After nearly two years with Ting wireless service, this is my review. I researched several different companies and read multiple reviews, but in the end we decided on Ting and have been very happy with that choice. After reading the review if you decide to sign up use my link below for a discount.
In our home we've always watched our budget pretty close. So while I was in grad school we held off on getting smart phones to keep our budget down. Once I started my first job with my new degree in summer of 2015 we were ready to make the switch. But I wanted to avoid getting into an expensive phone plan where I paid for minutes or data that we weren't really using. So I wanted to do some research first and find something that worked for us. I started by looking at reviews on Consumer Reports website. You need a subscription, but in my mind it's well worth it.
From Consumer Reports I decided to check out a few companies that were highly rated and I had never heard of including Ting and Consumer Cellular, as well as the big companies that most consumers use. Consumer Cellular looked solid and is very highly rated on Consumer Reports, but they really are focused on the needs of senior citizens and that didn't fit what we were looking for.
For us it looked something like this:
To estimate Ting's prices for yourself try it here.
I wasn't sure how much data we would use, but used our current bills to estimate talk and texting. I didn't think we'd use a lot of data and 1GB seemed reasonable to me. $42 also seemed to fit the kind of budget we were thinking of, so as far as price goes I was convinced.
In our home we've always watched our budget pretty close. So while I was in grad school we held off on getting smart phones to keep our budget down. Once I started my first job with my new degree in summer of 2015 we were ready to make the switch. But I wanted to avoid getting into an expensive phone plan where I paid for minutes or data that we weren't really using. So I wanted to do some research first and find something that worked for us. I started by looking at reviews on Consumer Reports website. You need a subscription, but in my mind it's well worth it.
From Consumer Reports I decided to check out a few companies that were highly rated and I had never heard of including Ting and Consumer Cellular, as well as the big companies that most consumers use. Consumer Cellular looked solid and is very highly rated on Consumer Reports, but they really are focused on the needs of senior citizens and that didn't fit what we were looking for.
Ting Pricing
What I really appreciated about Ting was their business model. They only bill you at the end of the month, there is no contract (you can come and go as you choose), and you only pay for what you use. The last point was huge for me. Ting uses a bin system that makes estimating how much you'll pay very simple.For us it looked something like this:
I wasn't sure how much data we would use, but used our current bills to estimate talk and texting. I didn't think we'd use a lot of data and 1GB seemed reasonable to me. $42 also seemed to fit the kind of budget we were thinking of, so as far as price goes I was convinced.
Ting Coverage
The next step for me was to look into coverage. With Ting the coverage is simple the use both CDMA and GSM networks and you can choose which based on the phone that you purchase. For the CDMA network Ting rents space on the Sprint network and for GSM Ting uses T-Mobile's network. We had been with Sprint and knew that their coverage worked in our area and my parents used T-Mobile so we also knew that would work for us. In terms of coverage that was all we needed to know.
Ting Phones
The final thing to check before taking the plunge for me was finding a reasonable priced phone. Ting is primarily a wireless service provider and doesn't subsidize purchasing any phones or offer any discounts. They do sell a variety of phones here, but you are purchasing the phone outright rather than paying over time (and paying a lot more). I looked there, but thought I could probably find a better deal. I ended up purchasing a refurbished iPhone 5 for my wife through eBay. At the time the price was about $150, they are of course less now. I used an iPhone 4 that my parents had, although a few months later I also bought an iPhone 5. The iPhone 5S is now available for a bit less than that. We've both been very happy with our phones and have no problem with either purchase.
Ting, 2 Years Later
We've been very happy with Ting. The service has been great. There have been a few minor issues (setting phones up), but nothing major. The customer service we've received from Ting has been better than any company I've ever worked with. They are fast, talk to you like a normal human being (i.e. not a customer service robot who you can tell is following a script), and have resolved every issue I've had quickly and completely to my satisfaction.
The bills have been slightly higher than I estimated. My data and minutes estimates were both a bit low, but our bills have ranged between $48 and $60 a month, including all of the taxes and fees. That is a price that I'm comfortable with and we feel like we can do what we want to with our phones.
Ting also offers a variety of tools to show you your usage during the month. Right now for the current month ours looks like this:
So we're about to move up to the next bin on messages and still have a ways to go on data and minutes. Typically if we're just barely over Ting has not charged us the higher price. Ting also allows the user to set caps and warnings if usage is getting higher than expected in a given month. I haven't used that much yet, but I imagine that as my kids get older and start using phones as well I may want to be able to turn off their data.
That's my review of Ting Wireless. I'd love to hear your questions or your experience in the comments.
If you're interested in joining you can use the link below for a $25 discount on your first bill or on the purchase of a cell phone.
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