If you’re attempting to save cash in your mobile phone invoice, Seen is a Verizon-owned low cost cellular telephone service supplier providing reasonably priced plans that embrace information.
However are the financial savings you’ll get by switching to this firm value what you get?
This Seen overview evaluates the great and the unhealthy concerning the service so you may determine if switching to the supplier is a great transfer.
Abstract
Seen affords cellular telephone plans at reasonably priced costs of $40 or much less monthly, per cellphone. Use the Get together Pay function together with others to get the bottom value for limitless speak, textual content, and information.
Execs
- One plan with limitless speak, textual content, and information
- Engaging reductions and referral bonuses
- Improve plans for reductions on new telephones
- Makes use of Verizon community
Cons
- Deprioritization throughout busy instances
- 5G entry restricted to pick cellphone fashions
- Slower video streaming
- Customers report poor customer support
What’s Seen?
Seen is a telecommunications firm that’s headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The supplier believes that wi-fi must be easy, accessible and inclusive.
Verizon launched Seen with the objective of serving purchasers who need to work fully on-line. The corporate’s best buyer prefers to stay and work just about.
The model is designed to compete with different mobile corporations that serve purchasers who’re on the lookout for lower-cost mobile plans.
Their mission is all about giving it to you straight with no hard-to-understand contracts or hidden charges.
Seen’s primary values embrace:
- Transparency
- Connection
- Group
- Innovation
- Affect
- Enjoyable
These values facilitated the corporate’s dedication to neighborhood efforts and philanthropy via their Seen Join Social Good initiative.
Based mostly on its values, Seen developed three key pillars in the case of philanthropy. These embrace racial fairness, psychological wellness and civic motion.
Seen has raised over $27 million since launching its Seen Join Accelerator Program and has impacted 11 million lives.
How Does Seen Work?
Seen is an all-digital cellphone service and eligible gadgets could help WiFi calls. All plans supply cell hotspots as nicely.
Whenever you be part of Seen, you may both purchase a cellphone from them or carry your personal cellphone so long as it’s appropriate.
Seen works with each iOS and Android telephones. You need to use the Seen web site to test compatibility in case you’re bringing your personal cellphone.
When you enroll, Seen will in a single day you a SIM card or get you a SIM quantity via eSIM. After you get your SIM quantity, you may comply with the instructions to activate the service.
Moreover, you may both carry your previous mobile phone quantity with you while you make the swap or get a brand new quantity.
How A lot Does Seen Price?
Seen has plans as little as $25 monthly and comes with limitless information, messages and minutes. The worth consists of all taxes and charges. Nonetheless, the price for a single line is $40 monthly.
The corporate additionally affords Seen Defend to maintain your cellphone secure from sudden damages. This prices $6 to $10 monthly or extra relying on the plan you select and the kind of cellphone you’ve got.
See under for tactics to get reductions so that you just pay lower than $40 monthly.
Get together Pay
Seen has a function known as Get together Pay that permits you to work with buddies, relations and even strangers with a purpose to lower your expenses every month.
With Get together Pay, you’ll be related to the members of your occasion with a purpose to lower your expenses in your invoice.
One cool factor about Get together Pay is that everybody in your occasion nonetheless has their very own separate Seen account. In different phrases, there’s no sharing or splitting of minutes, texts, information or cellphone traces.
You received’t share funds both. As a result of each member has their very own account, every member of your occasion is liable for paying their very own invoice.
Get together Pay reductions can be found while you add a number of further members to your occasion.
Right here’s what your discounted month-to-month value might be with Get together Pay:
- You +1 different member: $35 monthly every
- You +2 different members: $30 monthly every
- 4 or extra occasion members: $25 monthly every
You’ll be able to be part of a celebration by getting a celebration hyperlink from an current Seen member. Alternately, you may create your personal occasion by following the directions in your account.
Key Options of Seen
Apart from its primary perk of an reasonably priced value, listed here are a number of the different options Seen affords.
Seen Protection Map
Seen runs on Verizon’s 4G LTE and 5G networks (the place out there).
As you may see, the 4G LTE protection indicated by the lighter blue coloration is fairly expansive.
Nonetheless, the 5G protection indicated by the darker blue coloration is considerably restricted. As with most mobile phone carriers, protection in mountainous areas is sparse or nonexistent.
