Your experience with Google Fi

I have an AT&T iPhone from work, based in MA, is it possible for you to get an AT&T phone from the mainland?  I’ve been happy with the AT&T Internationnal roaming plan, which charges $10/day for unlimited talk/text/data, at least when calling the USA. 

I tried google fi back when it started, they use tmobile and sprint towers. I tried them as an alternative to verizon due to spending my time in stx and wanted a good alternative as verizon was horrible when I was here.

The good: pricing, plan terms and able to use my current phone at the time

The bad: mainland - tmobile and sprint towers, lost reception in rural areas, couldn't use in my house due to poor signal even though tmobile showed coverage in my area, at work (populated area) still had weak signal at times

St. Croix - poor signal, really didn't notice any better coverage than when I had verizon.  No coverage in downtown Christiansted unless near shupes. After my 2 week trip here and with the issues back home, I switched back.

Posted by: @daveb722

I tried google fi back when it started, they use tmobile and sprint towers. I tried them as an alternative to verizon due to spending my time in stx and wanted a good alternative as verizon was horrible when I was here.

The good: pricing, plan terms and able to use my current phone at the time

The bad: mainland - tmobile and sprint towers, lost reception in rural areas, couldn't use in my house due to poor signal even though tmobile showed coverage in my area, at work (populated area) still had weak signal at times

St. Croix - poor signal, really didn't notice any better coverage than when I had verizon.  No coverage in downtown Christiansted unless near shupes. After my 2 week trip here and with the issues back home, I switched back.

 

What year was that when u tried Google Fi? 

@STTsailor I think it was 2017 

I posted in another thread recommending Fi. I've been with them since the start. Last time I was in STX I had issues at the inlaws condo in Christ'sted but otherwise worked perfectly.

Give it a go! Also make sure you have a phone that you can use with it, as not all phones work.

I saw this quote from a Liberty representative in a Source article 

“Who You Have Is Based on Your Location, Not Area Code
So how do you know if you will be under Liberty or AT&T? Can you put your phone under a stateside address and stay with AT&T?

“It is based on your billing address, but also on where you spend most of your time,” Khoury said.

“If you have a phone with a 340 area code but a stateside address and spend most of your time in the states, you will be under AT&T. If you have a stateside area code but spend most of your time in the USVI, you will be with Liberty.”

So I don’t know what it means if you have a stateside billing and area code but spend most of your time in the USVI.  But if you have a 340 area code and switch your billing stateside and spend most of your time here looks like Liberty gets you anyhow.  

I ordered a new phone from google. There are some huge advantages for international traveler using google Fi. The basic plan for unlimited text and voice is $20. Low cost international calling. Data use billed at $10 per gig and with extensive data use charges are capped at $80 a month for combined voice and data. Same price for international roaming voice, text, data. Unlimited data plan is $70 a month with no contract. So this is a huge savings if you accidentally roam to BVI or travel all over Caribbean or elsewhere internationally. They throttle down speeds after 22 gigs. Thats fair. The bad part I decided to give up my Iphone and that is probably most difficult decision I had to make. Perhaps next year Fi will run on Iphone not in beta.

So I will bid “adios amigos” to Liberty/AT&T as long as I get good Fi coverage on STT.   Will update this in 10 days. 

@STTsailor

You can use an iPhone with Fi.

There might some some minor limitations but this article should help;

LINK

Correct but with some usage limitations. The big one is lack of thetering. 

@STTsailor

Ok understood. I was actually considering moving from Pixel to iPhone after so many years. I've been using Google Fi but am just pissed off at Google lately and need to come away from the Google eco system.

"Google Fi will no longer support phones if they don’t have VoLTE beginning January - GSMArena.com news" https://m.gsmarena.com/google_fi_will_no_longer_support_phones_if_they_dont_have_volte_beginning_january-amp-46603.php

@sttsailor how has your experience been?  Just curious if it ever got better than when I used it.  I just had a weird charge on Liberty, $65 for roaming, never left stx, in the roaming charge it stated wifi in the BVI, so was it caused by bbvi internet?  Liberty couldn't answer it, but they did take care of it after many calls and twitter dm's.

Liberty really sucks...I'll be changing providers at my next opportunity.

Fi works just fine in STT. There are couple of dead spots same like AT&T. I have been keeping both phones for now pixel and iPhone but I am now ready to pull the plug on Liberty and migrate iPhone to google. 

Just an FYI, I just signed up with ATT. They have an internet special where u pay $300 upfront for the year, works out to $25p/m. U get unlimited talk & text with 8gb p/m.

Much better than Google Fi.

Is this broadband internet? 
if yes that is a deal of a lifetime. 

@STTsailor

No regular cell phone service

@stxdreaming1

how did u get this deal? Your billing address is stateside? 

@STTsailor

Go to their website ----> https://www.att.com/prepaid/

I used my Statesside address as you can only order the sim online. You could try your VI address and see what happens.

Looks like AT&T will ship the SIM card to VI but not to PO Box. It is a great deal of one has a physical address with USPS delivery. 

I still need a google Fi phone for international calling and would dump Liberty basic 3gig $69 plan for AT&T cheap 8gig $25 prepaid plan. 

@STTsailor

if you have a PO Box and need a physical address just use the physical address of the post office where your PO Box is at. Then after the address put your box number. 

Basically like you would do an address for an apartment  

Nice workaround.  Let me give it a try and see what happens. 

Just following up, has anyone used google fi on STX?  Or switched to tmobile? (Recently)  Since they use the same towers, I would assume that they would be the same.  I'm so done with liberty.  How can I be on the boardwalk and have horrible service.  It shows 4 bars but nothing loads.  There's always going to be dead spots on STX but am hoping some of you have had better service.  thanks.  I may renew my Fi sub and test it in my phone for a month.  

1. @stjohnjulie has anyone been able to keep their 340 number with Google fi