Red Pocket Mobile: What Are the Pros and Cons?
- Wide variety of plans available at variety of price points
- Multi-month discount savings are available when you pay for more service in advance
- Customer referral program
- Budget phones available
- Sold by prepaid dealers, and in Target stores
- Only new phones sold are iPhones, Android phones are certified pre-owned
- Sometimes subscribers have issues onboarding
Prepaid Phone Plans – No Credit Check
Multi-Month Discount Plans
How Red Pocket Mobile Plans Work
Red Pocket Mobile is a prepaid MVNO that was founded in 2006. The company has partnered with AT&T (Red Pocket calls this network GSMA), T-Mobile (GSMT), and Verizon (CDMAV) to provide service and coverage to its customers. Their plans have traditionally focused on catering to those who have a need to call internationally and who speak other languages.
You don’t have to have international calling needs to subscribe to Red Pocket Mobile. Red Pocket’s phone plans are competitively priced, and can particularly be a great value to low usage customers.
Red Pocket Mobile also powers Black Wireless and Mango Mobile.
Customer Referral Program
Red Pocket offers a generous refer a friend program. Those who refer a friend earn up to a $25 account credit per each referral. The credit is awarded after the friend renews their plan for a second month.
Referral credit amounts are based on the plan the person referred subscribes to. For instance, if they sign up for the 25GB plan, the referring subscriber will get a $25 reward. If they subscribe to the 1GB plan, the referrer will get a $5 reward. A subscriber can earn a maximum of $500 per year in referrals.
Those subscribing to Red Pocket through a referral code/link will also receive the same reward credits.
Red Pocket’s Phone Plans Explained
Red Pocket Mobile’s phone plans are synonymous with variety. The company really offers something for everyone. There are monthly plans, annual plans, multi-month discount plans, family discount plans, data-only plans, and even global data-only plans. Some plans are sold exclusively through online retailers like eBay and Amazon.
A total of 4 monthly phone plans are sold directly through the Red Pocket website.
Customers can pick from the following options:
- $10/month – 1GB
- $20/month – 5GB
- $30/month – 20GB
- $40/month – 30GB
Taxes and fees cost extra with each plan. There are no activation fees for single lines of service. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the plans are all available for use on the customer’s choice of either the AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon network. All plans include unlimited talk and text and international calling as well as unlimited data. Data speeds are slowed to 128Kbps for the remainder of your billing cycle after the high-speed threshold has been reached.
International texting is included with AT&T and T-Mobile-based service but costs 20c a message with Verizon-based service. Free Mexico and Canada unlimited talk and text roaming plus 100MB of roaming data is available to use in either country if you subscribe to Red Pocket on the AT&T network.
Family Plan Option
The $30 plan has a family plan option. Account holders can add up to 4 additional lines to their plan at a cost of $20/line. The multi-line discount is applied starting on the 2nd month of service. There is a $10 setup fee charged per line. No other Red Pocket plans offer group discounts.
eBay Exclusive Phone Plans
Red Pocket has several eBay exclusive plans and pricing on them does frequently change as they often go on sale. There are several 360-day annual plans being offered through the outlet.
- $2.50/month – $30 due upfront, 200 talk, 1000 texts, 200MB hard-capped data, available on T-Mobile only
- $5.00/month – $60 due upfront, 100 talk, 100 texts, 500MB hard-capped data, T-Mobile and AT&T only
- $8.25/month – $99 due upfront, 1000 talk, unlimited minutes, 1GB, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- $15/month – $180 due upfront, unlimited everything with first 3GB of data each month at high-speeds. Available on T-Mobile and Verizon
- $15/month – $180 due upfront, unlimited everything with first 5GB of data each month at high-speeds. Available on AT&T. This plan is also available directly through the Red Pocket website.
- $20/month – $240 due upfront, unlimited everything with first 8GB of data each month at high-speeds. Available on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Customers using this plan on AT&T will get 10GB of data to use instead of 8GB.
The plans really are a great value for customers willing to pay for 360-days of service up front.
The talk, text and data allotments shown are what subscribers can use every 30 days before they run out. Subscribers then must either top up or wait for the next 30 day cycle for the allotments to renew.
Add-on top-ups for the low usage plans are available with the following pricing:
- $2 – 100MB of additional data, 100 texts or 100 minutes
- $5 – 250MB of additional data, 250 minutes or 500 texts
If you need to add a top up to your plan, keep in mind it will not rollover for the next 30-day billing cycle. It must be used up during the billing cycle that you add it to your plan or it will be forfeited in the next month.
