FreedomPop
In a nutshell | ||
![]() Date: March 2016 FreedomPop is a new telecoms company, operating in the UK since 2015. FreedomPop offers a free basic mobile service, including free talk, text, and data. Just order a FreedomPop sim card, download the FreedomPop app for Android or iOS, and start making free calls and texts! |
About FreedomPop
FreedomPop is a US company that launched its services in the UK in 2015. The company claims to be the UK's first 100% free mobile phone service carrier.
Can it really offer free calls and texts? If you have used FreedomPop in the UK, please leave a review below to tell us about your experience.
User questions
Sorry - questions and comments on this page are now closed.
Why have you just taken money out my bank,when im not even with you?
Asked by
Mark Barnett
from Uk
on 23rd Feb 2018
So not happy be very careful with your details with freedomrobbers I
call them.
Went to pay a bill too be told not enough in my
account,strange has I knew I had.
Well I would of been ok if it
hadnt of been for freedomrobbers to help themselves to my money.
Best thing is I dont even have a sim or account with them?
Did
have last year very very briefly,wad also compensated and sorted and
finished my time with them.
So 3 months later they think they
can just help themselves!!!!
Best thing is trying to actually
speak to someone,or even finding a working telephone number.
I need to council my simply account please now.
Asked by Mark
from United Kingdom
on 11th Apr 2017
Reply by REUBEN
from UK
on 13th May 2017
@Mark UK: yes, it is virtually impossible to cancel your Freedompop
account. Their UK 01138870823 widely advertised number has been
disconnected. They want you to call the USA to cancel your account.
Their email address doesn't work. Their registered office is an
accommodation address in London.
Of course, all they wanted was your bank details.
Freedompop think they are clever. They are not clever.
Write to your bank to stop this dubious firm from taking any more cash from your bank account.
Problems making calls and sending texts?
Asked by Goddard
from Uk
on 27th Feb 2017
My telephone number is 07737555648. I pay £4.99 a month for
freedompop services. I can't telephone without an interruption and
can't text at all. I can't get the app because my device is
incompatible. What's the solution?
FreedomPop user reviews
Sorry - reviews and comments on this page are now closed.
Average rating from 34 reviews:
Reviewed by Kelly
from UK
on 7th Apr 2018
I ordered a sim on 25.01.2018 for the free trial period, then after
the month was over my account was suspended and I received an email
stating that I needed to update my billing information, even though my
details were correct. They had used same billing information when they
had taken the 1p activation fee from my bank account 1 month earlier,
so I was confused to why I needed to update them when all my details
were still the same! I tried re-entering the details but it just kept
saying error! I couldn't downgrade to the free plan because it was
saying no plans available! I became so frustrated, I changed back to
my old network because obviously I couldn't make or receive any calls
and I need my phone for work and to keep in contact with my children.
So I thought that was the end of the matter... well that was until I
logged into my online banking 5 minutes ago to discover that
Freedompop have taken £65.88 out of my bank account and left my
account £4.88 overdrawn, which I will be bank charged for at the
rate of £8 per day untill I have sufficient funds, which wont be
till the end of the month!! All this for an annual subscription that I
was never going to subscribe to as I cannot afford to pay that much
money out all in one go! I work for peanuts while fetching up two
children and that money was for food shopping and now I've been left
with no money what so ever! Im absolutely disgusted that 1 month and
13 days after the trial period ended and the sim was suspended, they
have the absolute cheek to take money out of my account with the same
billing details that they said I needed to update in the first place
and also the reason for me not being able to use the sim card. I want
my money refunded I have not used the sim I don't even have it anymore
because I thought it was useless!! It's absolute disgusting that I
have been left pennyless through this "companies" ridiculous
service.
Rating:
Reviewed by mooja
from uk
on 15th Dec 2017
Beware of their free trials. Everything works great when in trial. But
as soon as you try to downgrade they slap on a £10 charge which
they call a credit charge. On top of that they suspend the account so
you cannot make any calls. No mention of this when you start the free
trial. There is no way to get this money back. The login does not work
neither does their phone number. This free 2.25gb trial is not free as
stated it costs £10 because they charge you at the end when you
try to leave or downgrade.
Rating:
Reviewed by Kader
from UK
on 31st Oct 2017
I want to cancel my contract with FreedomPop without losing my phone
number, I couldn't get the PAC number from them online, as their
automated customer number don't give me the option. can anyone help in
how to get the PAC number from FreedomPop?
