wireless, just to give you an thought of how other MVNOs price things.

At $threescore a month, you might too get a standard unlimited plan from one of the "big iv" companies, like T-Mobile. At least that mode your data won't be throttled . . .

Data throttling

H2O uses AT&T'southward network, that'southward true. But information technology doesn't get the same treatment as AT&T customers. The biggest way that you lot'll detect this is decreased download speeds. With Water, you lot'll go a maximum download speed of 8 Mbps when you're getting 4G LTE service.

To put that into perspective: the latest Opensignal study says that AT&T's network is averaging download speeds of 29.1 Mbps. That'southward 363% faster than the maximum speeds that H2O customers will receive!1

Sorry gamers, streamers, and influencers, yous might desire to find some other provider.

How do H2o's plans compare?

As we mentioned, H2O Wireless'due south plans tend to cost more than than the competition. Only let's dig into the specifics. Here's a gander at how H2O's unlimited talk and text plan compares to similar plans from other elevation prepaid providers.

Unlimited talk and text plans comparison

Water lands right in the middle of the pack on that ane. But it's the most expensive program on the listing that doesn't offer at least 1 GB of loftier-speed data. And once you add, for case, 10 GB of data, H2o's prices get fifty-fifty less competitive.

Unlimited talk and text with 10 GB of data comparing

Our takeaway from looking at these price comparisons is simple: H2O is only a proficient option if you lot don't want a ton of information, and you lot definitely want to be on AT&T's network (rather than, for case, Verizon's).

H2O family plans

They can salve you a few bucks per line, simply that might non be enough.

Pros

  • Lower price per line

  • Skillful network coverage

  • International talk and text included

Cons

  • Limited data

  • Network throttling

What nosotros similar

Family plans are a archetype win-win situation. You lot give your cell phone company more customers, and it gives you a better bargain. In Water'southward case, y'all'll get at to the lowest degree $5 off each line when yous bundle together in a family unit program. Let's have a expect at the details.

Lower cost per line

If y'all want a single line with five GB of data from H2O, you'll need to pay $30 a month. But if yous get two lines, with 10 GB split up between them, you'll get each line for $25. Certain, it's not a ton of money, just a penny saved is a penny earned, amirite?

The savings are less impressive when yous go to three or iv lines.

For instance, three lines with 12 GB of data separate between them (so just 4 GB each) will run y'all $thirty per line, per month. So, weirdly, getting 3 split lines with 5 GB of data each would cost you the same price, and you'd go more data.

Like pretty much everything around Water's pricing, this has the states scratching our heads . . .

Practiced network coverage

As we mentioned above, Water uses AT&T'southward network. That means you'll get excellent coverage (simply possibly non so excellent speeds due to throttling).

International talk and text

Family plans from H2O volition give you the aforementioned international perks every bit regular plans. That means costless calls to over l countries. Get ahead, chat all afternoon with your aunty in Chile and text your cousin in People's republic of bangladesh.

What we don't like

Water's family plans have the aforementioned bug as its single-line plans: the information is pricey, and the speeds are throttled.

Limited and expensive data

Unlike virtually other providers, Water doesn't offering an unlimited data family unit plan. The virtually data y'all can get is 5 GB per month, per line.

That might exist fine if you just want phones for your middle-schoolers. But many people—those of united states who are constantly streaming, posting, and reading the news on our phones—5 GB won't really cut it.

Fifty-fifty if you are satisfied with less information, Water's prices for that data are quite high.

Throttled data

If H2o's data prices don't scare you abroad, the speeds might. As with the single-line plans, Water'southward family unit plans will throttle your data.

That means you lot'll encounter download speeds of 8 Mbps, at well-nigh. That's enough to stream standard definition content, but it's a lot less than the roughly 30 Mbps speeds that other folks on the AT&T network will get.

How do Water's family plans compare?

Hither's a look at how H2o Wireless's plans compare to other popular prepaid providers.

H2O Wireless family plans comparing

These plans are all in the same price range. And all of them offer unlimited information—except Water. If you go with H2o Wireless's family plan, you'll be paying unlimited data pricing for only 12 GB of shared information.

There's no other manner to put this: H2o's family plan is kind of a rotten deal.

H2O Pay As Yous Go plans

They tin can save you money, as long as you're very careful nigh your data use.

Pros

  • Flexible plans

  • Cheap options

What we like

If you're not excited about the thought of a $30+ bill coming due every month, and you don't use your phone that often, and so you might want to consider a pay-equally-you-get plan like this one from H2o.

Basically, instead of paying for a certain amount of minutes or data each month, you just put a certain dollar amount on your business relationship and so—y'all guessed information technology—pay equally you go. Here's a look at the rates and recharge amounts you can cull from.

