Do You Have To Use The Freedompop App

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

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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?

See all 5 questions

FreedomPop user reviews

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Reviewed by Ola from Uk on 27th Nov 2016
Advise, don't go for it, period.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Reviewed by Sarah from United Kingdom on 12th Oct 2016
AWFUL... Seriously dont bother!!!!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.!
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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