Whether you’re an existing customer or not, if you’re considering Optimum Mobile, then you should probably read this review first. Optimum Mobile is an MVNO that used to be called Altice Mobile, and the company is still owned by Altice USA. If you do live in these areas, you can sign up for Optimum Mobile, but it’s really only a good deal price-wise if you’re also signed up for another Optimum service. So, the long story short is: existing Optimum internet and TV customers may find Optimum’s cell phone service to be a good deal. Everyone else should skip it. This plan gives you access to all of Optimum’s Wi-Fi hotspots, so you can get super fast internet speeds without sacrificing your limited data (when you’re in the right area). It also allows you to use your phone as a mobile hotspot device. Even on the highest tier plan (Unlimited Everything), your data speeds will take a huge dip after you hit your data cap. You’ll have a hard time streaming video, using your mobile hotspot, playing games, and even playing your favorite podcast on Spotify after you reach your high-speed data limit. Even when you’re using your high-speed data, your video streaming will be throttled to 480p. This is pretty standard for MVNO carriers to do, but we still don’t like it, especially when you’re already paying so much for just 20 GB of high-speed data. Unfortunately, Optimum Mobile doesn’t have much to offer in this department. Maybe the company had a family plan deal back when it was still called Altice Mobile, but right now it offers no cost savings or perks for adding additional lines. Here’s a look at the prices for three most popular devices that the carrier is selling right now. You could spend hours reading complaints on online forums from frustrated Optimum Mobile customers. People often mention getting incomplete or false information about pricing and service. It really isn’t a great look. One hard truth is that Optimum Mobile just isn’t that great. It may work well for a select group of people who want to combine their internet and cell phone services in a single bill, but even those people could probably find a better deal elsewhere. For those who want a quick recap of this review, here’s the play-by-play.
Cell phone plans: Optimum offers three different plans with 1-20 GB of data. The prices are cheaper for existing Optimum/Altice customers, but they’re still too high to be appealing to most customers. Family cell phone plans: There’s not much to say about Optimum’s family plans besides this: they’re too expensive and don’t offer anything special. Cell phones and devices: You can get a new phone when you sign up with Optimum, like an Apple iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy. The prices are nothing to write home about, but they aren’t outrageous either. Customer service: Feedback from Optimum customers is definitely more in the “needs improvement” category than the “satisfactory” category.
Ultimately, we ranked this cell phone carrier based on the following criteria: Thank you for trusting us. We hope that we’ve helped you find the perfect phone plan.