Image: Screenshot taken from H2Owirelessnow.com

What we don't like

The big drawback to this pay-every bit-you-go model is that the actual rates are not cheap. 5 cents a infinitesimal might sound like a piddling corporeality, only that's three dollars an hour, or about 15 dollars every time you catch upward with your old bestie from high school.

But the real costs are going to add up when you utilise information. At 10 cents a megabyte you'll be paying about $100 for a single gigabyte of data! To put that into perspective, information technology would cost yous nigh $302 to stream Avengers: Infinity War—and that'southward in standard definition! Yikes.

Water Wireless coverage

You'll get AT&T's slap-up coverage, but not its smashing speeds.

H2O Wireless Coverage Map

H2O Wireless Coverage Map

H2O uses AT&T's network

H2O operates on AT&T's network.

AT&T's network can't quite match Verizon's when it comes to overall coverage, but it comes actually shut.one H2o customers should experience full bars in most metropolitan and suburban areas, and you tin can expect at least some service in virtually rural communities as well.

Unfortunately, H2o customers won't benefit from AT&T's incredibly fast download speeds, which boilerplate at about xxx Mbps. That's because AT&T caps all H2O Wireless customers at just viii Mbps max—then you lot might find some lag in your PUBG Mobile game.

Water Wireless jail cell phones and devices

You can (sometimes) go the latest Samsung phones from Water.

Ready to throw downwards a little cash to upgrade from that croaky quondam LG display to the Milky way 10S's Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED screen? H2o can aid you out. Probably.

H2O lists several of Samsung's new devices on its website. Simply when we clicked on the showtime one displayed, the Galaxy S10+, we saw this:

Out of stock notification on H2O's website

Image source: screenshot from H2Owirelessnow.com

Yep, the Milky way S10+ was out of stock. Bummer.

At least you can pick up an iPhone 11 from H2O, right? No. Incorrect. The company doesn't sell any Apple tree devices at all. Double bummer. (Yous can bring your ain Apple tree device.)

Here are some of the phones that H2O does sell, listed in order of popularity.

If this selection isn't cutting it for you lot, check out our deals page to see what promotions and discounts other providers are offering on the newest Apple, Samsung, and Google devices.

H2O Wireless customer service

Information technology's about what you'd await from a upkeep provider.

You wouldn't expect a dapper waiter to have your order at a McDonald's. Besides, yous shouldn't wait 5-star customer service from a discount provider similar Water.

That said, we were able to get through to an H2O customer service agent after existence on hold for just xxx seconds (nice horns section in that hold music, H2o!). Once we were connected, the amanuensis was kind and helpful.

You can likewise set up H2O Wireless refills and modify your account settings using the MyH2O app, only be aware that it'south prone to glitches. The MyH2O app has earned just a sliver above 3 stars in the Google Play Storeii and a piddling 2.ii stars in the Apple tree Store.3

Recap: H2O Wireless makes sense for some low-employ customers

We're not going to beat around the bush here: Water Wireless is not the most impressive MVNO nosotros've reviewed. But it might be perfect for particular people—those who don't apply a lot of data and really want to exist on AT&T'due south cellular network.

Hither'due south a short recap of H2o's plans and network performance for the TL;DR crowd.

  • Plans: There are plenty of options, including unlimited talk and text plans, unlimited data plans, and pay as you go plans. H2o charges a lot for total-speed data, so data hogs might desire to look elsewhere for service.
  • Family plans: You can salve a few bucks per line when you bundle together with a family plan, but H2O yet ends up being more expensive than many other MVNOs.
  • Network functioning: AT&T provides Water customers with practiced coverage beyond North America. Merely it does throttle their information speeds to a maximum of 8 Mbps.

If you're looking for a inexpensive way to go on AT&T's network, and then consider signing upwardly for Water. Merely if you lot want a lot of high-speed data, the newest phones, or you lot but don't care much about what network you lot're on, nosotros suggest checking out other providers.

FAQ

Q: How can I activate my Water Wireless SIM card?

Activating your Water SIM card is pretty unproblematic. Merely follow these steps . . .

  1. Get to H2O'due south website.
  2. Click on the "Activate" tab and select the "Get a New Number" option.
  3. Enter your SIM card number.
  4. Select your city and expanse code.
  5. Hit "Activate," and you're good to go!

Q: Does H2O offering wireless tethering or hotspots?

Aye. H2o Wireless customers who are on the $60 unlimited data plan can utilize their device equally a mobile hotspot. But your speeds will still exist throttled to viii Mbps by AT&T's network.

Sources

Easton Smith

Written by

Easton Smith

Easton has worked as a freelance writer and researcher for several years, reviewing health, lifestyle, and technology products. He has probably read more than Terms of Use contracts than any man live. When he's not sitting in front of a calculator, Easton spends his time camping, climbing, and volunteering with humanitarian help organizations.

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