Image: Max McCaskill
With millions of subscribers, Lyca Mobile is the world's largest international MVNO and offers wireless service across over 20 different countries. As an MVNO, Lyca resells phone service from major carriers in every country it operates in. In the United States, Lyca now operates on the AT&T network, meaning it has access to the nation’s second-largest 4G LTE and 5G networks.
I originally tested Lyca Mobile’s service in 2025 and was impressed by its excellent coverage and fast download speeds. However, I struggled with the carrier's customer service and felt it was not a great value overall.
In the year since, Lyca has shifted its coverage from T-Mobile to AT&T and adjusted the data allotments for some of its plans. With that in mind, my fellow WhistleOut expert Jessica Santero and I retested Lyca Mobile on its Unlimited Plus plan.
While Lyca Mobile offers excellent coverage and impressive data speeds, we found it's still plagued by poor customer service. Additionally, Lyca has increased the prices and lowered data allotments on some of its plans, making it an even worse value than before if you're paying full price.
Let’s dive into our retesting experience with Lyca Mobile and see if this carrier is right for your needs.
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How we tested Lyca Mobile
Jessica Santero and I spent one month intentionally testing Lyca’s service to see how it performs in everyday scenarios. My testing was based in North Carolina, while she was in Southern California.
The features and scenarios we tested included the following:
- Testing mobile data speeds in rural and urban areas
- Sending texts and photo messages
- Making phone calls
- Streaming music from our phones
- Using the mobile hotspot
- Streaming video (Netflix and YouTube)
- Playing mobile games such as PUBG Mobile
- Downloading updates to apps
- Getting help from Lyca Mobile’s customer service
- Managing our plans via the Lyca Mobile app and website
The bottom line: A new network, but the same old problems
Overall, Lyca Mobile’s service is still reliable and fast, especially in urban areas, where I recorded peak download speeds of 208Mbps on the AT&T network. Lyca’s plans also work well for calling, texting, and mobile hotspot capability.
On the other hand, Lyca's main problem is still that its plans are simply overpriced compared to most other MVNOs, and the carrier has slowly devalued some of its most popular options. We also had issues with customer service and measuring our data usage, though these are not necessarily dealbreakers for everyone.
Lyca Mobile's plans and pricing
Lyca offers a variety of plans, including four unlimited plans and a selection of limited data plans with prices ranging from $19/month to $59/month. All of Lyca’s plans include unlimited talk and text, an allotment of high-speed data, and unlimited international talk and text to 100 countries.
Below are a few of Lyca's most popular plan options.
Top Lyca Mobile plans
| Plan | Full-speed data | Hotspot | Price | Shop this plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $29 Unlimited International Plan | 15GB | 10GB | $29/mo. | View at Lyca |
| $39 Unlimited International Plan | 25GB | 10GB | $39/mo. | View at Lyca |
| Unlimited Plus | 40GB | 15GB | $49/mo. |
View at Lyca |
| Unlimited Pro | 40GB | 25GB | $59/mo. |
View at Lyca |
We tested Lyca’s Unlimited Plus plan for $49/month and were mostly pleased with it. The data speeds were fast, and we saw excellent coverage.
That said, much like our previous experience, we still felt it was overpriced for the plan's inclusions. You can get a lot more data for around the same price from other carriers like Cricket Wireless or US Mobile.
Where Lyca pulls ahead is still its promotional pricing. The carrier often offers deep discounts for several months to customers who switch to its services. For example, I saw a promotional pricing for the Unlimited Plus plan as low as $12.50/month for nine months for new customers. That's around a 74% discount. If you can find a deal like that, Lyca is an excellent choice for a few months of service, though you may not want to stick around once the full price kicks in.
|
Lyca Mobile
$33 High Data Plan
$7.50/mo
Pay $7.50/month for the first 6 months<br>Regular rate is $33/month
|
|
Lyca Mobile
$29 Unlimited International Plan
$7.50/mo
Pay $7.50 for 3 months<br>Regular rate is $29/month
|
|
Lyca Mobile
Unlimited Plus Plan
$12.50/mo
Pay $12.50/month for the first 9 months<br>Regular rate is $49/month
|
|
Lyca Mobile
$23 Unlimited International 1-Month Plan
$23.00/mo
Pay $5 for the first month<br>Regular rate is $23/month
|
Lyca family plans
Lyca Mobile previously offered solid family discounts with its $29 Unlimited International Plan. However, the carrier has now eliminated its family plan options. Customers who want family plans or multi-line discounts will need to look elsewhere.
If you need a family plan, there are still plenty of other options. Check out our list of the best family plans to find a carrier that meets your needs and budget.