I have many issues
with the network, I never receive text messages, I don’t receive
half of phone calls, etc.. desperate to cancel contract.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ray
from UK
on 25th Oct 2017
Just blocked Freedom Pop from my bank account. They are taking money
although my plan is free. I have followed their instructions to cancel
my account by selecting my name and account settings in my Freedom Pop
account but the relevant icon is not showing. Dodgy outfit, don't go
near them.
Rating:
Reviewed by Paul
from Scotland
on 2nd Aug 2017
I don't share other users experiences.
My bill is
£10.97 every month. Reasonable, cheap even. I get unlimited talk
and text, decent reception, I get 2.25Gb of data with lots carried
over. On paper, quite a sweet deal.
My billing date is
the 14th of the month, and dutifully I pay the £10.97.
Here is my issue. Why was I charged £5 on 1st August? It
doesn't appear on the billing section of my statement, on
freedompop... but i do trust Santander that it has been removed from
my account.
I have submitted a ticket and will wait 48
hours for their reply... after which time I will contact my bank and
the police.
I am extremely disturbed to find a company
arbitrarily removing money from my bank account, without even showing
on the account details they have, why they've done it.
I
would urge all freedompop users to check their latest bank statements
online.
Rating:
Reviewed by Paul Dring
from UK
on 13th Jun 2017
DON'T SIGN UP WITH FREEDOMPOP – THEY BROKE MY BRAND-NEW IPHONE.
When I bought my new iPhone 5 recently, I opted for a
SIM-only deal from Freedompop. Trouble was, the coverage in my area
was completely useless. The phone was unusable for calls and barely if
ever connected to the internet. So I sought a new supplier.
However, when I plugged the SIM from the new supplier into the
phone it didn't work. My iPhone had locked into the previous
Freedompop SIM and no others would now work in it. Despite this being
a seemingly common occurrence in new iPhones, Freedompop was unwilling
or unable to do anything to unlock my phone to allow me to use the new
SIM.
I have been back and fore with their customer
services department for over a month to try to sort this out. At one
stage, my repeated requests for an update went unanswered for TWO
WEEKS, though now they've come back and told me they can't help. The
local shop that unlocks phones can do nothing about it because
Freedompop is too obscure a provider for them to have any unlock codes
for.
The upshot is, I'm sitting on £500 of new
iPhone 5 that has been rendered completely and utterly useless by
Freedompop. I strongly recommend anyone thinking of registering with
Freedompop not to do so. You might lose you phone, too.
Rating:
Reviewed by Watty
from Uk
on 5th May 2017
You can not rely on this network as your primary line as it is too
unreliable. Although I am now just on the free service I have
experienced times where I couldn't make call receive calls. I have a
dual sim phone and it has prevented me from receiving texts on my
other line. After realising I couldn't receive incoming calls a few
weeks later they told me they shouldn't have issued that number and
made me pick a new one offering me 200mb of data for my inconvenience
which I didn't get. The number change was after being with them for
six months. You can rarely make a call in one go it normally takes
several attempts. Everybody without exception complains that they can
barely hear me. The reception is so poor that they try and sell you an
upgrade (premium service) for £1.99 per month to make better
quality calls. The only reason I intend keeping it is because it is
free and can be handy as a backup. You really have to have patience to
be with this network. Most problems can be sorted out by uninstalling
and reinstalling the app.
Rating:
Reviewed by Niall
from UK
on 25th Mar 2017
Freedompop Has got to be the worst experience I have ever suffered in
dealing with telecoms firms. Even FREE has no value.
1. I
ported my 15 year old number to them - I was left without service for
10 (Yes TEN) weeks due to "system issues". They generously credited me
200MB of Free data for the inconvenience.
2. Fast Forward
5 months and realise I havent received a single call or SMS in over a
week. I call my own number from another line only to hear "The number
you are callinng has not been recognised, please check and try
again".
Turns out this time they have "accidentally"
released a whole batch of in use numbers INCLUDING ones transferred
into them to be cancelled.
I ask for a PAC code to leave,
they cant issue one.
They assure me they are retrieving
the numbers and service will be restored, 6 weeks later STILL no
inbound service.
They open a support ticket saying they
will update me and to wait to hear from me, they then close it as i
hasn any update in 48 hours.
I message them thorough
their community forums, only to be told we cant help and are closing
your request.
