Google Fi adds ‘Unlimited’ data and international calling plan at $70/month

Since early 2018, Google Fi has effectively offered an $80 unlimited plan with its “Bill Protection” program. The Google MVNO is now launching an official “Unlimited” plan for both data and international calling.

Google Fi Unlimited is $70 for a single line. In this day and age, customers primarily care about data and the Fi plan is par for the course with U.S. competitors in terms of restrictions, but keeps several Google advantages.

Unlimited data is available both domestically and overseas with no setup required when you arrive in a new country. There are no contracts and you can cancel anytime, while there are zero activation fees. In fact, you can switch between the old per GB plan and new Fi Unlimited every month (at the start of a billing cycle).

However, like other carriers, Google “at any time” may optimize video streaming to 480p quality, while data speeds are throttled after using 22GB in a month. The company notes that the latter currently applies to 1% of Fi users.

Beyond data, Google’s Unlimited plan also includes free international calling. This new addition for the MVNO is only available from the U.S. to 50 countries/territories, while unlimited texting — like data — is available in 200 destinations.

An unconventional bonus is free a Google One membership at the 100GB storage tier (usually $1.99/month or $19.99 yearly). This comes as the service just added automatic phone backup on Android last week. That applies to MMS storage, as well as Google Drive files and original quality Photos uploads. Other features include family sharing, premium support for first-party products, and the occasional perk.

When on a family plan, the per line cost drops slightly: $120 for 2 subscribers, $150 for 3, $180 for 4, $225 for 5, and $270 for six. The monthly price includes texting and calling, which is a seperate $20 fee when paying for data by the gigabyte.

Google is still offering the ability to pay per GB of data with that original plan now called “Fi Flexible” and Bill Protection still applicable. The Google MVNO is available on most Android and iOS phones, but there are a class of “Designed for Fi” devices that allow for “enhanced” functionality. Google is running a limited time 50% offer on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.