Helium Mobile Shocks Early Adopters: Permanent End to Discounted Pricing Plan
Helium Mobile just pulled the plug on its most popular perk. The decentralized wireless network confirmed it will permanently terminate its early adopter pricing plan—no extensions, no grandfathering.
The Party's Over
Remember those sweet, introductory rates that lured in the first wave of users? Gone. The company is shutting down the discount lane for good, forcing all subscribers onto its standard, higher-priced tiers. It's a classic growth-stage pivot: attract a community with loss-leading deals, then quietly usher them toward the real revenue streams.
A Calculated Move
This isn't a glitch or a temporary adjustment. The halt is permanent, signaling a firm shift in Helium Mobile's go-to-market strategy. The move suggests confidence in its network maturity and user base stickiness—betting subscribers will pay more rather than jump ship.
Active users on the plan get a final countdown before the switch flips. Expect migration notices, updated billing dates, and the inevitable chorus of online complaints from those who signed up for the 'deal of a lifetime.'
The Bottom Line
For the crypto-native crowd, it feels familiar: another project transitioning from incentive-fueled growth to sustainable economics—or as Wall Street might call it, 'monetizing the user base.' It's a necessary step for longevity, but one that rarely wins popularity contests. The decentralized telecom experiment continues, just at a higher cost of entry.
Helium upgrades all early access $5 and $20 plans to Air Plan
📌 Starting Jan 27, we’re making a few updates.
Changes apply to early-access plans ($5 Beta, $20) and the Zero Plan. Affected subscribers will be notified directly.
These updates help keep our phone plans among some of the most affordable in the country, long-term.
🧵👇
— Helium Mobile 🆓 ☁️ (@helium_mobile) January 12, 2026
The firm announced that the remaining early access $5 and $20 plans will be upgraded to Air Plan. The mobile network provider detailed that early access users with $5 plans will receive a one-time $10 credit on their accounts as an incentive for participating in the project’s initial development stages. The company said that users who upgrade their $5 subscription plan to Air or Infinity before the deadline will receive a 50% discount for a year and $50 in Cloud Points.
The company introduced the zero plan, allowing users to use the platform for a limited amount of data, texts, and calls each month. Users on this plan used to receive 100 minutes of talk time, 300 text messages, and 3GB of data every month.
However, things are about to change for this plan. The decentralized network also mentioned that zero plans will still include 3GB of free data every month, including “1GB from our nationwide partner, plus 2GB when Helium coverage is available.” Helium announced that taxes and fees from payment partners and governments prompted the adjustments. The firm also mentioned that the charges apply to zero-plan accounts, and the cost will be transferred to the consumers.
Helium Mobile users express frustrations over changes to early access plans
Absolute nonsense. You delete the promise of "forever" on your website but Wayback Machine caught you. https://t.co/TyhY2VUt63
So truly sketchy, at best.
— David Chapman 🌹 (@DChapmanCrypto) January 12, 2026
The news sparked a wave of frustration and backlash from subscribers who believe the company has betrayed them. Users took to their social media to express their frustrations regarding the changes Helium announced. One particular user termed the changes “absolute nonsense” and highlighted that the entity had deleted the pledge “forever” from the website, but it was captured by an archiving tool.
The user also urged other frustrated users to utilize AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Grok, to write letters to the FTC and their respective state attorney’s office. Amir Haleem, the founder and CEO of Helium, replied to the user, stating that the company did not pledge to offer the $5 plan to early users forever.
Another user stated that the firm did not disclose the cost of taxes and charges for the zero plan and predicted that the network WOULD shut down within a couple of weeks. Other users expressed their disappointment with the upgraded plans, but said users are still unlikely to find a cheaper alternative.
Despite criticism, the decentralized mobile network provider has expanded into new territories as part of its dedicated plan to achieve global coverage. The network expanded to Brazil in December of last year. So far, Data from Helium Explorer shows that 29 hotspots have surfaced in the country. Helium’s Latin American deployments now exceed 1,000, and the platform cumulatively hosts 1.7 million daily users, facilitating the transmission of over 71.13 TBs of data through its carrier offload program.
Helium launched a kids plan called Sprout in June 2025. The plan will enable parents to actively guide their children through the increasingly connected world. The plan costs $ 5 per month and gives parents and guardians total control over what their kids do.
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