I call for an update and am told I need to
pay to upgrade my (non working) plan in order to be eligible to speak
to them. When I point out the fact that I have no intention to upgrade
and pay for something that doesnt work they hang up.
All
the staff on the phones are programmed to only read a script and have
no problem solving skills or way to escalate matters. I'm sure out of
work theyre nice people but you would get a better result stopping a
stranger in the street and asking them to fix your issue.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS - FREE HAS NO VALUE WHEN IT FAILS TO WORK AND YOU
HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET ANY SERVICE.
The idea is great the
service is below Zero. I would rate Nil stars if i could.
Rating:
Reviewed by Kevin Potter
from UK
on 14th Mar 2017
Lovely idea but basically does not work. I can send texts but not
receive them and receive calls but not make them. Only half a service.
And yes I do have an excellent broadband connection. Some people have
obviously had a good experience but I would definitely recommend using
only the free option and not porting your number across until you have
fully tested this.
Rating:
Reviewed by Kaye
from England
on 14th Feb 2017
Freedompop have a long way to go before the can be considered as a
contender for any other network. I tried it for 6 weeks, It was pot
luck whether or not the service would be available for me to make
calls, people couldn't get through to me, it rang on thier end not on
mine, texts could only be sent when I was connected to wifi and when i
could make calls I'd have to make several attempts before being
successful and only speak for a maximum of 30 minutes then calls
automatically disconnect. My friends got so frustrated with not being
able to speak to me that one of them just took out an additional chip
with her provider and sent it to me. Save your time and money,
unreliable service and network coverage. Only positive is that I found
the staff to be very friendly.
Rating:
Reply by Lisa
from Uk
on 29th Aug 2017
Just wondering if you have a contact number for them as the 1 I'm
ringing won't connect....01138870823
Reviewed by Torchy
from UK
on 9th Feb 2017
This is fantastic - just understand that it is VOIP - and read and
understand what they say, especially if you want a totally free
service. There is access to WiFi (and mobile data if you must)
everywhere nowadays and one day there will be more services like this;
and you can keep your current number for only £4.99.
BRILLIANT.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ian
from Scotland
on 3rd Feb 2017
Are these reviews for real? I moved from giff gaff 2 days ago. I can
call, text, receive calls and texts. Mobile speed is faster that giff
gaff & signal from where I live is far better. My number took 2
days to port which is normal. I have only been charged for what I
signed up to. Don't take the 2nd SIM and it's up to you if you add
extras. Give it a try. Downside is the 4.99 I paid for transferring
number. For 7.99 a month for 6gb is best on the free SIM market.
Rating:
Reviewed by Susan Fidler
from United Kingdom
on 22nd Jan 2017
Don't use this company. My text texts only work through the internet
at home. Tried to sort out with useless person on helpline that only
works weekends. Trying to switch as soon as possible.
Rating:
Reviewed by steven
from United Kingdom
on 14th Jan 2017
Don't waste your time, got 2 sims downgraded one as didn't need
unlimited calls on both phones (one I use purely as PAYG alternate
number) Number not ported correctly and operative registered both sims
under one email address that you can't even do. had phone put down on
me made a complaint against operative nothing doing, and the service
is rubbish :-( not called freedompop for nothing as thats all I hear
is a popping noise in the background and voice calls sound worse than
skype back in the bad old days HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?
Also it seems you need to have wifi enabled to receive and send text
messages :O
I will give them 2 weeks to sort it out
before the trial ends or I'll be popping off not worth all the hassle
just to save a few quid.
Rating:
Reviewed by Roger
from UK
on 13th Jan 2017
Avoid like the plague. They market themselves as a mobile network when
in reality it's all done by VOIP.
Rating:
Reviewed by Margaret muir
from United Kingdom
on 13th Jan 2017
Please please give this company a VERY wide berth. If you cancel they
ask if you would like to continue with a FREE text service if you
choose yes you still get charged. My new phone doesn't work with this
sim so decided to cha networks however no idea where sim is and don't
have the number as it was previously used in a tablet phone. The
contact info is difficult to understand, why give uk customers an
American contact number. If you choose email you must remember your
phone number and account log in details.
Rating:
Reviewed by Mark
from Scotland
on 6th Dec 2016
ppl its very simple to setup and its free, why are you all
complaining.