What Plan Features Are Supported By Red Pocket Mobile
Red Pocket Mobile works on all the major networks in the USA, however, the same plan may have different features available to it depending on what network it’s being used with.
- International text messaging – available on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint networks at no extra charge but costs $0.20 per text if your Red Pocket Mobile plan is used on Verizon’s network
- International calling – available on all networks
- Hotspot/Tethering – Available on all networks, but only iPhones have access on Verizon’s network. Subscribers may need to ask Red Pocket to enable hotspot on their lines for them
- WiFi calling – available on AT&T, and T-Mobile. Not available on Verizon. If you have a plan with a limited number of minutes and are using AT&T, WiFi calling does not deduct from your plan minutes.
- HD Voice/VoLTE calling – available on all networks
Customers must login through a browser to keep tabs on their account or use the Red Pocket app which can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Data Only Plans
Red Pocket does offer 3-data only plans for use on AT&T’s network. Pricing starts at just at $10/month for a data only plan with 1GB of data. You can scroll further down below for the full list of available plan options.
Refund And Cancellation Policy
Only the eBay exclusive plans come with a very limited satisfaction guarantee. You can get a full refund for your eBay plan purchase as long as it is requested within 30-days of receiving your SIM starter kit and you have used less than 30 minutes, 30 text messages and 30 MB of data. For all other plans, no refunds will be issued if you are unhappy with service.
If you purchase a phone from Red Pocket and are unhappy with it you have within 7-days of receiving it to return it. You are responsible for return shipping charges. Customers must also pay for their own return label and a 20% restocking fee. A $25.00 handling fee will also be debited from the final return amount. Be forewarned, Red Pocket claims that a refund will not be issued if the device has been used.
Review
I took a test run of Red Pocket Mobile by subscribing to one of the company’s CDMAV (Verizon based) plans for over two months. If you are not sure if Red Pocket Mobile is for you, perhaps this review can help.
How To Port Out Of Red Pocket Mobile
Porting out requires you to know your account number and pin number. For CDMAV plans, your account number is your phone number. Your PIN number is the last 4 digits of your phone number. The account number that you see in your account dashboard cannot be used for porting out. It is likely that your account number and PIN number works the same for Red Pocket Mobile's other network plans.
Red Pocket Mobile News
By Joe Paonessa • 03/08/25
Red Pocket Mobile has launched a new advertising campaign on Reddit, highly targeted to...
By Joe Paonessa • 11/22/23
Red Pocket launched some of its Black Friday 2023 and holiday shopping deals a few days...
By Joe Paonessa • 07/28/23
Red Pocket Mobile has started a revival of some of its neglected brands. Wave7 Research...
Overall I would not recommend red pocket. Check out my pro and Con below. Thanks for all you do on this site Joe p.
I’ve been using Red Pocket since 2017 and I’m very happy with it. I’m using the $180 Annual- Unlimited Everything + 5GB high speed data plan on the AT&T network which I buy on Ebay. If you purchase your plan from the Red Pocket Ebay store, you’re not charged the 12.2% federal universal service tax. The only time I need to contact customer support is when I renew my plan each year. Customer support is very good, I always use the chat feature, instead of a phone call.
I am on the 1gb unlimited everything monthly plan for 10.00 per month plus taxes and fees which comes out to around 1.35 more each month. Ever since I started this plan (This is month 4) my data is unlimited high speed. Even when I go over my 1gb my speed does not slow at all it remains the same fast speed. I even went over 3GB before and my speed still never slowed so as long as I have unlimited data for 10.00 a month i am beyond happy and will try to not go over by much each month as to not take advantage while still enjoying the unlimited data. I have no hotspot but do get 100mb of free roaming data each month as well as the ability to call and text when I travel. Customer service isn’t the best but I haven’t really needed it as I can usually figure out what to to do to correct any issues if they arise. I am pleased with the pricing so I may keep it even if they slow my speed as long as it isn’t below 128KBPS. We will see. Overall not a bad company been with them for years.
On September 20, 2022 I purchased a year-long phone plan from the MNVO Redpocket. Even after many support calls/chats the service never activated (including receiving contradictory and incorrect advice). I decided to take advantage of their 7-day money back guarantee. The guarantee states that you have seven days to cancel the policy and receive a full refund. I submitted my request 5 days after receiving the item. I received it on September 24, 2022, at 4:00PM and submitted the refund request on September 29, 2022.
