FreedomPop "Walmart" Free Plan (300 min / 1000 texts / 100 MB for $0/month) - Info & Discussion

[munkala]

SIM is out of stock today on walmart.com, there were 6 in stock yesterday when I looked. Let's hope they didn't end it.

My guess is that it's over. Good while supplies last.

Sent from my SM-F916U1 using HoFo mobile app

[djphilosophy]

Buy the sim from Red Pocket. It’s cheaper and no shipping. Still FP service.

See comments a few pages back: The $5 RP SIMs are no longer activating with this plan.

[energyx]

My guess is that it's over. Good while supplies last.

Sent from my SM-F916U1 using HoFo mobile app

Looks like it's back already. Very odd.

[Boz1]

Buy the sim from Red Pocket. It’s cheaper and no shipping. Still FP service.

Why are you suggesting that? Did you figure out a way to make that work again after it stopped working!?

[Kunmui]

@Zipy - Have you activated one from Red Pocket successfully this week or recent past ??

Careful, my advice & still have 1 of my 2 Red Pocket $5 sim card here, and, just before I used the Walmart $10 sim card to activate, tried the RP one and still, no option or choice for the free 300minutes-1000texts-100MB plan, not with Red Pocket at the FreedomPop portal (nor Red Pocket portal, unless I'm missing something here). Going to FP and using the sim # with the white "GSMT" marking worked and activated within minutes.

RP's sim prefix starts with 89012-60844 ... and FP's with 89012-40164 ... I stand corrected b/c I just activated yesterday "FP" sim and still got an "useless" RP sim.

P.S. Just checked again, still, its "no, can't do"
Activation Plan Required
We are showing no plan pre-assigned to your SIM/Device ID.
Click Here To Purchase A Plan

[Boz1]

Looks like it's back already. Very odd.

I'd guess that most or all of these Walmart exclusive FP free plan orders placed on walmart.com are fulfilled by FP, and when they "run out", FP has to flip a switch to show they're back in stock. Again, this is sort of a wild guess...

[phonerboner]

I'd guess that most or all of these Walmart exclusive FP free plan orders placed on walmart.com are fulfilled by FP, and when they "run out", FP has to flip a switch to show they're back in stock. Again, this is sort of a wild guess...

I just bought one yesterday from Walmart and it has already shipped. Should get it by next Friday.

[jet1000]

Anyone here using the free Walmart plan on a TracFone LG Classic Flip? Just activated and noticed the LTE won't stay on. It stays on for a while and then goes to E.

I used the same phone with Liberty Wireless and it worked great. I'm thinking it has something to do with the MNC number. Liberty wireless uses 260 but the FreedomPop sim defaults to 240.

It could be that T-Mobile has bad LTE coverage in your area. I believe Liberty Wireless uses AT&T.

If it shows the LTE sometimes, it means it's compatible with it, but it appears it's not staying on because the signal isn't strong enough in that location.

[Digital Rules]

It could be that T-Mobile has bad LTE coverage in your area. I believe Liberty Wireless uses AT&T.

If it shows the LTE sometimes, it means it's compatible with it, but it appears it's not staying on because the signal isn't strong enough in that location.

Thanks T-Mobile is very good here. I've narrowed the problem to the phones compatibility with the 240 MNC. Many phones only work well with the default 260 MNC that T-Mobile proper uses.

Liberty wireless actually only used T-Mobile. It was great while it lasted

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[jet1000]

I've narrowed the problem to the phones compatibility with the 240 MNC. Many phones only work well with the default 260 MNC that T-Mobile proper uses.

I found a Reddit thread that the MNC is determined by the SIM. Digits five through seven of T-Mobile network SIMs will either be 260 or 240. The RP SIM that I have on Freedom Pop is 260. Kunmui also mentions this numbering difference in post 275 of this tread.

[Digital Rules]

I found a Reddit thread that the MNC is determined by the SIM. Digits five through seven of T-Mobile network SIMs will either be 260 or 240. The RP SIM that I have on Freedom Pop is 260. Kunmui also mentions this numbering difference in post 275 of this tread.