I have 4 sims active giving calls txts and
data free forever, plenty of guides to setup phone, I had no
issues.
just remember to untick everything when ordering
and you'll never be charged.
there is a number to speak
to them but it goes to the US/mexico, emailing them is slow so try
their social media sites.
all account issues can be
amended online, upgrade or remove services, just look carefully.
IMHO better than my Ovivo experience.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ola
from Uk
on 27th Nov 2016
Advise, don't go for it, period.
Rating:
Reviewed by Chris
from U.K.
on 21st Nov 2016
This is a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE network. I write this review for others to
save themselves unnessary problems. Don't let the charm of "free"
entice you cause it's anything but free. I made the dumb choice of
porting my number over without trying their service first. It's
littered with issues and problems (no coverage, missed texts, missed
calls etc) then they have NO complaints department or any real
customer service that can action anything. They always say, they will
send to higher ups (which of course is not open to the public) then to
request my PAC code for the number I brought over, they extorted me
with £4.99 (something that was free from my previous provider)
before they agreed to send it to me. They made bogus charges on my
debit card for services I dint even use nor want (£11.97), but
finally I got my code and have finally seen the back of them. As a
sole trader, I lost a fair amount of business due to not having a
number/network where I could be reached properly. I have lodged a
complaint with the ombudsman, ofcom (telecommunications regulator) and
I am also looking to seek compensation for loss of business.
Avoid this network like the plague (and that's me putting it mildly),
if in doubt, go ahead...experience your own heartache.
Rating:
Reply by steven
from United Kingdom
on 14th Jan 2017
Same problem I have had, as it's the beginning of the year (after
christmas) I'm hoping not lost too much calls or possible design
queries due to their negligence. They refunded one of my £4.99
number changes but the other one seems to have gone into
hiding.
Reviewed by Afzal
from UK
on 10th Nov 2016
I truly request please don't make a mistake. This is absolutely
horrible joke. Frredompop not a normal sim mobile network. This is
application. You need urgent WiFi Internet for call and text use. SO I
REQUEST DON'T MAKE MISTAKES LIKE ME.
Rating:
Reviewed by Bhavin
from Uk
on 5th Nov 2016
Signed up but didn't need to use the sims in the end. Finding it
painfully difficult to cancel/downgrade as the site seems deliberately
designed to make the process as convoluted as possible. Need to do 2
downgrades for the 2 sims as well as 2 cancels of premium voice for
which there is no option even when following the guidelines on their
support pages. No other way to get support apart from reading the
limited info on the support pages. 1 out of 10. Don't bother signing
up to these guys.
Rating:
Reviewed by Akash
from U.K.
on 24th Oct 2016
No support. Takes forever to get an email reply (if you ever get one)
. I have had no service, they continue to take money. No data
connection ever (including in central London) so can't use the free
200mb. To use the minutes or texts you need to be on wifi and download
their app. I don't see why you wouldn't just use whatsapp for these
calls and messages.
Rating:
Reviewed by Sarah
from United Kingdom
on 12th Oct 2016
AWFUL... Seriously dont bother!!!!
Rating:
Reviewed by Gemma
from UK
on 11th Oct 2016
I switched my existing number to Freedom pop. The signal is awful in
both my house and work place so I have requested my PAC code so that I
can switch to an alternative network. It has now been over a week
since I first requested it and they have still not given it to me.
Today I was on the phone to them for 35 mins to an advisor that
sounded drunk.
I am now stuck with them until I can get
my pac code out of them.
Rating:
Reviewed by Linda s
from Uk
on 13th Sep 2016
I hate it.no customer service to chat with and also I didn't click the
service above the free 200 mins etc and I've been charged 20 odd
pounds in 6 weeks.which is very upsetting.so I'm going to get my bank
to stop the direct debits from their end as it's a scam and has
charged me even though I ordered the free sims that wouldn't charge
anything over the 200 texts n minutes.
Rating:
Reviewed by Brian A
from England UK
on 8th Sep 2016
When I first found this (Freedom Pop) outfit it seemed like a good
offer, I signed up to receive a Sim card for the sum of £0.99
and agreed that in the event of my exceeding the free
text/call/message allowance they would direct debit my account as per
the rate they specified.
When I installed the sim card in my
phone it did not work in spite of following their instructions for
activation and setup to the letter?.
I then emailed their
customer services explaining my problem and asking for their help, to
date (a month later) I have not received a response.
Because I didn't get a response I removed the card and went back to my
old supplier.
During the time the card was fitted I was not able
to connect or use the phone.
