Since it launched in 2015, Google’s Fi cellular service has become one of the best ways to get an affordable phone plan. Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T may be the best-known cellular providers in the US, but Fi offers better data plans, more international coverage, and the simplest setup and billing system anywhere. 

In the beginning, the catch was that Google Fi worked only on select phones, but these days it'll work on just about anything, even iPhones. (Some features, like network switching, might not be available on your phone.) I activated my Google Fi SIM card using a Nokia 5.3, which is not an officially supported device, but it worked just fine. I also tested the SIM in the Spitz router and a Sony Xperia 1 II and am using it now in a OnePlus 7 Pro (which is officially supported). Still, you should check the compatibility of your device before you sign up.

The reason I originally made the switch? Data plans. Google likes to say that data is data. In other words, it shouldn't matter whether you're calling, texting, or downloading web pages, it's all just data over the network. I applaud that approach. However, it's important to know that Google is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and it leases its wireless capacity from T-Mobile, which has a decidedly different view of data. I should disclose here that I did suspend my Google Fi service, because Starlink is a better value for me. Starlink is much more expensive upfront and for service, but the speeds blow mobile data out of the water. That said, if you don't need the speed or unlimited data, Google Fi remains a good value both as a phone service and as a hot spot for nomads and rural internet users like me. Here's how it works.

Updated June 2023: I added some notes about Google Fi abroad and compared to Starlink, as well as updating links and prices throughout.

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Google Fi offers three plans. All of them include unlimited calls and text, and none of them require a contract. There are also no signup fees, though you will have to pay taxes and government fees. For each plan, you can add up to five others for a total of six users.