Updating the above ... My replacement R2 phone arrived on September 1, but did not come with a new SIM card.   Visible says they are working on improving their Customer Service response times.  I was able to reach a Chat agent after a short wait, and they overnighted the forgotten SIM.

After another Chat session, I got the SIM card mounted in the phone and activated.  What Visible failed to mention ("Just punch out the SIM card and insert it into the phone") is their SIM cards have two layers of punchouts.  The first creates a standard size SIM that won't fit in the R2 phone, there's a second layer of punchout inside the standard SIM that creates a mini-SIM to fit in the carrier that slides into the phone.

Anyway, after trying Visible for a couple of weeks, I'm happy.  My old phone was a Total Wireless Samsung Galaxy Luna 3 on Verizon's  4gLTE and the new phone has faster and more consistent data service, even though they're both on the Verizon network.

Visible's mobile hotspot is limited to one device at a time, and although Visible says the hotspot is limited to 5Mbs I had no trouble streaming video and doing other online tasks.  I also got HD video on most streams, even though Visible claims to limit video to SD (CD quality).  It's a good alternative to my primary ATT Mobley hotspot.

Visible also reversed the charges for the first phone and for the month service I didn't get, with the new service starting when I activated the new phone.

All in all, Visible seems to be a good deal, assuming you can get it up and running without needing any additional help.

Edited September 13 by Lou Schneider

LOU I have  mine hooked to a GL.INET 300m smart router. Working fine for 2 computers,if I can make it work anyone can.

Phone-hot spot were working fine,till came time to repay the bill.Well maybe not fine app would not work on phone.When I went to account page on computer there was no place to pay the bill. About 4 hours more or less on chat trying to get that fixed I gave up.My try a whole new account sometime new phone is only $20.00.

I plan to order it on my wife's coming Moto, I have to wait to send them the IMEI I believe.

Mobile Internet Resource Center just put out a public video review of Visible as a choice for RVers and boaters, it is 14 minutes long  - 

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Print version is at  http://www.rvmobileinternet.com/visible?fbclid=IwAR1bE_FtT9_T6o1oZvRMxq1EdAoeuhfcpHs6hJM2pHzhJ6Z43RyfgLJkaCw

I have a Visible ZTE R2 Android smart phone that I purchased last June. So far it has been working great. I spent most of August in Wyoming and Montana. Cell coverage was non existent in some areas, but that was expected out in the boonies. I had good service while on major highways and when near larger towns. Visible is presently selling the R2 for $19 (yes, that's nineteen dollars). I watched the Mobile Internet video and my experience is a bit different. My hotspot speed is usually over 5Mb/s. Here at home in Minneapolis my typical speed is around 17Mb/s. One spot in Montana out in the middle of nowhere, I hit 30Mb/s while connected to the hotspot. The claim that the SIM will only work in a phone is not accurate. I have a 6620L MiFi Jetpack and the Visible SIM works in it after it has been activated in a phone. Also you have to change the APN to VSBLINTERNET.

It's an amazing deal. $19 for the R2 phone and $40 (that includes all taxes and fees) per month for unlimited everything.

Thanks for posting our video and Visible review. 

Up until a couple weeks ago, we were regularly seeing over 5Mbps hotspot speeds - it's only been recently that we're starting to see the throttling. As we stated in the video, we recommend making a choice on the plan assuming the clearly stated limitation and being presently surprised if you don't immediately encounter them. 

Also, needing to change the APN on your Jetpack means the plan is not intended for use on that device. Just because you were able to make it work does not mean it is supported as per their terms of service.

Keep in mind also that the R2 phone, while a great deal, is only a Cat 4 modem and only covers 4 of Verizon's major frequency bands - you will not benefit from carrier aggregation or Verizon's newer bands with that phone. But it is a great way to try out the service with minimum investment.

 - Cherie

I tried. I could not swap any of my existing numbers. I wanted to qualify for the rebate. Nope. I am now out $20. I don't think I want a new number and another bill to pay. Please don't try to tell me how I flicked up. I went through it all and am tired of it.

  On 10/5/2019 at 2:48 AM, Sehc said:

I tried. I could not swap any of my existing numbers. I wanted to qualify for the rebate. Nope. I am now out $20. I don't think I want a new number and another bill to pay. Please don't try to tell me how I flicked up. I went through it all and am tired of it.

There have been numerous reports of problems with porting numbers into Visible (and even worse, porting your number out later). We're definitely recommending that folks NOT port in a number they want to keep and set this up as a new line of service.