After waiting several weeks without a refund, I contacted RedPocket on November 23, 2022, to ask about the refund. They said the refund was approved and would be posted shortly. However, when I went to check on December 12, 2022, there still was not refund on my account. I contacted them one more time on December 12, 2022, and they again said the refund would be posted shorty, but again it never was. At this point I had lost hope of seeing the refund, so I submitted a credit card dispute.
Once I submitted the dispute, I received an email from Red Pockets billing department stating that they would issue the refund as soon as I took the dispute off. After calling my credit card company, I learned if I removed the dispute, I would not be able to reinitiate it unless I had a statement of credit from Red Pocket. I then asked Red Pocket to provide me statement credit so I can remove the dispute and receive my refund. However, they just insisted they could not issue a refund without me removing the dispute. At this point I was not willing to do, given how they failed to refund me the last two times they assured me I would be.
About a month later I received notification from my credit card company that I was not receiving the refund, based on the small print portion of their refund policy. They noted that in Red Pockets terms of service there is no refund policy (which is true if you read the fine details, which contradicts their “7-day money back guarantee”). However, when I called up my agent and pointed out the discrepancy between the two sources they eventually ruled in my favor, but at this point it was too long ago, so the credit card company paid me since they believed I acted in good faith and followed Red Pocket’s policy. So, I did finally get my money back after 6 months and 10 hours of phone calls. I usually don’t leave reviews, particularly bad ones, but I thought it might help somebody else if I shared my experiences.
It would be nice if this article mentioned whether Red Pocket supports domestic roaming. That’s kind of a big deal because if you’re traveling you’ll have a lot of “dead spots” if there’s no roaming.
I am a canadian that will travel to USA next April for a full month. I ordered a SIM card with the plan at $10,00. Is there a problem with Red Poket to mail the SIM card to Montreal Canada? I intend to use it only when I will be in the states. I ordered the SIM card 8 work days ago and I did not received it yet.
Went from Boost to Mint and now Red Pocket,and out of all 3 , Red Pocket has the best coverage in my area.
I like Mint’s pricing but since their coverage is not good, the price is irrelevant.
Plan on buying the Ebay 5Gigs yearly plan which comes to about $18 per month.
I have the plan for $10.00 which is the 500 minutes, 500 texts and 500mb of data. I want to start purchasing the Monthly refill scratch off card for my plan, and can find it nowhere. Red Pocket themself tells me the same thing over and over: They sell them at CVS, Target, Dollar General. I have never been able to find any Red Pocket scratch off monthly refill cards at ANY of these places…and I have searched. I live in the Chicago, Illinois area and am really frustrated by this. Does anyone know of any confirmed locations carrying the Scratch off Refill cards for the $10.00 monthly plan? Much thanks for any information you can provide. Also, I am already aware that ebay, or amazon might have them, but I am not interested in purchasing them this way.
If I got the Red Pocket unlimited talk and text 5gb data plan on ATT is there a hard cap on the upload and download?
I currently use Mint Mobile and they started doing a 5mbs up and 1mbs down cap and its making my internet run like 2g instead of 4g. I currently use my phone to do Instacart shopping to make a living and it keeps disconnecting me due to the cap.
I decided to try Red Pocket after being a customer of Verizon for over 15 years. I did a little bit of research before choosing Red Pocket and I liked the idea of staying on the same network. My plan was to transfer 1 phone over to test the plan, and transfer over 3 more phones if successful. I ordered a CDMA sim card on 11/6 directly from their website after verifying it had good coverage in my area and my phone was compatible with the SIM card. I received a SIM card about 5 days later I and attempted to activate it via the website. The site stated that it could not be activated. I called them about 815pm ish PST. I waited my turn for about 40min, and after explaining my situation the call was disconnected, almost as if their phone system shut off as I heard something in the background noise. I attempted to call back around 9pm PST, however the voice prompt stated their offices were closed. I was very perturbed that they took the call knowing that the phone system would turn off, and or at least warn me that the call may be disconnected due to the closure. Why would they not call me back knowing I could not add their service? I called back the next morning. RedPocket informed me that because of a contract that they could not port my # and activate a CDMA card from Verizon (which is not stated on their website), therefore I had 2 choices, 1) Switch to GSMA, or 2) Switch to GSMA, then after a month switch to CDMA. I decided to try GSMA for a while, and requested a GSMA card, 2nd card.
After waiting a week, I received a card, but it was the wrong one, so I had to call back to request a new one. Coincidently I experienced more phone problems. I waited my turn in line for 45 minutes and my call was disconnected. I called back and waited an additional 35-40 minutes for my turn, and it was disconnected again. I finally got a hold of someone by calling in the morning and requested the right card be mailed to me.