Preserve this in thoughts in case you stay or work in any such space.
Knowledge Speeds
That is one space the place that you must know what works for you earlier than switching from a extra pricey mainstream provider.
Seen affords the next information speeds:
- Add speeds of 2-5 Mbps
- Obtain speeds of 5-12 Mbps
These speeds are fairly a bit decrease than what you’ll discover with many widespread carriers.
As well as, 5G community speeds shall be capped at 200Mbps. Moreover, you need to anticipate service to be slower throughout excessive visitors instances resulting from deprioritization.
If slower add and obtain speeds received’t work to your wants, you might need to stick together with your mainstream provider.
Video Streaming
Seen offers video streaming at a decision of 480p. That is the usual decision for information streaming.
However, to provide you a comparability, WiFi streaming usually runs at a 720p decision.
Though 480p streaming is commonplace for many information plans, higher-end cellphone plans typically have an choice to stream at 720p.
If streaming in your cellphone is one thing you do incessantly, Seen might not be for you.
Cellular Hotspot
As a Seen buyer, you’ll routinely get a cell hotspot as part of your plan. Seen’s cell hotspot function consists of limitless information.
Sadly, there’s a velocity cap of 5Mbps. Whereas some customers have reported getting sooner speeds when utilizing Seen’s cell hotspot, you shouldn’t plan on getting sooner speeds.
If 5Mbps isn’t quick sufficient for you, then you might need to contemplate one other provider.
Telephone Choice
Seen has a reasonably sizable choice of telephones you may select from in case you’re seeking to purchase a brand new cellphone instantly from the corporate.
Listed here are a number of the telephones Seen at present has:
- Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
- Samsung Galaxy A12
- Motorola edge
- Motorola edge 5G UW
- Motorola moto e
- Motorola moto g energy (2021)
- Apple iPhone SE
- Apple iPhone 13 Professional
- Apple iPhone 13 Professional Max
- Apple iPhone 13
- Apple iPhone 13 mini
- Google Pixel 6
- Google Pixel 6 Professional
Affirm financing is accessible for many new cellphone purchases in case you qualify.
Seen has some used telephones on the market as nicely. The corporate even sells wearables resembling Apple watches.
If you happen to don’t need to purchase a brand new or used cellphone, you may carry your personal cellphone or wearable to Seen.
Seen Improve
Seen affords the Seen Improve program. This can be a nice option to keep updated with the present cellphone tendencies.
If you happen to bought and financed your cellphone via Seen, you will get an upgraded cellphone while you’ve paid off no less than 50% of your mortgage.
To make the most of this program, simply select a cellphone of the identical model and ship again your previous cellphone that’s nonetheless in working situation.
Then, Seen will repay the rest of your authentic mortgage and finance the brand new mortgage for you all on the identical time.
Remember the fact that each the previous and the brand new cellphone should be financed via Affirm so as so that you can be eligible for the improve program.
Swap Program
The Swap Program could be an free option to improve to a brand new cellphone when your present one is incompatible with Seen.
After creating your account and transferring your quantity, the provider overnights your new cellphone and SIM card. Subsequent, you arrange service and ship again your previous cellphone.
This trade-in program may help you lower your expenses in case you can’t afford a alternative cellphone or will not be choosy concerning the model. Nonetheless, your new cellphone received’t be essentially the most luxurious however it’s a fully-capable smartphone.
Your two trade-in choices could be:
- ZTE Blade A7 Prime
- ZTE Blade A3 Prime
Referral Program
Seen does at present supply a referral program. Whenever you refer a good friend who indicators up to make use of Seen, each of you’re going to get a $20 low cost for one month of service.
If you happen to can handle to safe profitable referrals each month, you’ll have discovered your self an avenue to a virtually free mobile phone plan.
Simply ship your Buddy Code (accessible via your Seen dashboard) to any buddies you need to invite. You too can put up the code in your social media accounts.
Offers/Reductions
Seen has reductions and offers for brand spanking new clients that adjust primarily based on while you enroll.
At the moment, new Seen clients get pleasure from these financial savings:
- $200 e-gift card from quite a lot of retailers
- Reductions on new cellphone buys
- 15-day free trial while you switch choose iPhones
After all, the offers and reductions you discover is likely to be totally different relying on while you enroll. Verify the Seen web site for extra particulars.
