A review of my year using Ting - the cell phone service company.
Bottom line: I really love using Ting! The last 12 months have saved us $400. And that is after I subtract the cost of the phones we purchased.
If that alone has helped you decide to change; just scroll to the end of this post for ways to save even more money when you switch to Ting.
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When I look at my bills from Ting I don't cringe in horror like I used to. Especially because I am a pretty low usage user. I always hated how "Unlimited" didn't apply to me or how you have to have premium service if you want to use a smart phone. I know things are changing in the cell business - lots of competition is helping to lower the cost for everyone - I just want it super low now. 
Using Ting for just myself the bill was $16/month. Now with my DD and myself we are $25 - $30/month.
I did buy a fancy smart phone last year when I switched. You can opt for a "simple" phone or a used one or you might be able to use the phone you use now. My phone quickly paid for itself with the big monthly savings and referral credits earned (THANK YOU!).
I LOVE my Android smart phone. DH has an iPhone and it's nice too, but I like my Samsung better. 
I had Sprint service before switching, so I knew my coverage area would be the same, but far less money. In the past year my coverage has only gotten better as equipment has been updated and expanded.
The customer service is A+. You can email or talk to a real live person. That is so very nice.
Keeping track of your usage is also very easy. There is a "Dashboard" online that shows your usage like a speedometer in a car.
The only negative (a small one) is that when I call or text my DD it counts as double - me sending/her receiving. *shrug* Not a big deal, but something to bear in mind.
Also a negative for some people, the fact that Ting doesn't offer the iPhone. For me that doesn't matter, but I know some of you are holding out until the do.
Just keep in mind you are spending way more than you need to...
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Now is a good time to switch to Ting if you've been thinking about it.
1) They are now offering to "pay" a portion of the early termination fee that you are charged when you leave your old carrier.
Information here:
2) Use my referral code to save $25 off a phone or service. *Thanks* in advance!
https://zlibcgmej.ting.com/
Happy Cell Saving to You!
September 19th, 2013 at 11:21 pm 1379632862
September 20th, 2013 at 12:02 am 1379635374
September 20th, 2013 at 12:19 am 1379636380
September 20th, 2013 at 12:36 am 1379637387
September 20th, 2013 at 01:37 am 1379641040
This past week people with smartphones have saved us several significant hassles, from finding directions to checking store hours to looking up other info. I'm sort of rethinking getting them -- but our prepaids are less than $50 per month for just calling and texting, so it would have to be really attractive.
September 20th, 2013 at 05:18 am 1379654337
You are correct
cfree: Bummer!
ceejay: My data usage is low, about 30-45mb/month which keeps me in the small bracket at $3/month. I mostly try to use it while it is on a WiFi network - which is almost everywhere really - and that costs nothing. I do use the 3G/4G to look at web pages, directions, online coupons (yay!), play games while I'm out and about. I just don't use data for "big" download things like videos, music, software updates - I wait until I'm on my WiFi to do those things. I never thought I'd use my phone online as much as I do. It is so handy.
My texting ranges between 30 to 130. I used to try to keep my minutes under 100/month, and I did, but now sharing 500 min/month with DD I use about 200.
September 20th, 2013 at 04:04 pm 1379693075
http://www.republicwireless.com/why-republic-wireless
September 21st, 2013 at 06:34 pm 1379788440
CCF - One way you could test out Ting coverage is to get one of the least expensive phones offered by Ting, or find a Sprint phone on ebay, etc. and activate it with Ting. Try it out for a few weeks and see if it works for you in your area. That's pretty much what I did - my only problem was that I just couldn't leave my iPhone behind.
June 17th, 2014 at 01:17 am 1402967863
The iPhone is now supported on Ting -- both BYOD and directly sold by Ting.
For ceejay74, $50 a month for me is overpaying for data, in my opinion. I'm actually on Republic Wireless, and they've got "unlimited everything" (you know, with all the fine print -- there's a soft cap at 5 GB and some soft caps on lengths of calls) for $40/month, including roaming to Verizon Wireless (soft caps are much lower when roaming).
Virgin Mobile offers "unlimited everything" as well for $55/month, but no roaming (Sprint network only). It really depends on how much you're using all around -- minutes and data are far more expensive than text; burning minutes is more expensive than megabytes at the upper end. But for myself, I rarely use more than a few minutes every month while using from 100 MB to 1.5 GB per month.
What I find most appealing about Ting is their customer service: even for a non-customer like myself (on Republic Wireless), Ting customer service is pretty stellar. They answer quickly, courteously, honestly, and thoroughly. I don't know how to describe it in any other way--it's drastically different from Sprint/Virgin Mobile customer support, which gives you the run-around; it's drastically different from Republic Wireless's non-support. They even occasionally point you to better deals than their own website (they did this once on their blog for a Nexus 5)! Now that's what I call customer-focused business integrity!