Nearly everyone now has a cell phone in the United States. For most people, those cell phones are smartphones, allowing them to access the internet at a moment’s notice through mobile data. Ever since the rise in popularity of the smartphone, people with these types of phones, especially families or those on a tight budget, are looking for ways to reduce the amount of money they pay to their carrier, where costs can often accumulate to hundreds of dollars in a single month, without sacrificing the technology. Because of this issue, many are looking for alternate carriers who offer more affordable options. This is where Google’s new service provider, Project Fi, comes into play. Luckily, Project Fi is gaining popularity and could very well be an alternative to traditional carriers, and a solution to the “sacrificing technology for a lower cost” dilemma.

What is Project Fi?

Project Fi is a cell phone service carrier that Google has recently developed that allows users to use three different networks: Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular, while also subscribing through Google. The cost is $20 a month, and an additional $10 for each gigabyte of data used. It’s a prepaid service, but Google will refund you for any data not used and if you go over, you’re just charged the flat $10 rate for each extra gig of data.

One of the program’s downsides is the lack of phone choice, since users can only choose from some of Google’s new phones or three different types of Nexus phones. Luckily, switching over to the carrier is relatively easy; it only takes porting your number onto the phone and downloading some basic software that transfers your information and adds the apps and features you’ll need to use Project Fi.

Referral Program

Google has recently started pushing a referral program in order to get new users to join Project Fi. They’re running the campaign for a month, offering current users a $20 credit for every person who signs up using their referral code. Another perk is that the person who signs up gets a $20 credit as well, which essentially waives the basic monthly fee. This bonus is only available until January 17th, 2017, so if you’re a current user of Project Fi, take advantage of this opportunity while you can! Unfortunately, you can only benefit from ten uses of your referral code, but that’s probably enough for a couple months of free service, if you can find enough people to use all ten.