Helium Mobile was a wireless carrier that’s trying to stand out by offering a no-cost basic phone plan alongside affordable paid plans. The free Zero Plan gives light users enough data, calls, and texts to stay connected each month without ever paying a bill—as long as you meet the plan’s usage requirements.

Now that's changing.

Helium Mobile’s notice effectively gives users a narrow 15-day window before the once-free Zero Plan begins transitioning into a paid service through added taxes and fees. The email went out quietly, and unless you were actively watching your inbox, or digging through Helium’s support documentation, you could very easily miss it.

And that's not all, if you were on one of their $5 Beta and $20 Unlimited Plans/month plans you're also affected, you're being moved to the $15 Helium Air plan which limits you to 10GB of data per month.

It almost feels as though Helium is betting on exactly that: users not seeing the email in time, forgetting to cancel, or assuming “free” still means free. Once that short grace period passes, the responsibility shifts entirely to the customer, and charges can begin appearing on accounts that were originally marketed as costing nothing.

What makes this especially frustrating is that the details are spelled out, just not prominently. In Helium Mobile’s FAQ, the company explains that users have 15 days to cancel their line before taxes and fees are applied.

Taxes and Fees
Taxes and fees will start to appear on your bill starting January 27, 2026. You will need to make sure you have a payment method on file to cover these charges.

​If you do not wish to continue service under these updated terms, you may cancel your Zero Plan at any time before January 27, 2026, with no penalty.

The clock is ticking ...