Ting-a-Ling! Save on Your Mobile Phone Bill
Mobile phone service plans can be maddeningly confusing. You pay a certain amount for a bucket of minutes, text messages, and mobile data. But at the end of each month, you may see that you didn't use all you paid for. Or worse, you have to pay EXTRA for going over your allotment of minutes or data. Ting feels your pain, and promises not to rely on confusion to turn a profit. Read on to check out some of the Ting plans that can save you money on your mobile phone bill... |
What is Ting?
Ting is on a mission to make your mobile phone plan make sense. You may have noticed that Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile constantly roll out new service plans, each one more confusing than the last. But Ting is all about clarity, transparency and flexibility. You can roll your own contract-free service plan, choosing different amounts of mobile data. (All Ting plans offer unlimited talk and texting.)
With the cheapest Flex Plan, each line added to your account costs $10/month, plus $5 per gigabyte of LTE/5G data. A single line with 2 GB of data would be just $20 a month. Data is shared across lines, so a family of four could pay $60 and share a 4 GB data pool. Or pay $80 and share 8GB of data.
The Set 5 Plan offers 5 GB of data for $25/month per line. Your example family of four would pay $100 and share 20GB of data. The Set 12 Plan offers 12 GB of data for $35/month per line. Your example family of four would pay $140 and share 48GB of data. There’s also an Unlimited Plan (22GB of data for $45/month/line) and the Ollo Unlimited Pro Plan (35GB of data for $55/month/line). You can add as many lines as you want under an account but all lines must be active on the same plan at this time.
All Ting plans provide unlimited talk and text, nationwide 4G/LTE coverage and 5G in some areas. You can use your high-speed mobile data as a hotspot. Any unused data carries over to the next month. Ting's rate chart shows all the service plan options and details.
No Math, No Contract.
You can estimate your monthly needs for each family member and see which plan works best. Or skip the math and just sign up yourself and any family members for the lowest-priced Flex Plan and pay just $5 for each extra gigabyte of data if needed. (AT&T charges $10 for extra gigs if you go over your data allotment. Verizon charges $15 per extra gigabyte.) Keep in mind data is shared between family members, and you can switch between plans at any time.
Ting requires no contract, and you can cancel service at any time. That's a breath of fresh air for anyone who's ever been in the vice-like grip of those multi-year cellular contracts that come with hefty early termination fees. Also, there are no start-up fees with Ting. They don't charge extra to activate or transfer your number over from another provider. Oh, and if your current mobile provider has an early termination fee (ETF), Ting will help with that too. They will refund 25% of your ETF, up to a maximum of $75 per device.
And how about some free stuff? Every Ting customer gets Voicemail, Call Forwarding, Caller ID, Three-way Calling, and Picture & Video Messaging. Not impressed? How about free number porting, tethering, and mobile hotspot capability? I know for sure that Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T don't offer all those things for free.
I also like Ting's approach to customer service. Ting says they hire people ("geeks", actually) who are already accustomed to solving problems for their friends and families. These reps are trained and empowered to solve problems without reading from a script. And for what it's worth, my rep spoke perfect English.
You can purchase a Ting-compatible handset, such as the $99 Moto E smartphone, $199 for a refurb iPhone 8, $499 for a Samsung S20 FE, or $1099 for an Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. (Monthly payment plans are available) Or, you can bring your own device, if it's compatible with Ting's mobile carriers. Ting's phone campatibility page will help you determine if your existing phone will work with Ting.
You can also check Ting's network coverage in your area. Ting is a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), which means they are a reseller of services from "three of the four national networks, including the nation’s largest." By contract, they're not allowed to name those "four national networks" but I can tell you that they are Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Ting provides service on all but the AT&T network. They'll automatically assign you to the network that provides you with the best coverage in your area.
Are There Any Incentives to Join Ting?
As of this writing, Ting is having a Groundhog Day Flash Sale, which is 20% off your data plan for 6 weeks, if you buy a SIM card or phone from Jan 31 to Feb 2. (New customers only, and discount is applied to one line only per account.) If you're already a Ting customer, you can give a friend a $25 credit to try Ting, get a $50 credit when they activate.
