If you want to lower your cell phone bill to $25 per month or less, your options are limited with major wireless providers like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. But have you heard about Twigby?
Twigby is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that primarily relies on Sprint’s towers to provide cheap cell phone plans.
Twigby: Access to two cellular networks for a low monthly price
I spent 30 days testing out Twigby to provide you with this summary of its pricing, network coverage, call and text performance, customer service and other key features.
In this article, I’ll share my Twigby review and everything you need to know before you sign up!
Table of contents
1. Plans and pricing
When I first visited the plans and pricing page on Twigby’s website, I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the options. The carrier lets you customize your plan by selecting minutes and data. The more you use, the more you pay.
I opted for a plan that put my first month’s payment at around $20. Here’s what I bought:
- SIM card: $2.99
- 300 minutes and unlimited texting: $6.75
- 2GB of high-speed data: $7.50
- Shipping: $1.95
- Taxes: $1.84
- Grand total: $21.03
As you can see from the price breakdown, Twigby charges for the SIM card and shipping, plus taxes are extra. The total also reflects an introductory discount — 25% off for the first six months of service.
If you run out of minutes or data, you can move up to the next plan or choose not to with its “Overage Protection” feature.
2. Activation process
Along with a SIM card, Twigby will mail you detailed step-by-step instructions to activate your service.
I know that sounds so simple and like something every company should do, but I’ve found that setting up your phone with a discount wireless provider can sometimes be a real pain in the neck.
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Twigby’s instructions were clear and helped me get up and running quickly. I was able to make calls, send texts and use data in about 10 minutes.
3. Phone selection
For my 30-day test, I brought an unlocked Moto G6 smartphone to Twigby’s service. If your device isn’t compatible (check here) or you just want to buy a new phone, you can purchase a phone from Twigby.
The company says the selection will vary, but 25 phones were available when I last checked in June of 2019.
There was a phone sale taking place at the time. The cheapest smartphone available was an Alcatel Cinch for $15, and the most expensive smartphone available was a Samsung Galaxy S9 for $748.
The overall phone selection was decent, but you may be better off buying a compatible device elsewhere and bringing it to Twigby.
4. Call and text performance
Twigby primarily runs on Sprint’s network, but customers can use Verizon’s network for talk and text if they’re somewhere that Sprint doesn’t have coverage.
I had more than 200 minutes of talk time for the month and thought the call quality was solid. My family, friends and co-workers who helped me test the service agreed. Most of my calls originated from Broward County, Florida.
Twigby also offers calls to Canada, China and Mexico at no additional charge, but I didn’t get a chance to test this feature.
5. Data speeds
Although Verizon is a backup network for talk and text, you only get Sprint’s network for 4G LTE data when you’re with Twigby.
If you live in an area where Sprint’s network is reliable, Twigby will likely be a good fit. Otherwise, you may be frustrated with slow data speeds. Here’s where you can go to check Twigby’s coverage map.
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From South Florida, Twigby’s data speeds were inconsistent. Some places I visited only had 3G data available.
However, when I traveled to Team Clark’s headquarters in Atlanta, it was a much different experience. The Speedtest by Ookla app confirmed an average download speed around 25 Mbps, which is perfect for surfing the web and streaming video.
6. Customer service
Twigby is an online-only company, so there’s no store to walk into for customer support or even a phone number to call. Setup, billing and general account issues are handled through Twigby.com’s chat feature.
When I tested it out, a customer service representative responded almost immediately and was very helpful.
And when it came time to cancel my service at the end of the 30-day test period, that took place over a chat. The representative asked for my 4-digit security pin and processed the cancellation in a couple of minutes.
Final thought
Twigby’s mobile phone plans are priced competitively with some of the other discount cell phone providers. If this sounds like you, Twigby may be a great way to lower your cell phone bill:
- Sprint’s network is strong in your area
- You don’t use a lot of data or minutes per month
- You have a device compatible with Twigby’s network
- Chat-only customer support is fine with you
If you’re not sure about Twigby, we have a list of other cheap cell phone plans and deals that start around $10 per month. I’ve tested several of them, as well. Compare your options in Team Clark’s guide.
