Visible review: read this before you sign up

Visible by Verizon is a cell phone provider that offers access to Verizon’s network for as low as $25 a month. However, before you jump onto this plan, it’s worth checking out the specifics.

In this Visible review, we explore their low-cost, unlimited cell phone plan — so you can decide whether it’s worth making the switch.

Visible

Visible is a cell phone provider that offers access to Verizon’s network for as low as $25 a month. It’s a good fit for customers who know they want unlimited data, text, and calling but don’t want to pay the high cost of a plan from a big three provider.

Pros:

• Low cost
• Party Pay option
• Bring your phone or buy from them

Cons:

• Customer support
• Slower speeds and an unreliable network
• Beware of buying your phone outright

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Visible is a wireless cell phone provider owned by Verizon, and runs on its parent company’s network. It was founded in 2018 and is therefore still a relatively new wireless carrier. Yet, despite being a newer provider, Visible has been noted as an innovative company with a lot of potential.

Visible supports both Apple and Android.

Visible only offers one plan: a prepaid phone plan for in your first month, and $40 per month after that.

Given that the plan includes unlimited text, unlimited talk, and unlimited data, those prices are a bargain. You also get unlimited data sharing through a mobile hotspot and call and text to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What’s the catch?

With an unlimited phone plan at such a low rate, it’s only natural that there’s a little compromise. For a Visible customer, that means compromising on having a reliably fast connection.

Visible does not technically have any high-speed data limits, but its 4G LTE speeds are capped at somewhere around 8-12Mbps. Essentially, since it’s a Verizon company, if there is an abundance of Verizon subscribers in an area, they get the faster connection, and Visible phone service users will face throttled speeds.

What makes Visible so attractive is its pricing. As mentioned, the cell phone provider’s singular plan costs $25 your first month and $40 per month for each month after.

There’s also a referral bonus option: if you refer a friend, that friend will pay $5 for their first month of service, and you’ll get $5 off your next month.

While this already made for a very affordable phone plan compared to other providers, in 2019, the company introduced another way to save: Party Pay.

What is Party Pay?

The Visible Party Pay group discount lets you save on your monthly bill when you “join or create a party” — linking your line with one to three other people. Similar to a traditional friends and family plan, grouping your line means savings for everyone.

However, unlike traditional family cellphone plans, with Visible Party Pay, you don’t have to split data, minutes, or text — everyone still gets their unlimited plan allowance of these elements. You don’t even have to share payments or a bill.

All you must do is associate with at least one other line, and you’ll benefit from the savings. This makes it easy to create a party with anyone — Visible even has a community forum and subreddit where members find other members willing to become part of a party.

For each member in a party, your monthly bill drops by $5, up to a party of four members. The pay structure looks like this:

• One member: $40 per month.
• Two members: $35 per month.
• Three members: $30 per month.
• Four members: $25 per month.

But as good as this sounds, there are some aspects to consider about the Party Plan option before jumping in.

What’s the catch?

Even though everyone pays for their services, everyone in the Party is still somewhat liable for each other’s actions.

If someone leaves the Party and you don’t add another member before your monthly due date, your monthly phone service amount increases by $5. Likewise, if someone misses a payment, they have 48 hours to make that payment before they are removed from your Party, and everyone else’s monthly bill increases by $5.

Therefore, it’s important to form a Party only with people you trust to make payments on time and not abruptly leave, or else you’ll suddenly see your monthly bill increase.

You have the option of either bringing your own phone or purchasing one from Visible and paying it off as part of your monthly plan. Visible’s phones include popular brands such as Apple, Samsung, Motorola, and TCL.

If you choose to bring your own compatible phone, you can order a SIM that will arrive in one business day. You then create an account with your information. Once you get your SIM card, insert it into your phone and connect to the Verizon network. You should immediately be able to start using your phone from there.

Since Visible is an online-only company, you unfortunately can’t pop up in a physical store to ask for help or make other inquiries. Visible doesn’t even have a phone line that you can call to talk to an agent.

Instead, the best way to contact them is through online chat via its website or phone app.

Unfortunately, many users complain that Visible’s customer support isn’t the best. They currently have a 1.6 out of 5-star rating on TrustPilot, and its customer service is called out in numerous reviews.