I can't guarantee that Ting would save everyone money in the long run. My gut reaction is that most people (or families) would benefit. For a small business, it seems like a slam dunk win. I have no business relationship with Ting, and I don't get anything if you sign up. Check the rates page mentioned earlier here, and see if your personal, family or small business mobile phone bill looks better with Ting. At the very least, it's a unique step towards more transparent pricing of cellular services. Perhaps it will spur further movement in that direction.
Have you tried Ting, or are you curious about it? Post your comment or question below...
This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 31 Jan 2022
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Most recent comments on "Ting-a-Ling! Save on Your Mobile Phone Bill"
(See all 29 comments for this article.)Posted by:
Hugh Gautier
31 Jan 2022
Hmm, I save even more than that, and I still have unlimited talk and text. So, what is the difference? I eliminated the Internet from my 4G flip phone service. With no internet, that eliminates SMS text as well. Monthly with a military, and senior citizen discount, my monthly phone bill is $35.00. Nothing that you have shown gives you that.
Posted by:
JimM
31 Jan 2022
I first heard about Ting a little over a year ago. I switched from my previous wireless carrier ($35/month) to Ting ($18/month + a few cents including taxes) in January 2021 and I bought a new and improved phone as well. Phone is all paid off now. I have been very happy with Ting's service and especially the price. We saved over $180 last year compared with our previous carrier. Switching was easy. Get a code from old carrier, do the switch online or over the phone, Ting sent me a SIM card which I put in my new phone. All done. Now I get unlimited talk and text and 5 Gigabytes of data. I've never run more data than that, but if I did it's $5 for another 5 Gig. Can't find a better price... so far.
Posted by:
JimM
31 Jan 2022
Reply to John:
You asked, a) Is wifi-calling enabled on their system
b) Are the prices "tax & fees inclusive"
a) yes, though it probably also depends on your phone.
b) No. My cost with Ting is $15/month plus about $3 and change for taxes.
Posted by:
Bernie Amler
31 Jan 2022
Have you tried Tello Mobile. Besides all of the things you have listed, they offer FREE calls to over 60 foreign countries.
Regards.
Posted by:
JimM
31 Jan 2022
Reply to Hugh. Your monthly is $35? Mine is $18 and change. How is paying more better?
Posted by:
John
31 Jan 2022
Lucy...Thanks so much for the info!
Posted by:
John
31 Jan 2022
reply to Jim M
Thanks for that info Jim. Latest Samsung so it's available and needed where I am.
Posted by:
Lucy
31 Jan 2022
Hugh Gautier
Ting Flex Plan with no data easily beats what you wrote as your cost. It is $10 per line, unlimited talk and text (plus taxes, maybe $2)
Do go to their website and check out Flex Plan near the bottom of this page of their website:
https://ting.com/plans
" Choose pay as you go data
Only pay for the data you use each month. If you use less, you pay less - it’s that simple. Plus, data is shared across all lines on your Flex account for even bigger savings.
Don’t use data? Only pay $10/month per line."
Posted by:
Mac
31 Jan 2022
Several months ago I changed to US Mobile after comparing several MVNOs, including Ting. I have almost no data usage for 7 months and heavy data usage for 5 months. I have to be on Verizon for the 5 months to get decent data service. The Family Plan is $9 + fee per line for unlimited T&T and $2/GB for pooled data. It's easy to add data @ $2/GB or change the plan temporarily. The total for three lines is $32.48/mo including pooled 2 GB data.
Posted by:
Jo Will
31 Jan 2022
My wife and I each have iphone SE's (original 2016 models- bought on ebay for $100 ea, 2 1/2 years ago). We're both on Red Pockets's $30/year, T-Mobile plan. 200 min/mo, 200 mb/mo, 1,000 texts/mo. for $5 total a month for the two of us. We've never hit those limits yet (but do have to watch data- use wifi for that whenever we can). Check out that on ebay under Red Pocket prepaid card. Red Pocket's been around since like 2004, or about five lifetimes for a MVNO!
