I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I never want to go back to a traditional wireless carrier. That’s because for the last several years, I’ve been enjoying an immense amount of savings by turning to an MVNO operator such as Mint Mobile, Boost Mobile, or Visible.
This time, however, I’m putting the Verizon-backed Total Wireless to the test with another one of my 30-day challenges to see exactly how Total’s unlimited cell phone plan stacks up. Considering how it costs anywhere around $60 to $90 per month for an unlimited plan from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, it’s no wonder why I’m attracted to the $40 to $60 plans from Total Wireless.
Not only will I tell you how the service performs during my 30-day challenge, but I’ll also break down the pros and cons of going with Total Wireless. For example, is it truly unlimited data you’re getting? Or is there a premium data allowance per month? I’ll tell you all of that and whether Total offers one of the best unlimited cell phone plans around.
Total Wireless: Plan costs
First and foremost, just know that Total Wireless doesn’t require a contract and it provides coverage via Verizon’s 5G network. (Verizon owns Total.) You simply choose your plan and pay monthly, but you can cancel service at any time.
I’m currently on the $25/month unlimited plan at Visible — another Verizon-owned operator — with an extra $5 charge for Apple Watch data service. That low monthly rate is pretty tough to beat, though with Total Wireless, I have three competing plans to choose from.
- Total Base 5G Unlimited: $40/month
- Total 5G Unlimited: $50/month with Auto Pay; $55 for first month
- Total 5G+ Unlimited: $60/month with Auto Pay; $65 for first month
For my 30-day challenge, I’ve chosen the Total Base 5G Unlimited at $40/month. I personally think $40/month is still a lot to pay for unlimited data, especially compared to Visible (where plans start at $25) and Mint Mobile (which charges $30/month when you buy a year of service in advance). Note that you get a Disney Plus Premium subscription with Total’s more expensive plans.
Also, while I’m focusing on individual plans here, I should note that Total offers discounts as you add more lines, which is rare for a discount carrier. If I were to carry four lines of the Total Base 5G Unlimited, I’d pay $100/month total, which breaks down to $25 for each line.
Total Wireless: What I Like
Solid coverage
I live in New Jersey, and even though it’s the most densely populated state in the country, there are still areas where cell service coverage is spotty. So far, Total offers nearly the same coverage as my Visible service — including all the areas where I have trouble.
That said, if you look at Total’s coverage map, 4G LTE connectivity covers nearly the entire country — but there are still pockets in the Midwest where there’s no coverage at all. And compared to Verizon, Total Wireless doesn’t have nearly as much 5G coverage in the same area. Plus, it doesn’t offer 5G Ultra Wideband.
Yes, there are physical stores
Unlike Visible, which operates strictly as an online provider, there are actually physical Total Wireless stores where you can go to buy new devices, change plan options, and to a degree, get technical support. There are zero Visible retails shops, but I found 10 Total Wireless retail shops within a 30-mile radius of my location.
I know how some people prefer the physical interaction they receive from going to a store, so it’s nice that you’ll find them if needed. Even though Total’s footprint is not as widespread as Verizon stores, having some outlets is better than not having any at all.
No cap on unlimited data
I’m a power user like no other, and I’m really happy that more wireless carriers are offering truly unlimited data. Total Wireless is one of them, but if you look at the fine print, it pretty much adopts the same caveat as other carriers.
Total says that “in times of traffic your data may be temporarily slower than other traffic” — but this only relates to the base 5G unlimited plan.
In my week’s worth of testing it out, however, it’s hard to tell at all if and when throttling happens. I haven’t experienced anything egregious that adversely affects what I do. Yes, there’s the occasional buffering when I’m on the train, but that’s also what I experience on Visible.
Slick rewards program and deals
This isn’t something I’ve come across before with other unlimited cell phone plans, but Total Wireless has its own rewards program — much like what you find with fast food restaurants that let you accumulate points that you can redeem later on. There are several ways to earn rewards points, like enrolling in Auto Pay, playing daily games, and more.
Points I earn can then be redeemed for an assortment of things like discounts on a new phone or new service. These are wonderful, but it’d take quite a while before I could take advantage of these rewards. Instead, I really like the other national deals I’m offered — like discounted movie tickets and even a BOGO offer for Kentucky Fried chicken.
There’s a number of other deals that Total Wireless offers with other retailers and restaurants, which are free and don’t require point redemptions from my account.
Total Wireless: What I Don’t Like
5GB hotspot data for one device
Compared to Visible’s cheapest unlimited plan, Total Wireless limits my hotspot connection to just a single device. If you’re like me and religiously rely on a hotspot while traveling, this is a big limitation. Naturally, I mainly connect my laptop first to my hotspot before anything else, but it would be nice to connect more devices — even at the expense of speeds slowing down.
Furthermore, the Total Base 5G plan has a 5GB data cap per month for its hotspot feature. This could be a big dealbreaker for those who transfer huge file sizes because they could very well consume their hotspot data in one session.
There’s no smartwatch data plan
Even though an Apple Watch could still work in tandem while it’s connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone, I own one that has built-in LTE connectivity to make it work independently on its own. Unfortunately there’s no way to tap into this with Total Wireless, as the MVNO lacks any smartwatch add-on plan — which is confusing because the carrier does offer dedicated hotspot and tablet plans.
Visible’s one of the few MVNOs to offer any kind of smartwatch data plan, even if it requires an extra fee. Total Wireless should do the same because of the extra incentive to use smartwatches without the need to bring your phone around all the time.
Total Wireless: Bottom line
If you’re looking for a cheap unlimited cell phone plan that won’t blow your budget, Total Wireless definitely is an excellent choice, even though there are cheaper options available. For example, both Mint Mobile and Visible have cheaper monthly plans that deliver nearly the same data speeds.
However, the key difference to going with Total Wireless over those other MVNOs is that there are retail locations where you can physically go to buy new phones and receive other support. I know my father would gladly welcome this, as would many other people who don’t want the hassle of strictly online or phone support.
Total Wireless is honestly the best of both worlds as it really is the in-between offering with Verizon and Visible.
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