Thanks for that, unfortunately Red Pocket is now sending out sims with 240. I received one about 2 years ago for the $30 annual plan and it has 240 as well.

The sim number is 8901240. . . . .

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[NathanA]

I could be wrong, but I would guess that which MCC+MNC your T-Mo MVNO SIM has is luck of the draw, and based wholly on whatever numbers they happened to assign to whatever batch of cards happened to be in that particular manufacturing run.

There are a finite number of SIM#s for any PLMN; I believe it's a high number (1 billion) but since many U.S. carriers (AT&T comes to mind) have historically treated them as single-use, you can probably blow through IMSIs more quickly than one might suspect. Despite this, AT&T for the longest time seemed to only ever issue SIMs against their main MNC of 410. I don't know how they held out so long, but that has apparently come to an end, and now AT&T subs with new SIMs are seeing a new MNC of 280 across AT&T post/pre/MVNO. So this isn't only something that T-Mo subs have to deal with now.

Common wisdom seemed to hold that all T-Mo SIMs used to be 260, and then at some point some/most/all MVNOs started getting allocated on 240 while direct T-Mo customers continued to be put on 260. I'm not 100% convinced that's the case. Not sure about postpaid, but I have at the very least heard of T-Mo prepaid customers on 240. It's also interesting for example that RP SIMs were 240 for a while, then some people recently happened to get some with 260, and now they're shipping out cards on 240 again. I'm wondering if T-Mo has (finally?) started to recycle old SIM #s after a while (if it's a # they previously allocated but is attached either to a SIM that is no longer in service, or to one that was never activated and has hit its expiry date), which then re-introduces more 260 SIMs back into the pool?

[Rorge Retson]

I could be wrong, but I would guess that which MCC+MNC your T-Mo MVNO SIM has is luck of the draw, and based wholly on whatever numbers they happened to assign to whatever batch of cards happened to be in that particular manufacturing run.

There are a finite number of SIM#s for any PLMN; I believe it's a high number (1 billion) but since many U.S. carriers (AT&T comes to mind) have historically treated them as single-use, you can probably blow through IMSIs more quickly than one might suspect. Despite this, AT&T for the longest time seemed to only ever issue SIMs against their main MNC of 410. I don't know how they held out so long, but that has apparently come to an end, and now AT&T subs with new SIMs are seeing a new MNC of 280 across AT&T post/pre/MVNO. So this isn't only something that T-Mo subs have to deal with now.

Common wisdom seemed to hold that all T-Mo SIMs used to be 260, and then at some point some/most/all MVNOs started getting allocated on 240 while direct T-Mo customers continued to be put on 260. I'm not 100% convinced that's the case. Not sure about postpaid, but I have at the very least heard of T-Mo prepaid customers on 240. It's also interesting for example that RP SIMs were 240 for a while, then some people recently happened to get some with 260, and now they're shipping out cards on 240 again. I'm wondering if T-Mo has (finally?) started to recycle old SIM #s after a while (if it's a # they previously allocated but is attached either to a SIM that is no longer in service, or to one that was never activated and has hit its expiry date), which then re-introduces more 260 SIMs back into the pool?

I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds right.

Would you please tell me what that means to an ignorant person like me?

Mostly, what is an MNC, what role do they play, and why are they important?

[hapollo8]

Thanks for that, unfortunately Red Pocket is now sending out sims with 240. I received one about 2 years ago for the $30 annual plan and it has 240 as well.

The sim number is 8901240. . . . .

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As posted back a few pages: https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...72#post1723277

I ordered a $5 RP sim on 10/15/22, received it on 10/19/22 and activated successfully on FP after a port-in issue. So something changed sometime beginning of November as speculated.

[dcs9]

Three quick questions:

Does this plan work with basic (unlocked) 4G flip phones or is a smartphone actually required like the OP states? This seems like a perfect option as an emergency backup for a senior in an area with excellent T-Mobile coverage.


Is there any reason this wouldn't work simply as a number for 2FA texts? For all intents and purposes this is a regular T-Mobile number?


Finally, can I pick this up in-store at Walmart? Or is the SIM only available online?

Thanks in advance!