Ting Review After 1 Month of Usage

If you already read my Ting review and are ready to switch, please use my referral link and claim your $25 credit.

For most people having a smartphone is a luxury that they can’t live without, I know I can’t.  But if you’re still using one of the major carriers, then you are getting robbed big time.  I’ll explain.

I mentioned before that I switched to Ting in order to save money because my Sprint bill was too much for me.  I was paying $127 for two phones (Family Plan) and that’s including a 25% discount I got from work.  That means I was paying $1,524 a year just to have access to Google on the go.  And that number is way below the average cost of owning a smartphone.  The average cost of owning a smartphone for 2 years is around $3,400 for ONE phone!  I just wasn’t okay with this.

Like many people, I always thought that there were only 3-4 cell phone carriers and that’s it.  I thought everything else was either a scam or didn’t work.  Oh was I wrong.

I started doing some research to try to lower my cell phone bill and found a few options.  The two best options that I found for me were Republic Wireless and Ting.

Republic Wireless has some great affordable plans, but you can only use their phones so I decided to go with Ting.

Pricing

Ting is a month-to-month cell phone provider in which you only pay for what you use.  They divide the rates in “buckets” and you are charged based on your actual usage at the end of your billing period.  There are separate buckets for minutes, messages, and megabytes so if you are not a big talker or send a lot of text messages (like me) you could save a lot. Confused? See below.

By using their calculator I was able to determine that based on my typical usage my bill would be $49 + surcharges if I switch to Ting.  This estimate is based on two phones.

My first thought was, “What are these surcharges?  This must be a trap.”  But after reading plenty of reviews, these surcharges are just typical taxes and regulatory fees, which come out to around $5.

Remember, I was paying $127 per month on Sprint so by switching to Ting I would save at least $70 per month or $840 per year.

Coverage

Ting uses the Sprint network and since I already had Sprint I would have the same coverage as before for half the price.

Ting uses the same cell phone towers that Sprint has, which means you get the same voice, text, and data coverage that Sprint costumers get.  This includes 3G, 4G, and 4G LTE.

Ting also has an agreement with Verizon and AT&T in which they offer voice and message service when you are roaming, effectively providing coverage almost everywhere.  There is no charge for voice and messaging roaming.  Ting, however, does not provide data roaming.

Devices

Since Ting uses the Sprint network you can pretty much use any Sprint phone. You can use anything from the iPhone 4, 4S, 5 to any HTC device (including the One M8) and any of the Galaxy phones.  The only thing is that the devices are not subsidized, because they don’t try to tie you to a two-year contract, so you would have to buy the phone full price or bring your phone if you have a Sprint device.

I already had Sprint so I just used my phone and didn’t have to pay anything.  You can also get a used or refurbished Sprint phone from either the Ting shop, Ebay, or Amazon.

Don’t have a Sprint device?  Ting partnered with Glyde and you can effectively swap your phone for a Ting-ready device that’s the same model and in the same condition.

Stuck in a contract?  Ting will give you back 25% of your early termination fee – up to $75.

Like to keep your number?  Ting allows you to bring your number when you switch.

So let’s see:  I will have the same coverage I currently do, can use the same phone I’m currently using, get 25% of my early termination fee, and can keep my own number for about half the price I’m paying now?  Where do I sign?!

My Personal Experience with Ting

As I mentioned before, I was paying $127 for a Family Plan with Sprint.  Me and Mama-dukes are in the plan together but I pay the entire bill – “Tu me debes la vida” she says “You owe me your life.”  I can’t really argue with that so I pay for her phone.  With Ting I only pay $55 per month.

My contract had already expired, but my mom’s phone was still under contract for the next 5 months because she switched phones and apparently that reset her contract.  The early termination fee for my mom’s phone would be $60, but since Ting gave me 25% back, in reality the bill was only $45.

If I switched I would have to pay $55 for Ting and $45 for the early termination for a total of $100.  And since $100 is still $27 less than if I stayed with Sprint I switched right away.

I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but after a few hours with Ting all my worries disappeared.

The transition to Ting was painless.  I just entered the phone number I wanted to bring over and which phone I wanted to use and they did the rest.  The cancelled my account with Sprint and all I had to do was restart my phone to activate it with Ting.

My phone works the same as it always did.  I haven’t had any dropped calls and I’ve had coverage everywhere I’ve been.  I’ll see how it turns out when I go to Idaho and Yellowstone in a few weeks.

I really can’t believe I was paying so much money for the same service that I now get for less than $60 a month.

Since I made the switch, the only downtime I had with my phone was when I cracked the screen and had to replace it.  Other than that, it has worked perfectly.

Keeping Track of your usage

Ting has a great dashboard where you can keep track of your minutes, texts, and data usage.  You can also set reminders when you reach a certain number of minutes, texts, or Megabytes if you want to keep your balance low.

 Costumer Service

After my first month with Ting I went to check my bill and sure enough it was only $55.  But since I had $15 credit from the early termination fee refund and $25 credit from using a referral link, I was only supposed to pay $15.

The bill, however, did not include the credit and I couldn’t find a way to pay my bill online.  So I decided to give them a call and ask about these two issues.

To my amazement an actual person picked up the phone.  I didn’t have to dial 1 for English and didn’t have to dial 8 for billing information, which was very pleasant.

The representative on the phone explained that I was going to be automatically charged on the credit card they have on file.  I guess I had to enter my credit card when I signed up but I had forgotten.  He also went on to explain that the credit will be applied prior to the credit card getting charged.  I was pleased with that answer so I said thank you and hung up.

Not even a minute later, I received an email from the representative summarizing what we had just discussed.  Not an automated email, but an actual email written by him.  That really surprised me.

Based on my one phone call, I give their costumer service excellent marks.

Overall, I highly recommend Ting.  Not just because it has saved me money, but also on principle.  I really don’t understand why the major carriers charge so much money for their service.

If Ting keeps providing the same service, I will never go back to Sprint or any of the major carriers.

If you are a Sprint costumer, there is no need to keep paying more to get the same services that you can get with Ting.  And if you are not a Sprint costumer, you should really think if your service provider is really worth the extra $100 a month.

I’ve had Sprint for years and even though it might not have the same coverage as Verizon Nationwide, I always had coverage everywhere I went.  If you live anywhere near civilization, you should be fine with the Sprint network.

I suggest you take a look at your current usage and see if switching to Ting can save you money.

If you are ready to switch, please use my referral link and get $25 credit.  I don’t get paid, but I do get credit as well if you use my link.

Which cell phone provider do you have?  Have you tried Ting or Republic Wireless?