Just a quick note before we get started. You might see other sites advertising $50 off a Ting phone. Ting has updated their referral program and dropped the coupon to $25. So if you still see a site showing $50 off, they are misleading you to earn a commission.
I have been on Ting Wireless for six months now. I love their service as much today as I did when I first made the switch from Verizon. I want to share my experiences over the course of my first six months.
Ting has changed a lot over the last few years. While there is still some good info on this page, you may want to check out my latest review here: 2016 Ting Review
Back in the dark ages (the dark ages of 6 months ago) I had a flip phone. I resisted upgrading to a smart phone because I didn’t want to pay Verizon a high monthly fees for the privilege. I waited for prices to go down, but they never did. Finally I saw that Verizon was going to start offering a shared family data plan. When that plan finally came out, I ran the numbers and found it wasn’t really going to save me any money at all.
*** Ting Coupon – Save $25 on phone or service ***
So, I waited some more. One day I heard about this new company called Ting. Supposedly they did things differently. No contracts, all plans offer shared minutes/texts/data, free wifi hotspot, and prices flexed according to actual usage. I read many positive Ting reviews, but it all sounded too good to be true.
I was worried about giving up the good voice coverage I had with Verizon, since Ting runs on the Sprint network. Luckily, Ting offers free voice roaming on Verizon if you are outside of the Sprint coverage areas. With that worry out of the way I ordered a phone to give Ting a try.
That phone went to my wife and after one day she was hooked. Moving from a flip phone to a smart phone really opened up the possibilities for her. She could text easier, she could upload pictures to Facebook, and check her email. All the standard smart phone stuff, yet without the ridiculous data charges.
Fast forward six months and you’ll find us very happy with Ting. My wife and I each have a Samsung Galaxy s2, and our daughter has a Samsung Transform Ultra with a slide out keyboard. In my opinion the phone you choose is almost as important as the service. I found the screen on the transform to be a bit too small, while the screen on the Galaxy s2 is just right.
We like the Galaxy s2 so much, we haven’t found any reason to upgrade to the s3. We’re planning to wait until the s4 comes out and even then we stick with the s2. It’s really that good. Of course if I were just moving to ting and buying a new phone today, I’d go ahead and get the s3 so that I’m on top of the technology curve.
The Good Things about Ting
- No contracts
- All plans can share minutes/texts/data
- Free wifi hotspot and tethering
- Only $6 to add additional phones
- Reasonable prices
- Plans flex based on your actual usage (you use more you pay more, you use less you pay less)
- No overage fees (an obvious feature since the plans flex)
- Great voice and text coverage (Sprint plus free roaming on Verizon)
- A new that allows you to port over your Sprint phone (good if you already have a Sprint phone of are looking for a cheaper used device on ebay or craigslist.)
- Fantastic customer service and support
- They support you if you want to hack or root your phone. (lots of good info on Ting’s forum and help area)
The Bad Things about Ting
- Smaller data coverage (Ting uses Sprint data coverage which is smaller than their major competitors, and they don’t offer roaming to other carriers for data.)
- Somewhat limited selection of phones (although much improved from when I first signed up, especially with the ability to bring over a Sprint phone. No iPhones though.)
Good or Bad Things about Ting (depending on how you look at it)
- Unsubsidized phones – This means higher up front costs, but potentially lower cost over time.
Summary
Overall I am very pleased with my decision to switch to Ting. I have three smart phones and my monthly bill ranges from $80 to $110 depending on how much voice, texts, or data I use. The fact that their plan flexes depending on actual usage was a huge plus for me. That means I’m never paying too much and I will never be penalized for going over my minutes, texts, or data. If I use more of any category then they just bump me up to the next level for that month, and if I use less they bump me down to a lower level for that month.
There have been some times where I wish the data coverage was a little better, but I’ve never really been in a spot where I needed it and didn’t have it. It’s mostly just been a minor inconvenience and I’ve found that more and more stores are offering wifi, which helps fill in the coverage area.
I wouldn’t go back to Verizon though. I hate being locked into a contract and having to pay really high fees for phone, text, and especially data. Ting allows me the freedom to upgrade when I choose and the fees are low compared to the other wireless carriers. I can see myself staying with Ting for along time to come.
If you are ready to check them out for yourself, I can save you $25 dollars on your first device or on your first month of service. Just follow the link below.
Save $25 on a Ting phone or wireless service
I want to be open about the fact that I get a small comission if you sign up through this link, but my recommendations would be the same regardless. I am a real Ting customer and believe they offer one of the best wireless plans in the US. If you are leary of this, then you can bypass the coupon link and go directly to Ting.com. I hope you will be as happy as I am with their prices and service!
T-Shirt Give Away
A representative from Ting saw a review I had posted and wanted to thank me by sending a free t-shirt. I told her that I have a bunch of great people reading this blog and I’d really like to give away a few t-shirts to some lucky readers. She agreed and sent me three shirts. Like everything else at Ting, the shirts are pretty cool. Here is a picture.
This contest is now closed. Thanks to all that entered and Congratulations to our winners:
Tony, Mossie, and Teenie.