This post is by our regular contributor, Erin.
It wasn’t long ago that I was still making monthly payments of $92 to Verizon Wireless.
That was $1,104 per year. Quite a price to pay just to text and surf the web (I’m not very attached to my phone).
I was trying to make as many extra payments on my student loans as possible, so that didn’t sit well with me. Those were a bigger priority than my cell phone.
I started looking into alternative carriers, and came across Republic Wireless. I was skeptical until a coworker of mine showed up one day, raving about it. After a week of him experiencing good service, I decided to make the switch and haven’t looked back.
What Exactly is Republic Wireless?
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Republic Wireless is an alternative cell phone carrier that has plans ranging from $5 to $55 per month.
Overall, it rewards customers for using their phones on WiFi, so it’s a great solution if you have WiFi networks available while you’re at work and at home.
For cell data, Republic Wireless is on Sprint’s network. It’s not the best (I’ve encountered my share of dead zones out in the back country when on road trips), but if you’re a casual phone user (or in a big city), it’s fine.
I’ve been a customer since January 2014 and I’ve only had a handful of issues. It’s the perfect solution for me as I work from home and have access to WiFi a good 90% of the time. I hopped on the old $25 per month plan for 3G and pay around $30 with tax.
Instead of shelling out over $1,000 per year, my phone costs have dropped to around $350. I’d say it was worth it!
Republic Wireless Plans – It Includes a Refund!
Republic Wireless has made some changes to its pricing model recently. They’re no longer offering the plans you may have been familiar with ($5 for WiFi, $10 for WiFi+Cell, $25 for 3G, and $40 for 4G).
Instead, you can choose the $5 WiFi plan, or the $10 base plan with unlimited everything over WiFi, and unlimited calls and texts over cell. From there, you can add on 4G data. It’s an extra $7.50 for 0.5GB, $15 for 1GB, $30 for 2GB, and $45 for 3GB. The chart below explains it a bit better.
Breakdown of new cell phone plans from Republic Wireless (Click for Larger Image)
If you go over the amount of data you purchased, you’ll have to buy more (which can be done instantaneously from the Republic Wireless app on your phone).
If you have unused data at the end of your billing cycle, you’ll actually get a credit for the amount you didn’t use. Republic Wireless gives this example on its site:
Being on the 0.5GB plan ($17.50 per month), and having 0.2GB of data unused at the end of the month will give you $3 back, so you’ll only pay $14.50.
I can tell you that most months, I’m below 0.5GB of data usage. It just depends on how you use your phone. If you’re worried about going over, Republic Wireless has made it easy to monitor your usage. You can check it from the app on your phone, and play around with the settings to lessen how much data you’re using.
I think offering a refund is a great incentive for people to use less cell data, and it’s a nice reward for those of us already using less (note that I’m using 91% WiFi!).
What Phones Are Available?
This is one of the biggest concerns most people have, especially if you’re an Apple lover. Republic Wireless phones use special hybrid technology to enable WiFi-to-cell handover, so only the Moto E and Moto X (both 2nd Gen) are available to purchase from the store.
However, if you look on eBay, you might be able to snag a Moto G, Moto E, or Moto X (1st Gen). If you’re not satisfied, Republic Wireless offers a money back guarantee. If you’re a new customer and buy your phone through them, you’re eligible for a 30 day refund on the phone and monthly plan.
If you buy your phone through a third party, you’re eligible for the 30 day monthly plan refund, and you can always sell your phone.
I have the 1st Gen Moto X, and it’s still going strong. I had an iPhone 4S before that, and an Android phone before that, and both OS’s have their strengths and weaknesses. I don’t have a huge preference.
If the phones are a deal breaker for you, you might want to look at other alternative carriers that let you bring your phone with you. I actually ended up giving my dad my iPhone, which he activated with Tracfone.
Pros and Cons
Even though you can net some great savings with Republic Wireless, it’s not for everyone.
Pro: There’s no contract. You must pay for the phone upfront (which can be seen as a “con”), but you’ll likely recoup your costs within a few months. Again, you can get a used one online if the $130 (Moto E) or $300 (Moto X) price tags are too high.
Con: The biggest drawback for most people is going to be data usage. If you’re concerned you’re too mobile to be connected to WiFi all the time, and don’t want to worry about data, Republic Wireless probably isn’t for you. There are a lot of settings you can tinker with to optimize your usage, but you might feel like paying extra is worth less hassle. Review how much data you’ve been using with your current provider before considering it.
Pro: There’s a very helpful community surrounding Republic Wireless. If you ever have any questions, besides opening a support ticket, you can check the forums and ask other community members for help. There’s also a comprehensive Wiki you can read through if you’re experiencing any issues or having second thoughts. From my experience, their customer service is prompt (and friendly).
Con: If you’re someone who looks forward to updating to the latest OS, you should be aware it can take Republic Wireless a little extra time to roll out updates. Since it requires special hybrid technology, Republic Wireless needs to modify the OS accordingly. For example, the latest OS for Android is Lollipop 5.1, and I’m still on KitKat (4.4). However, new phones come with 5.1, and Republic Wireless continues to fully support all its phones.
