As of now (February 5, 2025), the Zero Plan requires an invitation to join. You can use the site's invitation code
4DWX7ZGor the official invitation codeBREAKFREEto skip the Waitlist and register directly.
We have previously introduced a completely free U.S. mobile plan in an earlier article. However, it requires a credit card binding and has now stopped offering it to new users. Existing users must manually renew through the app each month, and may be blocked by a mysterious risk control system.
And today (February 5, 2025), Helium Mobile launched the brand new "Zero Plan." As the name suggests, the monthly fee will be US$ 0, and it does not require credit card binding or manual renewal.
Risk Warning#
Registering for the Helium Mobile Zero Plan requires completing KYC (Know Your Customer), which requires providing real legal name, date of birth, and U.S. residential address, as well as providing a government-issued photo ID (Gov-issued Photo ID) and a selfie for verification. The Photo ID and selfie verification are completed by a third-party service called Persona. Well-known companies using Persona's KYC service include Brex, Square, DoorDash, etc. Therefore, its credibility can be trusted. However, based on my own company's experience using similar KYC services, the verifier (in this case, Helium Mobile) is likely able to access the original KYC data (including documents and facial recognition) in the background, so please assess the related risks yourself.
KYC will verify whether the address provided in personal information matches the document (for U.S. Driver License / State ID), while there is no such requirement for passport verification. Although Persona supports using a Mainland China resident ID for KYC, there have not yet been successful cases using such documents. Additionally, there may be a soft pull of unknown credit bureau data during KYC verification, so it is recommended to have a certain length of U.S. credit history before attempting.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that Helium Mobile can always provide free services, nor can it guarantee that you can transfer your number out after you no longer wish to use it or cannot use it. Please assess the related risks yourself.
Introduction#
Helium Mobile is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) in the United States, launched by the blockchain company Helium Inc. in 2022. It initially offered an unlimited data plan piloted in Miami for only US$ 5 per month, allowing users to earn cryptocurrency tokens by "Mapping" its network. It claims to establish its community network through the 5G Unlicensed frequency band, but currently still completely relies on "roaming" to T-Mobile's network, essentially remaining a T-Mobile MVNO, just dressed in blockchain clothing.
Due to its nature as a T-Mobile MVNO, it can be used directly in Mainland China via Wi-Fi Calling, but you need to be lucky enough to resolve to an unblocked IP address.
Zero Plan#
Helium Mobile offers the following for this free plan:
- 3GiB domestic data (of course, this refers to within the United States)
- 100 minutes of calls
- 300 text messages
Additionally, users can pay US$ 15 for 30 days of:
- 1GiB international roaming data (supporting T-Mobile roaming in 200+ regions)
- 60 minutes of calls (originating or destination in the U.S.)
- 100 text messages (same as above)
Compared to other MVNO international roaming packages, which typically have a validity of only 5 days / 7 days / 15 days, this is quite good.
Moreover, users can earn Cloud Points by authorizing location sharing with Helium Mobile, which is equivalent to points in a rewards program that can be redeemed for gift cards. However, this also means that new users will no longer be able to earn MOBILE tokens or HNT tokens, and the potential earnings from these blockchain tokens far exceed Cloud Points.
How to Obtain#
- Download Helium Mobile's iOS App or Android App
- Enter the invitation code at the top of this article
- Provide some information to register
- Choose the Zero Plan
- Fill in personal information, noting that the name and date of birth must match those on the subsequent KYC documents (if using U.S. DL / ID, the address must also match), and the address is best aligned with the credit report
- After verification, Helium Mobile will require you to provide an exact address and will require you to share it even when not using the application. If you refuse, you will not be able to continue, and if you disable sharing later, it may result in an inability to renew the Zero Plan. The specific location does not matter (it does not need to be located in the U.S.)
- Obtain a SIM. If you have a device that supports eSIM, you can choose eSIM, but eSIM does not even provide a QR code but rather the original activation information, which needs to be entered manually. If you do not have a device that supports eSIM, you will need to mail a physical SIM card (which can only be sent to a U.S. address).
Miscellaneous#
How does Helium Mobile profit from providing free plans? Generally speaking, the value of the content provided by the Zero Plan is about US$ 5, and a blockchain company only needs to hype a concept to reap profits. Additionally, by providing free data, it can fully monitor users' internet data for sale. Companies like SurveySavvy will pay you "commissions" of US$ 5 per device per month as long as you install their software on your device and allow them to monitor your internet traffic. This is because many consumer survey companies need various types of data to help their clients analyze market data. Although users of such services are likely not high-spending consumers, they are still an indispensable part of the market.