Seen Opinions
Many purchasers discover the low month-to-month costs and limitless information options pleasing. Nonetheless, the service isn’t at all times as dependable as the foremost networks.
“I’ve had Seen for over two years now, and it’s the finest and least expensive service I’ve ever used. I stay in a extra rural space, and my information service is healthier than the web we pay for.” — klbs162427
“Used to have Verizon, however Seen works simply in addition to that at a extra cheap value. Granted, there aren’t as many bells and whistles with Seen – resembling a rewards program and offers on new gadgets – however I by no means used all these perks.” — Isabelle T.
“The customer support is excellent by way of stay chat however you probably have any issues you can’t speak to a stay individual and typing it out ten instances to every rep you speak to is ridiculous.” — Sabina M.
“Least expensive limitless information I’ve discovered to this point, so I’m sticking with it. However there are positively some hassles with such a reduced service: sms texts don’t ship typically; 4G slows…” — Amber A.
Alternate options to Seen
Listed here are some options to Seen that you just may need to contemplate.
Ting
Ting Cellular has three totally different mobile phone plans you may select from with totally different information allowances. The provider accesses the Verizon and T-Cellular networks.
The $25 monthly plan consists of 5GB of quick information with limitless speak and textual content. All 5GB can be utilized as a hotspot.
Ting’s $35 monthly plan consists of 12GB of quick information with limitless speak and textual content. You need to use as much as 8GB as a hotspot.
The $45 monthly Limitless plan consists of 22GB of quick information with limitless speak and textual content. This plan consists of as much as 12GB of hotspot utilization.
Trustpilot rating: 4.5 out of 5
Republic Wi-fi
Republic Wireless has mobile phone plans beginning at $19.99 monthly for DISH clients and $39.99 for everyone else. You get 1G of information for that value and can purchase further 1G information blocks for $5 every.
This provider makes use of the AT&T community.
Personally, I’ve been with Republic Wi-fi for over six years. I pay roughly $165 a month for our six household telephones and have been very proud of the service.
Trustpilot rating: 3.1 out of 5
Shopper Mobile
Consumer Cellular is a well known supplier of low-cost mobile service using the AT&T and T-Cellular networks.
The corporate at present has six totally different plans you may select from:
- $20 monthly for 1GB of information
- $25 monthly for 3GB of information
- $35 monthly for 7GB of information
- $40 monthly for 10GB of information
- $45 monthly for 15GB of information
- $55 monthly for limitless information
All plans include limitless speak and textual content. Anybody can use this service, however AARP members are eligible for reductions.
FAQ
Earlier than you join Seen, listed here are some solutions to incessantly requested questions that may assist you decide if the service is best for you.
Whenever you buy a cellphone from Seen, it will likely be locked for the primary 60 days of activated service.
After you’ve had lively service for no less than 60 days, the cellphone turns into unlocked. This lets you swap to a different provider if you need.
Sure, anybody can be part of. This consists of buddies, relations and even full strangers.
You’ll be able to’t assure that you just’ll get 5G protection.
Two elements must be in place so as so that you can get 5G. Your cellphone should work with 5G, and 5G protection have to be out there within the space you’re connecting to service.
Word that there’s no further value to entry 5G protection.
No, Seen doesn’t have retailer areas, and you’ll’t join Seen by going to a Verizon retailer.
All companies are offered via the app and the web site.
If you wish to attain customer support, you’ll have to hook up with the corporate’s chatbot via your app or PC because it doesn’t supply cellphone or e-mail help.
You too can attain Seen customer support by reaching out to @VisibleCare on Twitter or @VisibleMobile on Fb Messenger.
The Seen web site says that customer support representatives can be found 24 hours a day, seven days every week.
Abstract
Seen has reasonably priced mobile phone plans with limitless speak, textual content and information. Nonetheless, you’ll sacrifice within the space of information speeds and streaming decision.
In case your mobile phone use is proscribed largely to fundamental speak and textual content and also you don’t thoughts slower speeds or deprioritization throughout busy instances, you may profit from utilizing Seen.
Earlier than enrolling in any low-cost mobile phone service, take the time to judge your mobile phone utilization and wishes. This may help you make sure you get the options you want at one of the best value doable.