Since 2013, I’ve been researching, reviewing, and writing about the wireless industry through BestMVNO with a focus on MVNOs.
In this guide, I will explain everything you need to know about Yahoo Mobile before you subscribe. I’ll review each of their phone plans with you, and go over any gotchas that they might have. I want you to learn the ins and outs of Yahoo Mobile so that you can make an informed decision on if this is the best place for you to spend your money.
Prepaid Phone Plans – No Credit Check
How Yahoo Mobile Plans Work
In June of 2021, it was announced that Yahoo Mobile would completely shut down by August 31, 2021. This page remains in place for archival purposes.
The Yahoo brand was purchased by Verizon in 2017. Verizon took a step to leverage and further monetize their Yahoo user base by launching Yahoo Mobile in March of 2020. Yahoo Mobile is a white-label rebrand of Verizon’s other prepaid service called Visible.
Yahoo Mobile Offers Just 1 Phone Plan
There is only one phone plan sold by Yahoo Mobile and it is a no-contract prepaid unlimited everything plan priced at $39.99/month with all taxes and fees included in the price. What you see is what you pay.
Coverage is provided by Verizon’s network. Yahoo Mobile subscribers have access to the entire network. But unlike Verizon’s postpaid wireless plan customers, Yahoo Mobile customers do not have access to Verizon’s roaming network partners. The partner networks are used to provide coverage to Verizon subscribers in the limited areas where Verizon does not have its own network.
Yahoo Mobile customers use Verizon’s 4G LTE network and in the near future will be able to use their 5G network.
What Features Are Included
Yahoo Mobile’s plan comes with several different features. Here are the highlights:
- Unlimited talk
- Unlimited text
- Unlimited high-speed data
- Access to Verizon’s 4G LTE and soon 5G networks
- Unlimited Mobile hotspot/tethering capabilities
- Free subscription to Yahoo Mail Pro, a $3.99/month value
- Yahoo Plus Support with Lastpass Premium, a $4.99/month value
- Discounts on new phones
- Device financing
- Trade-in your old device program
- Downloadable app to manage your plan and account, available on both iOS and Android
- Ability to speak to someone on the phone for help
Yahoo Mail Pro upgrades Yahoo Mail users to an ad-free experience.
Yahoo Plus Support gives users access to 24/7 live PHONE support agents for all of Yahoo’s products. Phone support is not offered by Yahoo Mobile’s sister brand Visible, making that one of the few differentiating features between the two brands. The Yahoo Plus Support feature also includes a subscription to Lastpass Premium. Lastpass is a password manager app. A premium subscription to Lastpass allows its users to securely share their passwords with others, monitor their online accounts for potential security breaches and gives subscribers 1GB of encrypted file storage.
This Plan Does Have Some Potential Limitations To Be Aware Of
Yahoo Mobile’s phone plan is not without its share of limitations. There are several things customers may want to consider before signing up for the service. First I’ll highlight those limitations in a list and then I’ll do a deeper dive into what those limitations could mean for you.
- Data speeds may be heavily deprioritized
- Hotspot/tethering data speeds are limited to a maximum of 5Mbps
- Only one device is allowed to connect to your hotspot at a time
- There are no family plan discounts available
- No customer referral program
- No stores to visit to get help
- 5G data speeds when launched will be limited to a maximum of 200Mbps
Some of those limitations are rather self-explanatory, but the rest need some explaining.
The first potential limitation you really need to get a firm grasp of is that data speeds may be heavily deprioritized. This means that during the times that Verizon’s network is being heavily used in your area, data speeds will slow down, and it could be rather dramatic to the point they may be barely unusable. In fact, there’s an entire Reddit thread dedicated to Visible customers either boasting of their fast data speeds or complaining of slow speeds. Since Visible powers Yahoo Mobile, Yahoo Mobile subscribers can expect to have the same experience as Visible subscribers. Of course, not everyone will experience this limitation. Some subscribers will run into this problem frequently and others will never run into it. It is heavily dependent on the location you live in and where you are using the service.
No Group Discounts Are Available And That’s A Very Big Limitation
Yahoo Mobile includes all the same features as Visible except for Party Pay. Party Pay is Visible’s take on multi-line group discount plans. Current and new Visible subscribers are free to join groups of other Visible subscribers to get a discount on their monthly service plan. Each member of a group is responsible for paying for their own plan, and a maximum of 4 members are allowed per group. With the maximum discount in place, the cost per line drops to just $25/month.
