Verizon MVNO Selectel Wireless has revamped its phone plan lineup. In the past, the company's claim to fame was that it offered domestic roaming, a feature that it had to get rid of in March of 2017. The feature has now returned to Selectel with the release of some new plans.
Selectel's Updated Phone Plans
Postpaid Roaming Plans
Selectel's updated phone plans with domestic voice roaming are as follows:
All plans with voice roaming include unlimited talk, text and data with the specified amount at high speeds before data throttling to 2G data speeds. Unlimited direct dial calling to Canada and Mexico landline and mobile numbers is also included.
- $35/month - 1GB 4G LTE data
- $45/month - 6GB of 4G LTE data
If you are interested in a Verizon MVNO such as Selectel Wireless, but are not sure if you'll need voice roaming, you should have a look at Verizon's coverage map. If you are frequently visiting areas on the map that are highlighted as having "Extended 4G LTE" or "Extended 3G" you may benefit from it. All other covered areas on the map will get little to no benefit from it. "Extended" coverage is what Verizon uses to describe roaming.
According to a customer support agent that I spoke to, Selectel does not offer domestic text roaming.
Most of Selectel Wireless's other plans remain unchanged and are as follows:
Prepaid Plans Without Roaming
(Update: 5/30/2018 - Voice roaming is available at 25 cents per minute with a flex card required to make the calls)
- $20/month - 500 minutes, unlimited texts, 50MB of data
- $30/month - unlimited talk, text and data with the first 1GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $40/month - unlimited talk, text and data with the first 6GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $50/month - unlimited talk, text and data with the first 10GB at 4G LTE data speeds
- $70/month - unlimited talk, text and data with the first 15GB at 4G LTE data speeds
A $15 plan appears to have been discontinued. The $15 plan included all of the same things the $20 plan has, except it only included 300 voice minutes.
Update: 5/30/2018 - According to Dennis from Prepaid Phone News, Selectel Wireless may still be offering its old legacy plans through independent dealers such as Freedom Wireless, as well as some other plans not listed on the Selectel website. Taken from the Freedom Wireless website here are some additional plans that may be available:
Monthly Plans – (Switching between the Prepaid and Postpaid Network requires a first call, also voicemail will need to be reset)
Prepaid Network (Voice Roaming Costs 25 cents per minute with a flex card required to make the calls)
$15 – 300 Talk, Unlimited Text, 50MB Data – 30 Days – 3G Phones ONLY
Postpaid Network – 4G Phones Only – (Roaming Included as well as includes Unlimited Call/SMS to Mexico and Canada)
$25 – 500 Talk, Unlimited Text, 50MB Data – 30 Days
$35 – Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, Unlimited Data* (1GB High Speed) – 30 Days
$45 – Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, Unlimited Data* (6GB High Speed) – 30 Days
$55 – Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, Unlimited Data* (10GB High Speed) – 30 Days
$75 – Unlimited Talk, Unlimited Text, Unlimited Data* (15GB High Speed) – 30 Days
Flex Card – $1 Service Fee
$10 – Used for overages on your plan at 5 Cents per Minutes, Text, MB Data. Roaming at 25 cents a minute.
Editor's Take
Bringing back voice roaming will be a welcomed change for some. It is a feature that a small percentage of BestMVNO readers write in to ask about while some leave comments on the website inquiring about it. It also gives the company a feature that helps it to stand out again from other Verizon MVNO's.
Roaming aside, from a pure pricing stand point, most of Selectel's plans are a little more expensive than competing plans from other Verizon MVNO's. The best valued plan would seem to be the one priced at $40/month with 6GB of data. No other provider is offering a monthly plan more data on Verizon at that price, with the exception of Verizon's new Visible service. Visible includes unlimited data, with speeds limited to 5 Mbps and at the moment is only available to iPhone users.