How we rated Lyca Mobile: WhistleOut’s metrics
Fact-checking Lyca’s claims
Here at WhistleOut, we review all carriers using the same five metrics: price, value, speed, coverage, and customer service. Each metric is assessed over a 5-star point system to calculate the carrier's overall score.
Lyca Mobile's ratings were:
- Price: 2 out of 5
- Value: 1 out of 5
- Data speeds: 4 out of 5
- Coverage and network reliability: 4 out of 5
- Customer service: 1 out of 5
Price
There’s no way to get around it: Lyca’s plans are more expensive than most of its competitors.
The Unlimited Plus plan includes 40GB of data and a 15GB hotspot. That’s simply not a great data allotment for the $49 price. For comparison, both US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter plan and Cricket Wireless’ Smart Unlimited plan—which also operate on the AT&T network—include much more data for a lower price. US Mobile's Unlimited Starter offers unlimited premium data and a 20GB hotspot for $25/month, while Cricket's Smart Unlimited offers unlimited data (subject to deprioritization) and a 15GB hotspot for $45/month.
Lyca's Unlimited Pro plan is an even worse offender, including 40GB of high-speed data (previously 60GB) and a 25GB mobile hotspot for $59/month. If you look closely, that's the same data allotment as the Unlimited Plus plan, just with an extra 10GB of mobile hotspot.
All that said, Lyca's switching deals are still a fantastic value for a few months of service, with most plans offering 50% or more off. However, sticking around after the deal runs out is not the best choice for your phone bill.
Score: 2 out of 5
Value
We feel that Lyca’s value has declined since our last review. For some of its plans, Lyca has raised prices without offering much in return. It also axed its family plan, eliminating a multi-line discount that made its service more affordable.
Here's how Lyca's four main unlimited plans have changed since last year:
Lyca Mobile unlimited plans changes
| Plan | Full-speed data | Hotspot | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$29 Unlimited International Plan
|
15GBIncreased from 5GB | 10GBIncreased from no hotspot | $29/mo.Increased from $23/mo. |
|
$39 Unlimited International Plan
|
25GB | 10GB | $39/mo.Increased from $29/mo. |
| Unlimited Plus | 40GB | 15GBIncreased from 10GB | $49/mo. |
| Unlimited Pro | 40GBDecreased from 60GB | 25GB | $59/mo. |
As you can see, only the Unlimited Plus plan and the $29 Unlimited International plan received solid upgrades. While still not a great price, the $29 Unlimited International Plan does offer enough data to be competitive with other carriers now. Plus, the free extra 5GB of mobile hotspot is a welcome addition for the Unlimited Plus plan.
Even worse, the Unlimited Pro plan actually had its data allotment lowered by 20GB while maintaining its original $59/month rate.
On the other hand, the $39 Unlimited International Plan was hit with a $10/month price hike with no changes to its data allotments. Even worse, the Unlimited Pro plan actually had its data allotment lowered by 20GB while maintaining its original $59/month rate. For average customers looking for a cheap phone plan, there are simply better options.
To be clear, Lyca’s introductory pricing is still extremely competitive for frequent plan switchers. Customers with friends and family living abroad will also benefit from the unlimited international minutes and texts to 100 countries, which are included with all plans. Few other carriers offer free international calling as a perk with all of their plans.
If you're a frequent switcher or need international calling, Lyca may offer enough value to consider them as your next carrier. That said, by increasing prices, stripping data from some plans, and getting rid of its family plan options, Lyca has decreased its overall value for most future customers.
Score: 1 out of 5
Data speeds
Image: Max McCaskill
Despite switching networks, Lyca still shines with its data speeds thanks to AT&T's excellent 5G network. While we did measure slightly faster speeds with T-Mobile last year, the AT&T network is still excellent and offers better rural coverage.
Lyca's download speeds are incredibly fast. In urban areas around San Diego, Jessica measured 5G data speeds up to 68Mbps. I know the location of one of AT&T's fastest towers in my area of North Carolina, and I measured a 5G download speed of 208Mbps.
These fast speeds will allow you to do anything from streaming videos to playing mobile games without a laggy experience. Jessica also noted that while she was testing in San Diego, "I always measure a provider by their ability to maintain a FaceTime call or video chat while I’m on the highway, and it performed well."
Score: 4 out of 5
Coverage and network reliability
Image: Lyca Mobile
Lyca Mobile offers excellent coverage and network reliability through AT&T’s nationwide networks. The carrier previously offered coverage through T-Mobile, and it's now phasing out older plans still on that network.
5G coverage
AT&T offers the second-largest 5G network in the nation by blanketing 38% of the country with service. Much of this coverage is centered in urban areas, meaning the majority of people will have excellent service from Lyca.