It is pretty easy to find a Visible Party Pay group to join. There are Facebook groups and Reddit threads full of people looking to fill their Visible Party Pay groups with more people. It’s important to again note that the people who make up a Visible Party Pay group are each responsible for paying their own phone bill. Accounts and credit card info are not shared between Party Pay subscribers. However Visible may share the following info with other Party Pay members:
The first name, and the first 3 and last 4 digits of the phone number may be disclosed to other Party Pay members under the following circumstances:
- When a new member joins a party
- To help you know who is requesting to join your party
- To know who the current members of your party are
- In email communications related to activity for your party
- To anyone who accesses the Party Pay’s web page
Party Pay discounts are not applied until the subscriber’s second month of service.
It is not known if Party Pay will be made available to Yahoo Mobile subscribers. But those considering Yahoo Mobile and interested in getting a discount on their service plan may be better served by joining Visible so that they can take advantage of Party Pay.
Yahoo Mobile is certainly positioned to be a great value unlimited plan, however, it may not be without issue. Since Yahoo Mobile is basically just a rebranding a Visible, it will come with the same set of issues that some Visible customers complain about. Some customers say that phone calls sometimes sound too quiet, garbled or laggy. Other issues include delayed text messages, although this issue happens with all providers from time to time.
Who Should Get This Plan
This plan is best suited for users that are heavily into the Yahoo ecosystem particularly Yahoo Mail users. It’s also good for customers who would prefer to be able to call someone on the phone for help instead of chatting in an app or reaching out on social media.
Who Shouldn’t Get This Plan
Anyone willing to join a Visible Party Pay group that wants to take advantage of group discounts.
Supported Phones And BYOD Devices
Only a limited number of phones are supported as part of Yahoo Mobile’s bring your own device program. If you have one of the following devices, you should be able to use it with Yahoo Mobile.
- Apple iPhone 6, 6s, SE, 7, 8, X, XS, XS Max, and XR
- Select iPhone SE and 7 carrier-branded models are incompatible
- Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
- Google Pixel 3, 3a, 3XL, and 3aXL
- Motorola G7 Power
Potential customers that have what they think may be an eligible device should use Yahoo Mobile’s IMEI device eligibility checker to confirm it. Those without an eligible device may be able to trade it in for a free Android phone. Yahoo Mobile sells a growing number of devices manufactured by Apple, Google, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and ZTE. Pricing for a phone starts at less than $100/month. Some phones are even free with a trade-in.
Device Return Policy
If you end up purchasing a device from Yahoo Mobile and wish to return it, you’ll have 14 days from purchase to do so. Returning a device does not constitute canceling your service. So if you return your device with the intent to cancel service, you must reach out to customer support to let them know. Phones must be returned in like-new condition in their original packaging and accompanied by the original purchase receipt. Customers are also allowed to make ONE phone exchange under the same conditions.
Where To Buy Service Plans And SIM Cards
Since Yahoo Mobile is an online only phone service provider, SIM cards and plans can only be purchased online directly through the Yahoo Mobile website. Alternatively, customers can also download the Yahoo Mobile app which is available on both iOS and Android, and place their orders through the app.
Year Founded: 2020
Switch to Mint Mobile already and stop spending so much on your wireless plan. I’m using the $15 per month plan for 4GB and the coverage has been wonderful so far. They are giving 3 months free for 3 months sign up now.
I used 200gb one month. The data does slow from 6pm until about 9pm.
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I do not recommend them, if or what you are looking for is stress in your life contact them
They don’t honor their promises for account credits. I found out after ordering and paying for an iPhone SE that was suppose to be shipped FedEx overnight that it only applies if you order Mon-Thur 8am-3pm! Nothing on the website about that little tid-bit of information! After 10 days of doing the “chat”/”messenger” BS; I sent my phone back as along the way they promised me a months credit for my troubles activating and credits for the days not activated due to their issues. Then after “escalating” the credit promises to higher; I was informed that “my request” for those credits were denied! (note: I didn’t request the credits, they were offered by CS). They claimed they couldn’t give me a credit because credits only apply to active accounts! It was their problems that caused my activation issues! Can you believe that BS? They reneged on the promises so I had enough and felt they were trying to drag the process out so that I would exceed the 14 day return policy. (they wanted to “escalate” it again) They like to use the “escalate” word to pacify you. The worst experience I have ever had with a major company! Oh; and I was out the first months $39.99 fee because if you cancel for “any reason” no refunds! I got ripped off.
Never in my life was I so unlucky to run into a compania like this