Walmart’s Mobile Unlimited Plans Are Ideal for Families

by Lori Cunningham

Earlier in the month I shared with you my mobile purchasing experience in our article, Walmart’s Mobile Unlimited Plans Make Cents.  I have been using a Samsung Galaxy SIII phone, provided to me as a part of this #cbias #FamilyMobileSaves Walmart shop.  I loved the unlimited plans Walmart has and found it to be the lowest price rate plan available for true unlimited data.  In comparing my own T-Mobile bill to Walmart, I discovered that for my family, I can save $215 a year by switching to the Walmart plan.  Wow.  This all sounds good, but the true test was checking out Walmart’s Unlimited Plan myself and ensuring the voice and data plan performs well.

Also, I wanted to ensure that the Walmart unlimited plans could provide families with the controls they need to ensure their kids have a safe environment to use their phones, dependent upon the individual needs of each family.  Kids getting their first phones will need more controls than teens who have had phones a while and shown they can be responsible.  Does Walmart family mobile unlimited plans allow for this flexibility?

Here’s the Samsung Galaxy SII I was provided in purchasing the Walmart Unlimited plan.

My Unlimited Plan Experience

As noted in our previous article, Walmart’s Mobile Unlimited Plans Make Cents, I was very happy with Walmart’s unlimited voice and text, but a little concerned about the data, which included 2.5GB of data a month at 3G speeds, after which the data speeds drop to 2G.  On my current T-Mobile plan, I have 4G speeds.  Since I already have a Samsung Galaxy SIII on T-Mobile, I was able to conveniently test the load times of websites in different areas of my city.

4G/3G/3G – What Is It?

First, let me clarify what 4G is versus 3G or even 2G.  The “G” stands for Generation.  As a society, we started at 1G and have moved all the way up to the 4th Generation at 4G.  1G was analog, 2G moved to digital, 3G allowed for better transmitted video, and 4G allows for faster speed and transmission of HD video.  3G can certainly transmit video, but is more likely to have hiccups than with 4G.  2G can transmit video, but at times, it will likely not be a pleasant experience.  2G is better for website surfing and email.

In my testing of loading webpages at home, oddly enough, I found that the Walmart unlimited plan phone performed faster, by as much as 3-4 seconds.  Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.

In testing videos on YouTube, I again found that the Walmart unlimited plan phone served up the video faster, by about 1-2 seconds.  However, in some of my tests, I found that the Walmart unlimited plan phone stalled at times, as its buffer ran out.  Within about 9-30 seconds it would continue on with the video.  I did not notice any buffering on my T-Mobile cellphone.  This didn’t happen every time, but often enough and when it did, it was noticeable.  Notice the buffering circle i n the center of the video on the phone on the right above.

In downloading songs and games, I found the download speeds to be very good.  I had no issues.  I even downloaded Netflix, which is a larger app, and though it took longer than other apps, the time was still relatively quick.

In my tests around my city I found that the Walmart unlimited plan phone did very well for the most part.  On one or two occasions, I couldn’t load a website, where I could with my T-Mobile phone.  With regards to voice, the Walmart unlimited plan phone performed similarly to T-Mobile.  I didn’t notice any more dropped calls on one account versus the other.

Mobile Controls for Families

In our last Walmart article, I recommended their unlimited plans for families.  After trying the service out for these past few weeks, I had the opportunity to delve deeper into the plan and read about what options are available for controlling options for added family members.  My daughter is a new tween at age 10.  Although she does not currently have a phone, I know it is looming in our near future.  I have already done the prep work for setting rules and expectations, written here in our Teens & Cellphones – A Primer.  But knowing about what controls I can set on a phone plan makes it easier for a parent to keep some control until a tween/teen earns more responsibility.

In further reviewing my online Walmart unlimited plan account and information, I discovered the following options for setting up controls on your child’s phone:

• Message Blocking
• Content Blocking
• Time Limit Blocking
• Minute or Message Limits
• 411 Blocking (as you are charged $1.79 per 411 call)
• Always Allowed Numbers
• Never Allowed Numbers

This is a lot more control than I even hoped for.  Now let’s break this down to see what these options include…

Message Blocking – you can turn off all text messages so that texts cannot be sent out or received.  You can even get more specific like:

• Email only
• Instant message only
• Text and picture messages only
• or  All messages (email, IM, text, and picture)

Web Filtering  – you can set one of four levels of content blocking:  Child, Teen, Young Adult, or no content filtering.

Content Blocking – you can block downloadable content (games, ringtones, wallpaper, etc.) which can help eliminate unwanted charges.

Minute or Message Limits – you can limit the amount of minutes or text messages your child can get.  This can help him/her with self control.

Time Limit Blocking – you can turn off cell service during certain hours like during school hours, homework time, and sleeping hours (love this!)  You cannot block for 24 hours, but if need be, you can disable the phone by changing the minute and message limits to zero.

411 Blocking – if you’re child knows about getting helpful info. from 411, each 411 call will cost you $1.79.  You can block it so this feature is not available.

Always Allowed Numbers – You can assign up to 10 Always Allowed Numbers that you’re child can call anytime, even when Time Limit Blocking is invoked.

Never Allowed Numbers – You can assign up to 10 Never Allowed Numbers that no matter hard your child tries, s/he will be unable to call.  This is helpful if there are problem children you’d prefer your child doesn’t call.

The Walmart Family Mobile Unlimited Plans start at $39.88 for the first line and $34.88 for each additional line.  Talk, Text, and Web are unlimited, though the Web part of the plan provides 3G speed until you’ve used 2.5GB.

A Mom’s Perspective

Besides a few hiccups here and there, I felt that the Walmart Mobile Unlimited Plan held up very well compared to my 4G T-Mobile service.  I do not watch much video from my phone so I’m not worried about using up the 2.5GB allotted data for 3G speed.  And in several cases, I noticed that the Walmart unlimited plan phone performed faster in loading websites than my T-Mobile phone.  Nice.

I love the controls you can set up for your children’s phones too.  I’m a big believer in limiting tweens/teens options at first and giving more flexibility as they show responsibility.  Quite frankly, I can see using the Time Limit Blocking for sleep time for a long time, maybe up until the end of their senior year!

If you’re looking for a mobile plan with lowest price rate plan, Walmart Unlimited Plans are hard to beat.  Walmart Family Mobile is reliable, flexible to parent’s needs, and a great value.   And with no locked-in contracts, you can try out the plan to make sure you like it without worry about early withdrawal.

What do you think about Walmart’s Unlimited Plans?  Would they make sense for your family?