During our testing, Jessica and I never lost a signal or experienced slow speeds when in cities and suburbs. I never experienced deprioritization, even when visiting areas with a lot of people on their phones, like shopping malls. Jessica noted that she even had strong enough coverage inside a parking garage to use her mobile hotspot.
4G LTE coverage
Lyca's 4G LTE coverage has majorly improved with the switch to AT&T. T-Mobile had the smallest 4G LTE footprint among the three nationwide cell networks, while AT&T is the second-largest, falling just behind Verizon.
For Lyca’s customers, this means that its service is more widespread in rural areas that T-Mobile previously struggled to cover. I live in rural North Carolina and experienced much better Lyca service on AT&T. Jessica took her phone hiking in Poway, California, and never lost her signal, even recording a 36.8Mbps download speed while out on the trail.
Overall, both urban and rural customers can consider switching to Lyca and expect excellent coverage.
Score: 4 out of 5
Customer service
Image: Max McCaskill
Customer service was the biggest pain point from my previous Lyca review.
Lyca still offers customer support through online guides, a virtual chatbot, online agents, and phone agents. Unfortunately, Lyca's customer service has not really improved. The chatbot is still largely useless, and the online agents—while eventually helpful—were rushed and constantly looking for excuses to cut off our conversation.
The online guides are helpful if your questions are simple and easy to answer. As for the chatbot (named LIA), I found it to be just as useless as it was last time. In my previous review, I complained that it responded to most of my questions with completely unrelated answers. To Lyca's credit, it appears they tried to fix that problem. Unfortunately, it seems the solution they developed is that when LIA doesn't know an answer, it simply gives up and stops talking.
When I told LIA that wasn't my problem, it said "Hmm" with the thinking face emoji, then stopped responding
As you can see in the chat above, I was initially having connectivity issues with my plan. I described the problem to LIA, and it responded with three FAQs that didn't match my issue. When I told LIA that wasn't my problem, it said "Hmm" with the thinking face emoji, then stopped responding (which was hilarious but extremely unhelpful).
In one case, they disconnected our chat just 15 seconds after sending their message, while I was typing the answer to their question.
Since I didn't have a great experience with the phone agent during my last review, I decided to try the online agent instead. It took about 15 minutes to be connected, then over an hour to finally find a solution. The agents were helpful, but not patient. They would take several minutes to respond, then immediately start peppering me with variations of "are you still there?" or "we haven't heard from you in a while," forcing me to type fast or send unfinished messages to avoid getting disconnected. In one case, they disconnected our chat just 15 seconds after sending their message, while I was typing the answer to their question.
Overall, if Lyca's customers need help, their best option is still to talk to a human, but it may not be a pleasant experience.
Score: 1 out of 5
Signing up with Lyca
Signing up with Lyca Mobile is still easy. You simply build your plan on the Lyca website and select what kind of SIM card you want. If you want an eSIM, you can join the network almost instantly. A physical SIM will be mailed to you and may take a few days for shipping.
I selected the eSIM for my Pixel 6, while Jessica got a physical SIM for her Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
Activating a Lyca Mobile plan
Image: Max McCaskill
When activating my first plan in 2025, it took me over an hour of trial and error to complete the process. Lyca hasn't changed it's activiation process, so while it was much faster this time, I think it's still confusing for new customers.
Whether using a physical SIM or eSIM, you must visit Lyca’s activation page after installing your card. From there, you'll select the type of SIM card you have and whether you need a new phone number.
What's tricky for new customers is that Lyca requires your phone number to log into your new account, but the carrier doesn't tell you how to get it. Turns out, Lyca will only text you the new number after you've activated your plan and restarted your phone.
Managing your Lyca Mobile plan
Image: Jessica Santero
You can manage your plan from the Lyca Mobile app or website. It’s easy to change your plan, add more data, and keep up with your bill schedule.
"Almost none of the tracking buttons work, which would be the main thing I would want to check as a customer." - Jessica Santero
That said, unlike other carriers, there's no way to monitor your usage. As Jessica put it, "There is little to actually do on the MyLycaMobile dashboard. Almost none of the tracking buttons work, which would be the main thing I would want to check as a customer."
While 40GB of premium data is a sizeable allotment, and the average customer only uses 10–15GB of mobile data per month, you still don't want to exceed that amount. However, Lyca doesn't appear to offer a way to measure it, leaving customers to track it themselves or guess.
Canceling the plan
Canceling your Lyca plan is simple. As a prepaid carrier, if you stop paying your bill or unenroll from autopay, Lyca will automatically cancel your plan after your current period ends.
If you want to keep your number, you’ll need to switch carriers before your current billing period ends. Once you port out, Lyca will also automatically cancel your current plan.
Did we like Lyca Mobile’s Unlimited Plus plan?