Pro: The biggest advantage is obviously the savings. Everyone who switches to Republic Wireless is looking to cut their cell phone bill, and that’s definitely possible if you’re paying more than $50 per month right now. As long as you’re near WiFi at least half the time, you should see major savings. There’s really no reason to pay $1,000 per year on your cell phone like I did!
________________
If you’re sick of paying too much to be with one of the Big 4 carriers, and don’t mind having an Android phone, consider switching to Republic Wireless. With plans ranging from $5 to $55 per month, a 30 day money back guarantee, and having a refund available for the data you don’t use, there’s not much to lose!
How much do you pay for your cell phone service? Do you think it’s worth it? Have you had any hesitations about switching to one of the lesser known carriers?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
People swear by Republic! I am interested in learning more about the customer service and whether the quality is good. I have Verizon and when it’s spotty I can hardly take it (and I know they have some of the best service). Otherwise, it seems like a great deal.
We have used Republic Wireless and Ting, and we like both! I can’t believe that people pay full price anymore when there are so many low-cost options out there.
We’re republic wireless all the way! We’re too cheap to pay for data but we’ve found the only time we’re really without is in the car driving. I won’t lie; sometimes it’s a tad quirky. I’ll go to make a call and nothing happens. That said, I love republic! We’ll never go back.
Sadly, low cost carriers do not have good service in our rural area. Verizon and AT&T are the only choices if you want to be able to have service without having to be right in the middle of town. I look forward to the day when we do have more options and I can stop being a slave to Verizon.
Have you used the Skype App on your phone? My husband is now officially phone shopping and our only hang up is FaceTime.
Thanks for a full review! I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about Republic Wireless lately, but really appreciate this in-depth review of all the pros and cons! We have AT&T and I really haven’t been happy with it at all lately, we are looking into switching as soon as we can!
I actually know a few people on Republic and love it, but there are some challenges, especially if you have issues with your wifi. I’ve tried calling people a few times and it hasn’t gone through because of the internet issue.
Financegirl I would check the coverage map. It’s fine as long as you’re near a major city with decent reception. I’m fairly close to Charlotte, and back in NY, I was on Long Island, so there weren’t *too* many dead zones. Since I’m home most of the time, it’s easy to rely on WiFi.
As for the customer service, submitting a support ticket is very easy. You can do it straight from the app on the phone, or on the computer. They’ve always been prompt and when I had to call them, they walked me through a fix very patiently. I’ve had horrible experiences all around with Verizon’s customer service, so I may be a little biased. =)
holly3 Me neither. When I got my Moto X my family kept asking about it, and they were amazed I was paying so little.
Mrs Crackin the Whip I’ve had that happen before, too. There are definitely some glitches, but it’s worth the amount of money saved. I try and avoid talking on the phone anyway. ;)
Eyesonthedollar I hope they improve service availability within the next few years. When we drive to my parents, I always put my phone on airplane mode as there’s a lot of back roads with no service (and I don’t want to roam). It’s not fun being forced to stay with the major carriers!
Hannah UnplannedFinance Yes I have! It works fine for me – both home, and away on 3G.
Christina@EmbracingSimple I’m sorry to hear you’ve been unhappy! There’s not much to lose with the 30-day money back guarantee. I went into it pretty skeptical and that was the only reason I tried it out.
blonde_finance Yep, that has happened a few times, though our WiFi/internet in general is horrible as we’re subject to whatever our apartment complex has. Sometimes I find turning my phone off and back on clears things up. The inconvenience is worth it for me since I don’t tend to make a lot of calls, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it if you’re trying to run a business/talk to clients a lot.
I’m still rocking the Moto X 1st generation with the $10 plan and I love it. I was just like you paying Verizon $80 month, so glad I switched.
Part of what I love about RW is the simplicity. Since I don’t have Wi-Fi at my 9-5 office, I don’t check email every 30 seconds or all of the other garbage that we waste our time with, honestly it’s been great. Hope thousands of people switch over.
EvenStevenMoney The Moto X 1st gen is still working just as well as when I first got it!
My fiance is in the same situation – no WiFi at work, but like you said, you can make adjustments within the settings so you’re not using data constantly.
I’m lucky that my job pays for my cell phone and service. If they didn’t, I think I would have a really hard time paying ~$100 a month for service, so I’d seriously consider some of the lower-cost carriers. I’ve had T-Mobile in the past and had good experiences with them.
I really like Republic Wireless! I’ve never been an expensive iPhoe kind of person anyway and I like that you still get to use a smart phone so you don’t feel like you’re in the stone age.
Ali_AnythingYouWant That’s an awesome job perk! T-Mobile seems to be a hit or miss depending on your area. I was with them for a year or so and had spotty service, but that was a while ago now. I’m sure there have been improvements.
Chonce Haha, definitely – the Moto X and E are perfectly fine, even with the E being on the “low-end.” The only thing I have to say is the camera isn’t that great, but that’s not always important to people.
I was really impressed with Republic’s rates… until that recent change. I liked the flat rate. I know you can get the refund, which is a definite bonus. But it’s still a far cry from what it was offering before.
I’d definitely tell people to compare it to Ting before buying. We don’t use cell phones regularly, just a prepaid in case of emergency, so I can’t test out how good a deal it’d be for most people. It could well be that Republic is still the better deal. But it’s worth comparing, I think.