Posted by:
Steve
31 Jan 2022
I'll admit that I'm not well versed on Ting's new pricing, however I've been with Ting for years. I have 3 phones and my last bill was 41.00 for all three numbers. They have live people to answer the phone and they get back quickly if you email them. I'm phone shopping with them now since my i5 is becoming obsolete. It's been the best alarm clock I ever owned. I don't know that Ting would be a good fit for power users but it's great for those of us who don't talk much.
Posted by:
gene
31 Jan 2022
Anyone have any experience with Mint Mobile, I see the ads constantly, Ryan Reynolds owns it.
Posted by:
Peter Oh
01 Feb 2022
I expect Ting purchases bandwith from a major carrier. That carrier may not provide the coverage wanted particularly by Rural customers. Comment please?
EDITOR'S NOTE: I addressed that in the article. They buy services from Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile (but not AT&T).
Posted by:
Jay B
01 Feb 2022
We used Ting for years, but switched to Unreal last March. Unreal is $10 per month when purchased a year at a time for unlimited talk and text 2Gb of high-speed data and unlimited low-speed data per month. They have other plans with more data and monthly plans as well. We are quite satisfied.
Posted by:
Chuck
01 Feb 2022
Try Tello. $7/month for 1 Gb data, 100 calling minutes and unlimited texting.
Posted by:
Darrel
01 Feb 2022
Been using Mint Mobile for over a year. $15/month per phone. Check it out! They offer most of the incentives that the other guys do.
Posted by:
Morgan S.
01 Feb 2022
I still use a landline and don't have to waste my time diddling with this nonsense.
Posted by:
Ernest N. Wilcox Jr.
01 Feb 2022
I am a senior citizen with a limited - fixed income. I qualify for an 'Obama' phone, so I use Q-Link. As a result of the pandemic, I get unlimited talk, text, and data until further notice. I am careful to not abuse their generosity because I would like for it to be able to continue as long as possible. IIRC, prior to the pandemic I had about 100 minutes, unlimited text, and (I think) 2 GB data per month. My plan's original limits were more than adequate to meet my needs (I have a MagicJack powered home phone).
I used part of the Stimulus money all Americans received as a result of the pandemic to get a Samsung Galaxy A 21 s phone. It has more than ample RAM and built-in storage, and it is much faster than the free phone(s) offered/provided by Q-Link even though it is nowhere near as fast as any of my PCs (even on WiFi), but for my needs it is more than adequate.
I mostly use my phone for 2FA with my Internet accounts, etc. and for security when away from home (driving to the store, friend's homes, etc.). I am required to make at least one call each month, so I usually call a family member or a friend to talk for a minute or so but sometimes these calls can extend up to an hour or longer :).
Like another commenter, this service saves me from needing a Triple-A membership. In fact, in the fall of 2021 (this past fall) the battery in my car died at a local grocery store. My older son was with me, and I used my phone to call my younger son who came out to help. My two sons went to a nearby Auto Parts store to get the battery checked out. It had developed a dead cell, so they got me a new battery and installed it right there in the groceries parking lot. Thanks to my two sons and my phone this turned out to be an inconvenience. I'd hate to think about how I would have had to deal with this situation without the phone. Thank you Q-Link and the Federal LifeLine program! You saved my bacon!
If I ever win the Lotto or Publisher's Clearing House's Sweepstakes (not likely) I'll try out some of the cellphone service options that are available. Even if I somehow become rich, I won't want to waste money needlessly so seeing the choices listed in these comments could be useful but probably not for me.
My2Cents,
Ernie
Posted by:
Aandy Suhaka
28 Mar 2022
I LOOOVE Ting. That has nothing to do with the fact that I also have Ting fiber. You don't need their fiber to have their cellphone plan. I've had it for about 2 years now. I converted my landline number to my cell at no cost so, I didn't have to tell people I had a new number. It's been wonderful! I'm on their cheapest plan and very rarely go over the data I'm allowed. I pay around $25/month. I used to be AT&T and paid over $100/month. This is a real gem.
Posted by:
Andy Suhaka
28 Mar 2022
And I'm 74 years old and almost a power user.