Despite the issues with Lyca’s app, customer service, and pricing, we did like the Unlimited Plus plan itself. It worked as advertised by providing excellent coverage with fast data speeds.
Data allotment
The Unlimited Plus plan offers 40GB of high-speed data, which is a sizable amount. While we didn’t have a way to track our usage, we do know that neither one of us exceeded that limit. Plus, the average customer only uses around 10–15GB of mobile data per month, meaning this plan offers more than enough data to comfortably meet most people's needs.
How much data do I need?
The amount of data you use per month is a good indicator of how much data you’ll need in a phone plan. Most people overestimate how much data they use and end up overpaying for expensive unlimited plans.
Check out our mobile data usage guide to learn how much data you really need in a phone plan.
Mobile hotspot
The Unlimited Plus plan also includes a 15GB mobile hotspot. I rarely use a mobile hotspot, so 15GB would be enough to meet my needs. During testing, I had excellent mobile hotspot speeds, easily streaming videos and doing some remote work.
Jessica also had a great experience with Lyca's mobile hotspot. Lyca's coverage with AT&T was so strong that she even got it to work inside a parking garage with 10Mbps download speeds.
Streaming and gaming
Data-intensive tasks like streaming videos and playing mobile games were also fine on the Unlimited Plus plan. I watched Netflix and YouTube videos with minimal buffering. As for mobile games, I played PUBG: Mobile multiple times in different locations without experiencing lag. Jessica completed FaceTime and video calls and noted that the service is extremely smooth when switching from Wi-Fi to the Lyca network.
Lyca Mobile vs. the competition
The best parts of Lyca Mobile—its coverage and data speeds—are made possible by its reliance on AT&T’s network. Customers who want those features don’t actually have to pay Lyca’s substandard pricing or deal with its customer service. Other carriers, such as US Mobile and Cricket Wireless, offer better unlimited plans at cheaper rates.
Lyca Mobile vs. competitors
| Plan | Full-speed data | Mobile hotspot | Price | Shop this plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lyca Mobile Unlimited Plus Plan |
40GB | 15GB | $49/month |
View at Lyca Mobile |
|
US Mobile Unlimited Starter |
Unlimited | 20GB | $25/month |
View at US Mobile |
|
Cricket Wireless Smart Unlimited |
Unlimited* |
15GB | $45/month |
View at Cricket Wireless |
*Subject to network deprioritization.
Between all these plans, US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter is the best option. For just $25/month, you get access to unlimited high-speed data, a 20GB mobile hotspot, and free international calling to select countries. That’s more premium mobile data for almost half the price of Lyca Mobile's Unlimited Plus plan. Plus, US Mobile offers coverage on all three major networks, so you can switch networks whenever you want. Lyca does pull ahead with its free international calling and texting perks. If you need that feature, Lyca may be worth paying more for.
I’ve also tested US Mobile’s Unlimited Starter plan, and I’d recommend it over Lyca for most customers. US Mobile is one of the only carriers that allows customers to select any of the major networks. Plus, for $44/month—which is still cheaper than Lyca—you can get the Unlimited Premium plan that includes unlimited premium data, a 100GB high-speed mobile hotspot, and a streaming perk with family plans. Check out our US Mobile review for more details.
As for Cricket Wireless, it's a much closer comparison. The Smart Unlimited plan technically offers more high-speed data than Lyca's Unlimited Plus, but it's subject to deprioritization due to network congestion. Both plans also offer the same-sized mobile hotspot. That said, Cricket is still slightly cheaper (by $4/month) and is owned directly by AT&T. This generally means you may have a more consistent service experience on Cricket, and you'll have access to hundreds of physical Cricket stores if you need troubleshooting help.
Jessica tested Cricket Wireless and was impressed with the service. She felt that its value and customer service were excellent, and she even saw download speeds of over 300Mbps. Check out her Cricket Wireless review if you’re interested in learning more about its offerings.
Recap: Would we recommend Lyca Mobile?
We would recommend Lyca Mobile to customers who need international texting and calling to other countries as a free perk. For other users, Lyca’s introductory rates are enticing enough to justify switching for a few months, but it's not a carrier you’ll want to stick with for long.
While we were impressed with Lyca's lightning-fast data speeds on AT&T's network, the carrier is simply too expensive for what you're getting. Looking at the Unlimited Plus plan, 40GB of data and a 15GB mobile hotspot is not a great buy at $49/month. Several other carriers offer the same widespread coverage and fast data speeds, and even more data, for much lower prices. Add in the difficulties with Lyca’s customer service, an app with buttons that don't work, and how it's slowly devalued its plans over the past year, and Lyca rapidly becomes a hard sell.
Lyca may have upgraded its network and improved a few plans, but it largely still faces the same problems that plagued it a year ago. For most customers, it should be a pass.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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