After receiving and activating the 3rd card I realized that I had no service in 90% of my residence. I double checked the coverage with the map provided on RedPocket, and it showed excellent coverage with no dead zones where I lived. I contacted RedPocket and requested a CDMA card as I knew this was more a reliable network. I was met with confusion from customer service as they insisted I purchased the card from Amazon, and they needed to charge me $10 to receive a card from them. After giving them my order #, they realized I was correct and mailed me out a free card.
After waiting another week I received my 4rd card. Upon receiving the CDMA card I contacted RedPocket, and told them I was ready to switch cards. I was informed that by switching networks it would nullify my current plan and I would have to pay for a new plan despite being on the plan for only a week (a policy that was not explained to me when ordering the CDMA card). I pointed out that I entered into a service agreement with them that I would have service according to the coverage they advertised. The agent got approval from their support team, and agreed to activate the card at no additional cost. About halfway through the process I was hung up on. I mentioned the phone issue with previous agents, but none of the agents acknowledged a problem. Since being disconnected and hung up on was so frequent I called back and complained, as well as to re-start the activation process. I was told that their agents do not have the ability to call customers back if the call is disconnected. I was told my phone was activated and needed to be rebooted in an hour in order for it to work.
My phone did not work after an hour and several reboots, so I called back. After waiting for my turn for 20min from a landline I was disconnected. At this point I was frustrated and fed up. I contacted Verizon and requested my number be ported back to them.
Verizon asked for an account # and pin #, which was never given to me from RedPocket so I had to contact RedPocket again. RedPocket informed me that they would release my number at 12am the following day. Of course that did not occur, so I had to call RedPocket. RedPocket acknowledged that it should have happened and released the # back to Verizon on 12/5/18.
Throughout my experience, I contacted RedPocket about 20x in a span of 30 days. At every encounter my attempt to activate and continue service was mismanaged. The agents were cooperative and pleasant, however the ones I spoke to did not appear to have the tools necessary to do a job and mismanaged my service, in addition wasted my time. I found that they could use more training with basic customer service, by putting themselves in the shoes of the customer. Their phone system caused frequent disconnections from reliable landlines and mobile numbers. They did not acknowledge the phone problem or attempted to rectify the problem. About the 10th phone call I requested that they not put me hold because of the frequent disconnections. Hold times are very long. Anytime after 9am PST one should expect a 30-45 min hold time, with a warning that you may be disconnected waiting in line or on hold. On one of the last calls I made I requested a refund for my troubles, the agent spoke with a supervisor and I was denied.
The price and the flexibility attracted me to RedPocket. My hope was to save a few bucks and bring the rest of my family over, however I was very disappointed. I wasted several hours attempting to switch carriers, which should be a relatively easy process. I would strongly advise anyone considering. RedPocket to not use them.
Good luck, you’ll need it. I bought a Sim from them probably a year ago now. And every time I try to activate on my unlocked phone it spits out a new random error. Customer service is nice and all but ultimately useless.
I’m trying to figure out how things would play out in the following scenario. Let’s say I get the annual plan with Red Pocket and then I want to travel to Canada or Mexico. If I want service, is my only option to get another temporary plan and swap SIM cards? I used to have Cricket, and they had an option to upgrade the plan to work in Canada, so I made use of this for one month. But if I were to travel to Canada (or Mexico) while on the Red Pocket annual plan, what would be my option(s) for getting phone service there? (I’m not even talking about international travel outside N. America at this point.)
If I wanted to have a Verizon-network MiFi on Red Pocket, I could not use one of RP’s data-only plans (GSM). But I assume if I bought one of RP’s Verizon CDMA network plans with an appropriate amount of data, it’d work (i.e., there’s no problem with using a complete phone service sim in a CDMA MiFi). Is that correct?
Are they offering unthrottled 4glte up to the data limit, then free 2g after that like the major carriers? I am very interested but concerned about potential overage charges.
Should let people know that RedPocketMobile doesn’t support FaceTime over cellular connection. Also doesn’t support full MMS. For some people it’s a deal breaker!
what about the refund policy if i don’t like the network red pocket? what if there is a issue with the network?
Thanks for the helpful review! I recently switched from Verizon postpaid to prepaid and have noticed a huge difference in latency due to postpaid customers receiving higher priority. Do you know, would using an MVNO like Red Pocket be a similar experience in network priority to being a Verizon prepaid customer?
Looking for just talk; no text or data but the $10 per month might work. How much is the “taxes and fees”. Looking for under $15 per mo. Live in TN
Do you offer family plan?