{"id":99521,"date":"2018-06-23T03:42:13","date_gmt":"2018-06-23T01:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=99521"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:23:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:23:32","slug":"could-googles-project-fi-save-money-on-your-phone-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/could-googles-project-fi-save-money-on-your-phone-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Google&#8217;s Project Fi save money on your phone bill?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>What is Project Fi?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Google&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/fi.google.com\/about\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Fi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a mobile phone plan with a difference. It caps your bills, chooses the fastest network for your location, and reduces the cost of using data abroad. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The catch? It\u2019s not available on every phone, it\u2019s only available for U.S. residents, and you\u2019ll need to use a lot of data to make it worthwhile.<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Fi is Google\u2019s attempt to disrupt the cellular network space. The big selling point is an upper limit on your phone bill, so no matter how much data you use, you won&#8217;t get a nasty surprise at the end of the month. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of us have been whacked with a big bill after using more than our plan allows \u2013 usually because of data. Just browsing your news feed can rack up the gigabytes in videos and pictures, so Project Fi could save you a lot of money&#8230; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">if<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you use a lot of data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How much does Project Fi cost?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The plan costs <strong>$20 per month<\/strong> for unlimited domestic texts and calls, and unlimited international texts. Data costs an additional\u00a0<\/span><b>$10 per gigabyte<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, no matter where you are in the world, up to <\/span><b>a maximum of $60<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Once you\u2019ve used 6GB, the rest is free, with no reduction in speed until you reach 15GB. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Surprisingly, there\u2019s <strong>no minimum spend <\/strong>on data. If you use 1GB, you pay $10, so if your monthly bills jump up and down like a kid on a trampoline, expect to pay less with Project Fi. It\u2019s both rare and impressive that Google has chosen to protect consumers from overspending without imposing a minimum, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also save a bit more if you add more people to the plan. For example, if you add two people, you\u2019re only charged for the first 10GB ($100, or $50 each). That\u2019s a saving of $20 ($10 each) over two individual sign-ups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102215\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1812\" height=\"710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM.png 1812w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-06-22-at-10.23.33-PM-1200x470.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1812px) 100vw, 1812px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What makes Project Fi better than other mobile plans?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aside from savings, Project Fi\u2019s other advantages are also pretty rare in the cellular world. First, you get access to three 4G networks (Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular) and one million Wi-Fi hotspots. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Fi will determine the fastest connection for your location and switch you to it automatically, so you can always browse at top speed without fiddling with settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another huge win for Project Fi\u2019s customers is international data roaming. In over 170 countries, you get the same data benefits and prices as under your usual plan. There are no hidden fees. Calls cost 20 cents per minute, however, and do check your destination is included in the plan before you travel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>How do you sign up for Project Fi?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before signing up, check you use enough data to make the plan worthwhile. You can do this by looking at an old bill, or checking data usage on your smartphone if your device supports it (most do). If you rarely use more than two or three gigabytes, there are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whistleout.com\/CellPhones\/Search?minutes=-1&amp;sms=-1&amp;data=2000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">cheaper plans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> out there \u2013 especially when you factor in calls and texts. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if Project Fi could reduce your bills, then the first thing to do is make sure you have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fi.google.com\/about\/phones\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a supported phone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Only certain phones have the tech to \u201cintelligently shift networks\u201d and at the moment they&#8217;re limited to the Google Pixel, Nexus 5\/6, and Moto X<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can, of course, order a new phone with Project Fi and they\u2019ll throw in 0% financing and insurance for $5 per month. Your choice is still restricted, though, so don\u2019t expect to find Project Fi on any iPhones anytime soon.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You also need to be a U.S. resident.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But provided you\u2019ve got or are willing to buy a supported phone, and you live in the U.S., just head to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/fi.google.com\/about\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Fi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> website to sign up. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For data-junkies, Project Fi makes financial sense.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if you prefer a book to watching Netflix, conversation to Spotify, or daydreaming to updating Instagram, you&#8217;ll have to look a bit harder to get excited about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey\">\r\n<p class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__title\">More Softonic Articles<\/p>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"5 tips to prevent security issues with your phone\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-tips-to-prevent-security-issues-with-your-phone\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/Screen-Shot-2018-03-19-at-12.34.02.png)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>5 tips to prevent security issues with your phone<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"8 tricks to strengthen your WhatsApp security\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/8-tricks-to-strengthen-your-whatsapp-security\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article sc-related-articles-grey__article--last\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/whatsapp-web-screenshot-1024x576-1024x576.png)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>8 tricks to strengthen your WhatsApp security<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"7 mistakes that put your internet security at risk\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/mistakes-internet-security-risk\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/06\/5mistakesHeader-1024x576.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>7 mistakes that put your internet security at risk<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"8 tricks to boost your security on Google Chrome\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/8-tricks-to-boost-your-security-on-google-chrome\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__article sc-related-articles-grey__article--last\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/11\/crome-security-1024x576-1024x576.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-grey__text\">\r\n        <p>8 tricks to boost your security on Google Chrome<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Project Fi? Google&#8217;s Project Fi is a mobile phone plan with a difference. It caps your bills, chooses the fastest network for your location, and reduces the cost of using data abroad. The catch? It\u2019s not available on every phone, it\u2019s only available for U.S. residents, and you\u2019ll need to use a lot &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/could-googles-project-fi-save-money-on-your-phone-bill\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Could Google&#8217;s Project Fi save money on your phone bill?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9103,"featured_media":102216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2518,2441],"tags":[2566,1032,1034],"usertag":[781],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-99521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","category-how-to","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionyour-phone","tag-gadgets","tag-money","usertag-purchaser"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327825,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99521\/revisions\/327825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99521"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=99521"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=99521"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=99521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}