Google Fi Best Deal of the Year Good Until April 7

Breaking news for Millennial Moola readers that just came out yesterday: Google just dropped the price of the Nexus 5X from $350 to $199 if you activate Google Fi for a month and they eliminated the previous invite requirement. For those that do not know about all the new mobile phone options out there, Google Fi was an experimental service offered by Google to try and break into the mindless monopoly of AT&T and Verizon. The service uses a combination of T-Mobile and Sprint and offers coverage and data connectivity around the world in most countries for only $0.20 a minute. In the US, you can talk and text unlimited. Here’s a quick overview of who I think this incredible deal makes sense for, and why I’m waiting for a new development from Republic Wireless.

Best Deal Ever For International Travelers

The fact you can get access to T-Mobile’s superior international coverage is a big deal. All of the people I know who have great service in random places around the world seem to be carrying T-Mobile phones. The $0.20 a minute is a little pricey for long phone calls, but for a quick call to your taxi driver who was supposed to show up an hour ago to pick you up from the jungle it could be a life saver.

If you are traveling even for a month overseas, this phone is probably worth it. Uber in Latin America is easily 1/3 of the cost of a taxi. Even if you are able to haggle the taxis down in price, it is an exhausting and frustrating process to do over and over again. My buddy with the T-Mobile phone has been the most popular person on the trip as our recent $10 one hour trip from the Panama Canal back to town can attest (the taxi was $25+).

Others Who Would Benefit Hugely from Google Fi

While Republic Wireless wins out among people who rarely use mobile data, Google Fi has an advantage once you pass 2 GB. That makes Google Fi a great deal for moderate to heavy data users. Google Fi charges $20 flat fee for their unlimited calling and texting then a $10 per GB fee on top of that. Most people use under 2GB of data unless you are a Youtube obsessed Netflix streamer. That means most folks out there could save almost $1000 on their phone plan and have a top quality smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon six core processor. The phone also runs Marshmallow 6.0 straight out of the box. This is not a junk phone on a prepaid plan. This is a rival to the iPhone 6S for only $199 and you own it.

The other group of folks that should love this deal are people who drop, damage, or lose their phones all the time, like my girlfriend (love ya babe!) She usually carries insurance because things happen when you go overseas to Africa to work in the field. Also not everyone is blessed with basketball palming hands that make it easy to hold onto the supersized smartphones that exist today. Essentially, there are a bunch of people who would really benefit from a relatively low cost of buying a smartphone like this. If you lost it, it would only be $200 out of your pocket unlike the current $600+ wallop you get when you leave your new iPhone on the top of a gas station air pump and some kids steal it (love you too little brother!)

Clearly people are losing and dropping phones all the time. If you just lost yours and can get out of your plan, Google Fi’s Nexus 5X for $199 is a no brainer in case you lose it again.

Google Fi Encourages You to Look Around You and Not Get Hit by Cars

One thing that will certainly happen when you have to pay by the MB ($0.01 for each one) is that you will use less data. That means you will look for public WiFi hotspots way more and be savvy about not pulling up video while walking down the street and crossing the road. Being charged in a tiered data package means you will get to smell the roses more as you use your phone for what’s necessary while off WiFi and get the benefit of heavy use when you have that glorious signal.

Another cool benefit is you can use the SIM card in other devices. That could help if you needed mobile data in a remote location to run a tablet for example. You can also broadcast your own personal WiFi hotspot if you need to help out a friend. The list of benefits go on and on.

Why I’m Still Sticking With Republic Wireless

My Moto X 1st generation phone from Republic Wireless is going on 2.5 years old. I cannot get it to turn back on without taking off the back case when it dies. I feel like this is an inevitable problem most smartphones have after 2 years or so in circulation because of the ever increasing demands of websites and photo data storage space. I have the 16GB version and am constantly needing to delete photos and videos to make room for more. Also the camera has deteriorated some over time. It was an incredible phone while it lasted, but clearly I’m in the market for another. Why then am I not jumping on this deal from Google Fi?

The answer is because I believe Republic is on the verge of coming out with a blockbuster announcement very soon. Rumors are flying that the company is coming out with a brand new phone in April that will be run off T-Mobile and offer a next-gen version of their famous WiFi calling that I’ve come to love. I wrote an article about it here. Republic Wireless has provided me with a $5 a month phone plan that I’ve used in about 37 countries since I’ve owned it. The Nexus 5X is a great phone, but it has still been out a little while. If Republic comes out with a successor to the Moto X 3rd generation phone, that phone will probably have unbelievable specs.

I only need my Moto X 1st gen to survive one more month. I’m willing to take that chance. This discount deal on the Nexus 5X lasts until April 7. If Republic has not announced the game changer I expect by then, I’ll probably switch to Google Fi.

Reviews of Google Fi and Other Articles I Found Helpful

If you are the kind of person who likes saving money on phone plans, you probably want to read up on the info I provided above. Here are some useful links to do exactly that.

• Mr. Money Mustache reviews Google Fi
• Initial announcement from Google about Nexus 5X price drop
• Review of phone specs for Nexus 5X
• Understanding the price differentials on phone plans
• Plan details from Google Fi including intl countries they cover
• News Release with signup link at the bottom of the page
• Coverage comparison to AT&T and Verizon

*Affiliate Disclosure: There is no affiliate program for Google Fi, so I received no money and will receive no money for writing this article. Furthermore, I do have Republic wireless affiliate links in this website. Hopefully writing about a great deal for my readers with no financial reward shows you that I legitimately care about watching out for your best interest. I seek to do that in everything on Millennial Moola.

If someone actually goes out and buys Google Fi or has experience with it let me know in the comments section.