Contents
The Offer
- Helium Mobile is offering a free plan with no credit card required when you use promo code BREAKFREE or HELIUMFREE. Plan gives the following:
- 3GB of data
- 300 texts
- 100 minutes of calls
Our Verdict
You need to download the app and sign up there to get a free eSim and number. You don’t need to enter your credit card details either. Downsides to this:
- Need to have location always on for the Helium app
- They share your anonymized calling data
- Must submit drivers license/passport and a selfie
- You tell us in the comments
Personally not enough for my everyday use, but the real use case I can see is when I need another number to complete additional deals. That could be very useful for readers.
Hat tip to Bockrr
On Android, the Helium app ask to install a wifi profile. The app say it is connect to Helium hotspots. I figured this would just install a wifi SSID/network for my phone to connect to that is run by Helium. But I don’t see any new network under saved networks. Anyone tech savvy know what does this do exactly?
All these comments about use as a second/burner number, as if Google Voice isn’t a thing and there aren’t additional options as well which don’t require submitting a photo ID to be kept on some rando company’s servers.
Some sites won’t allow VOIP number with GV. so having a “real” number would be helpful.
Pulled the trigger and ordered a physical sim card. They probably sell your location data, etc…to market research companies. Let be honest, no service is a free lunch. Example: Gmail is not free, Google saturates us with targeted ads.
Not bad for a backup sim. I have a cheap old plan with 2 gb/month (extra fee if I go beyond 2GB), most months that work for me, but good to have the esim on my phone for months I exceed my limit (mainly when I travel) and save a few bucks I guess.
I know free=data sharing, but at this point, my data is everywhere now between data breaches, other free services we use like Gmail, and data companies like Lexis Nexus. So much should get something out of it at least.
i use this as a backup phone, i leave it in the car incase i left my daily phone at work when i go out or go to work.
Hey Ken L., Has the Helium phone service been reliable? Do know which mobile carrier they use? DPs say data slows after 512mb?
yes, it’s reliable ! running on Tmobile network, i been with them since summer of 2023 when they are born. this new plan is free so i got it too, put in my backup phone in the car. slow data after 512mb is a bug, that’s what they said.
This could be useful to receive spam text and calls. Give it out for free offers that spam the hell out your #. Just keep the sim in a backup burner at home, so the only location data they capture is your home address. I would go with a physical sim card vs esim for this service–easier to pass a physical sim to a different burner phone.
Also is great as a backup phone if your main carrier is down for some reason.
Without the DL requirement this would be the perfect burner phone.
>Anonymized calling data
>With location data
>And passport/DL
>”Anonymized”
Anything is possible if the customer base is stupid enough.
CS rep says speeds are throttled to 64kbps after hitting 512mb.
Hmm… Then what’s the 3GB about?
You still get 3GB.. just at 64kbps from 512mb to 3GB. Some say it’s a “bug” but I guess we’ll see.
More discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeliumMobile/s/eZQZ0z4lxq
They lost me at “Must submit drivers license/passport and a selfie”