Mint Mobile offers unlimited plans with 35GB of unthrottled 5G and 4G data for $30/month, 12GB for $25/month, 8GB for $20/month, and 3GB for $15/month. All of these options are significantly cheaper than the same amount of data on Google Fi.
The relevant part is that Mint works just as well on phones not optimized for Google Fi as it does on phones optimized for Google Fi, eliminating vendor lock-in. Mint works on the Librem 5 and the Pinephone (and also on iPhones). Future FOSS phone hardware that uses GSM-based cell networks will be Mint-compatible.
The catch is that the rate is for annual billing, although Mint offers a 3-month trial at the annual rate.
If you live in an area where T-Mobile is weaker (rural areas or areas outside of metropolitan areas), AT&T and Verizon will provide more consistent coverage than both Google Fi and Mint. AT&T is GSM-based and will work on the Librem 5 and the PinePhone. Verizon is CDMA-based and might not fully work on these phones.
AT&T Prepaid is currently offering an unlimited plan with 22GB of unthrottled 5G and 4G data for $50/month plus tax with monthly billing. There is also an offer for 8GB of 4G data for $25/month plus tax with annual billing.
CDMA is no longer activated on new contracts/devices, and the CDMA network is planned to be shut down by next year (December 31, 2020).
Verizon is now LTE (GSM/3GPP)-based.
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=9150
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone_APN_Settings#Ver...
Some Librem 5 users suggest activating the Verizon SIM card in an Android phone or iPhone, and then moving the activated SIM card to the Librem 5:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Purism/comments/cjjcdv/well_librem_...
GSM-based networks still seem to be the more reliable option for Linux phones, but it's good to see that Verizon might also be compatible with some effort.
There are a lot of cloud telephony companies that'd vend you a number and gladly connect your calls over the Internet so that you avoid roaming fees [0].
And data-plans are easy and super cheap to come-by given the advent of esims [1].
[0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.esim.numer...
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobillium....
The one thing I don't like is I can't have people call my number because it's a US number and it costs them extra to call it in Europe.
Prepaid/pay-as-you-go SIMs shouldn't.
But are you fine with it tracking your every move and tricking you into buying useless stuff with targeted ads?