I have now established that
instead of setting up a direct debit on my account (as agreed), they
set up a regular payment? and charged my account £12.98, my bank
says that if I had not contacted them this would have continued to be
deducted monthly/fortnightly even weekly.
I have been
unable to phone Freedom Pop (can't find a phone number) I will try to
email them with a view to getting a refund but won't be holding my
breath.
My advice is to steer clear of them.
P.S. I reluctantly had to select 1 star rating but 0 star is more
appropriate.
Rating:
Reviewed by Wflock
from UK
on 25th Aug 2016
Terrible rip off company that will take money out of your bank that
you don't owe them then refuse to refund it.
Rating:
Reviewed by Jim
from UK/Wales
on 24th Aug 2016
I,ve got the "free" package I can text and receive calls but that's
it. Can't phone out. Customer help is not bothered. So cannot
recommend.!
Rating:
Reviewed by H Stephens
from UK
on 27th Jun 2016
I used their free plan for two months. It sounded too good to be true
and it is too good to be true. The sound quality is awful even in
strong signal areas, you cannot turn off data else you don't receive
texts or calls. Text receiving had been somewhat erratic despite wifi
coverage. When I eventually decided to port my number back to my
original carrier, it was an utter nightmare, constantly offering me
special deals and all sorts of troubleshooting advice despite my reply
each and every time asking for a PAC code. In short it's free service
with terrible coverage and unacceptable level of customer service.
Rating:
Reviewed by Jonathan Hammond
from Wales
on 17th Jun 2016
My partner ordered this for me on a Friday. It arrived on Wednesday
(we had been away, it may have been waiting for us) and while it would
not work in the Galaxy or the LG it did seem to start up in the
Chinese clone phone. Later on Wednesday it decided it could not log in
to it's network. It continued to try all day Thursday. On Friday I
tried to input the sim number to their website. It said the app was
not suitable for my machine. I removed the Freedom Pop sim and binned
it. A phone that does not work is no use to me.
What is lower
than 1 star rating?
Rating:
Reviewed by Mick
from Uk
on 16th Jun 2016
I waited 8 days for my old number to be transferred and since then
have had 4 consecutive days (and counting) without the use of my
phone. I am also frustrated by their troubleshooting email response
times.
I'm a paying customer too and expect better service.
Save yourself a lot of grief and give em a miss!
Rating:
Reviewed by Gerry
from uk
on 6th Jun 2016
Anything free has got to be worth trying so I've just had a one month
trial.
Running on the 3 network I had no problem getting a
mobile signal and it worked fine at home on wifi and the call quality
was fine too.
Not everything was rosy though and I had a
number of service inavailable announcements when on mobile that I've
not ever had and more seriously I found that several people had tried
calling me numerous times and my phone never rang or left a missed
call log. That is in the hands of their e-mail customer support that
has been rather tedious.
I'm going to give it another
month and hope they solve the not rringing issue. Free is nice but if
you cant rely on being contactable that defeats the point and I'll
revert to 3's reliable and affordable 3 2 1 PAYG tarrif.
Rating:
Reviewed by Howard Harbert
from UK
on 23rd May 2016
I have had nothing but trouble using this service. Poor signal is the
least of these problems. I cannot make voice calls even in strong
signal areas. Occasionally I am able to receive a voice call but
mostly I cannot. Using a web browser is impossible; I have never
managed to get past the special rewards or free prizes that pop up no
matter which websites I try to access. Mostly, messaging works - that
is when the messaging app does not fail to initialise properly.
Customer service, which is email only, is a joke. They simply keep you
waiting two days, then say that, since they have not heard any more
from you, they will close the case! It may be free (if you can remain
within 200Mb/month) but it is not worth the trouble.
Rating:
Reviewed by Chris Doyle
from United Kingdom
on 15th Mar 2016
For light users, looking for the cheapest deal, you can't go wrong.
200 minutes, 200 texts and 200MB of 4G data... Free every month!
Calling is via their app (which you must install for calls and texts)
and relies on calls over data rather than over a mobile network.
Still, it works (just like Skype or WhatsApp). And voice calls don't
use up your free monthly allocation of 200MB data.
If you
want sim card functionality, for light use, and consider that you
would not get value from a typical SIM only tariff, then you will find
no better alternative than FreedomPop. Aside from whatever you pay to
sign-up and get a SIM (I paid £6), you need never pay anything
else again - I haven't - it truly is free.
Rating: