I Was Sick of Paying $137 a Month for Verizon…So I Switched To This Instead

Learn how to stop paying for data you don’t even use in one of the best Republic Wireless reviews ever written. We personally saved over $500 per year!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This post is sponsored by Republic Wireless, however all opinions and reasons for breaking up with Verizon are 100% my own. I would never post a positive review of a product I did not wholeheartedly believe in, paid or not!

WHOA. I had no idea a phone plan this cheap existed. How is this even possible?? You get unlimited talk and text, and then get this—they give you a refund on data you don't use! As soon as my contract is up, I'm making the switch.

When Joseph lost his job last October, we were sent into a huge panic.

We’ve always been pretty frugal, but after looking over ALL the bills we paid, we were forced to make even more cuts to make ends meet. {Fun Fact: I was also in the middle of writing my first book, 31 Days to Radically Reduce Your ExpensesTalk about timing!}

The one place where we hadn’t put in a whole lot of effort though, was our cell phones. We were already part of a larger family plan to initially cut costs, but after seeing what other plans were offering, it was apparent that Verizon was literally sucking money out of our account.

This pained us! We loved the reliability of the Verizon network, but finding a different carrier was a must. We had to break up with Verizon….and make up with someone else. That someone else was Republic Wireless.

The first time I heard of Republic Wireless was at a financial conference I attended last year. I peppered the representative with hundreds of questions I was so intrigued with their service…and to be honest, a bit skeptical too.

But for the last few months, Joseph has been using Republic Wireless as our family guinea pig {he was on the Edge program and could jump ship at any time}, and I have to say we’re both super impressed. With Republic, he pays anywhere between $14-$21 dollars a month, whereas with Verizon, he was paying about $68. This saves us over $500 per year!

Now I can’t wait to make the switch when my contract is up in August, and my goal is to give you all the details about Republic in this post, so you can make the best decision of your life and save hundreds of dollars too.

Update 8/9/16: I left Verizon and am a happy Republic Wireless customer myself!

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What is Republic Wireless?

Whenever I mention Republic Wireless, there are very few people who know about it. I aim to change that! Because it’s one of the best low-cost, no-contract networks I’ve ever found—seriously. I’ve never found another network this cheap, and this reliable!

Here’s why they can charge so little: Republic Wireless focuses on Wifi first, rather than cellular. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Free Wifi is practically everywhere…so take advantage of it!

Quick Facts about Republic Wireless

  • No contract, ever.
  • You get unlimited talk and text, plus you pay for a data plan based on the amount you need. Joseph is currently on the 1GB data plan.
  • Whatever data you don’t use, they refund your account. I don’t know of any other network that does this!
  • Whenever Wifi is not available, Republic hops onto the Sprint network. This really concerned me at first since I’ve heard a lot of negative things about Sprint, but surprisingly, we’ve had no problems in our area. If you’re worried, you can check your coverage HERE.
  • The Republic app shows you how much data you use so you can keep tabs on it at all times. It also allows you to decide what apps can use data and what apps should only work on Wifi. This keeps apps from using data in the background without you even realizing it.
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  • There’s no domestic roaming charges, and even though you can’t make calls internationally {use Skype instead}, you can call Canadian numbers free of charge.
  • In most cases, you can keep your number. Just check HERE to make sure. The best part is, you don’t have to transfer right away. You can try out Republic, then transfer your number whenever you are ready.

The Very Few Drawbacks:

Even though I’m a huge Republic Wireless convert, there are a few things to think about in terms of “cons”. They’re not anything major, but always good to know!

  • We both noticed a small delay when the phone switches a call from Wifi to the Cellular Network, but honestly, it’s not enough for us to be too concerned.
  • When we first signed up, you weren’t allowed to bring your own phone due to the technology they use, but now Republic is allowing these specific devices to transfer over. This is huge!
Note: If your phone isn’t on the list, you can always sell it on Craigslist, then use that money to purchase one of Republic’s phones or use their affordable financing plans. That’s exactly what we did.
  • They don’t have iPhones….yet. But I have high hopes that this is something they’re working on in the future! In the meantime, they have quite a few phones to choose from, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which is rated the top smartphone in the world right now.

Joseph’s Review

I asked Joseph if he would give a quick peek into how he’s personally enjoying the phone. Here’s what he said:

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Holy cow – I can’t believe how much I’ve been paying for Facebook all these years! I thought I needed oodles of data every month but once I realized how much of that data was being spent on social media, I really decided it was time to give Republic a try.

I got the Moto G 3rd generation and sold my iPhone 6. In all honesty that really was the toughest part of the switch. iPhones are great and if Republic ever gets them I will probably use some of the money I’m saving on my monthly bill to purchase an iPhone or a high end Android. But I would never consider going back to Verizon for it. The luxury of an iPhone is not worth $600 out-of-pocket PLUS $60 of my hard earned dollars every month.

When the phone came, I transferred my number. Quick heads up—this process takes a couple of days. You are never without the ability to be called during those days, but your texting ability will go away for a short time. This isn’t a Republic thing, it’s what happens when you transfer your number from one carrier to another.

Next, I installed all my apps, then opened the Republic Wireless app and assigned which apps could use cell data and which should only be used on Wifi. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and Youtube did not make the cut. Important things like Maps and Email did.

Curious as to how much data I used last month? 0.115 GB of my 1GB plan. That got me a $13 refund and left me with a $14 cell phone bill. Oh, and I paid $0 for social media! It’s not that I didn’t use my phone for Facebook….I just did it from home, at the grocery store, and even at homes of friends and family using only Wifi. In fact I used 10GB of data on Wifi for free!

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Intrigued, But Not Sure You Should Switch?

Here’s my challenge to you:  Think about how much you’re paying each month to your phone carrier. Is it worth it? Then by all means, keep what you have. But if you’re second guessing the amount you pay every month and wish you had extra money to put towards your mortgage or a dream vacation, give Republic Wireless a try.

Changing phones and phone plans is a scary thing, but after weighing all the pros and cons, both of us couldn’t justify paying that much every month. We have so many more dreams and goals we want our money to support, and browsing a more expensive version of Facebook just isn’t one of them!

If you have any specific questions about Republic Wireless, I’d be happy to answer them in the comments. Also, when you get ready to make the switch, Republic sends you a Getting Started Guide that is very thorough so you know step-by-step what to do next. We found this extremely helpful!

Want to reduce even more of your monthly expenses? 

Whether you need extra room in your budget, or just want to find more money put towards a future goal, 31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses is your must-have resource to tackle both. Get a peek at the Table of Contents and download a sample chapter HERE!

You can also check out this page dedicated to help you learn how to manage money better!

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What phone carrier do you currently use?

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Republic Wireless wants everyone to enjoy the features of a smartphone at super affordable rates. Through Hybrid Calling technology (that’s WiFi + cellular), they’re able to offer their customers remarkable mobile service plans at unheard of rates. Learn more about Republic Wireless HERE.

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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23 Comments

  1. Were I live xfinity now has a similar deal. However it seems I never have WiFi service anywhere and have to keep it set to use mobile. They use Verizon’s . Even in places I know that have internet I don’t get service unless I logon using their guest account. I was told it automatically uses WiFi. Not that I have to sign in as guest everywhere. So it’s a bust for me not being able to check email or log onto the internet, or use gps unless I switch to mobile. I have to make sure I’ve selected mobile it won’t switch itself. If Republic Wirelss took Ipone I’d try them.

    I was on Sprint but got tired of being told one thing and them doing another. They would say one thing then write up the contract different and tell me they didn’t say that. So after 6 yrs I dropped them.

      1. As long as I leave the cellular data setting on. Though sometimes it’s it’s it ad miss for some things but ok for talk and text except inside some buildings texting isn’t always that great. It seems those who have T-Mobile can get service at work and the rest of us have spotty connection which is odd because they have WiFi connection which is what xfinity is supposed to piggyback onto but it doesn’t seem to do that anywhere I go. I have to always use cellular data on otherwise I can’t use Siri, email, text, check the weather, use the internet, or Facebook. I don’t watch videos bit still it’s certainly teaching me to cut down on using it so I keep my bill down and a lot of times I make sure to wait to get home. Mom thought she’d have better service too from they way they talked at the store. Even at Starbucks unless we log onto the guest site or use our own cellular data most we can do is talk on the phone. I also use waze a lot for directions and have to have cellular data on for it too.

  2. First, you can’t bring your own phone to this plan. Second it is only 1gb cell service which wouldn’t work for anyone who owns a business and is on the road a lot. You would be better off to use the plan from Walmart where you can bring your own phone and is 45 a month for unlimited everything.

    1. Hi Sarah,

      This plan certainly isn’t for everyone. It does however work amazingly well for any business owner who spends the majority of their time on WiFi {like me}. You are right though, if you do a lot of business travel, or just work outside of a WiFi network for the majority of your day then you could end up using a lot of data. My husband used to work in TV and there was no way he could have switched to republic because he was always having to send a LOT of photos and even video through his phone. Now we are both on the plan and both use less than 1/2 GB per month. Of course, on WiFi we burn through tons of data – but that’s free.

  3. Google Fi also refunds back any data that you don’t use. It’s a little more expensive, but so far, I’m really happy with it. I switched from my beloved iPhone to an Android Nexus5x (Google Fi doesn’t support iPhones yet) after my husband switched and had used it for about a month and I was super-impressed. I’m pleased to see another service out there that is making change in the cell-phone service industry. It’s taken too long!

    1. I’m really hoping that the added competition will start forcing Verizon and others to start lowering their costs. It doesn’t seem to be happening yet though.

  4. i have us cellular and my phone bill a month is $90…husband has straight talk for $45/month unlimited talk, text, and data & his flip phone was 20.00…..I don’t live on my phone, but im either debating trying republic or straight talk. im nervous republic wont have service in our area, but it is worth a try!

    1. You can check their service maps! And also – if you spend most of your time at home, you don’t have to worry about the service there as long as you have WiFi.

  5. I have had Republic Wireless for almost a year and there is no way I would give it up! I have my kids on the plan and am teaching them to be responsible with their data. Where else can I have 3 cell phones and only pay $40-45 a month?

    1. What an awesome way to teach responsibility. In our world of “unlimited everything” it’s so easy to forget that “unlimited” can have a huge price tag attached.

  6. Its not all what its cracked up to be, I have been a RW user for years due to financial issues and well, never ever has there been a day/week/month that I dont have issues with my phone/service. There is no customer service, no phone number to call, you get to submit a ticket. Once a ticket is submitted, it gets sent to the community where any customer who thinks they know what is going on will respond. Not once has one helped. You then have to escalate the ticket for an actual RW tech support person to respond. 99.9% of the time, they dont actually figure out the issue – they just simply want you to do a factory reset. So please, dont think that this is the best way to go, I have had years of nonstop issues with no resolutions.

    1. Hi Kristen. Kalyn’s husband and Republic Wireless guinea pig here. I’m sorry that it hasn’t been working out for you.

      I had an issue once as well but when I opened my support ticket the advice (which included punching a bunch of buttons on my phone) worked like a charm. The problem was solved without having to leave the house and without being up-sold to (which is what always happened at Verizon.) I would keep trying with the community and then support! I’m sure there is a fix for your phone’s issue!

  7. Love, love, love Republic Wireless! I have not had any problems with my service. I am paying around $14 a month, after my refund for unused data. I highly recommend them!

    1. I love hearing the great reviews. I’ve been amazed to find out how many of my friends already use, and love Republic!

  8. I have been on Republic for awhile now. I love it and have the Moto G too. I was never ‘married’ to a phone and savings are more important to me. I have always thought the Iphone is overrated 🙂 It is just a phone after all…

    1. My husband likes his Moto G too – Although he is eyeing some of their new phones. The thing is – If we put aside the money we are saving on the phone bill toward a new phone – we’ll be able to buy it with cash just after a few months! He’s said he’s going to wait at least a year though. We’ll see…. 🙂

  9. i have considered lowering my data plan through T-mobile. I hardly even break 1gb these days. I am currently paying 40 a moth for my cell phone plan, but if I ever leave me iPhone, I might give google fi a try.

  10. There is just no way I would part with my iPhone. If they ever bring them onboard I would consider a switch. I have att with a corporate discount bc of my employer. My other issue is data…the 8 hours I’m away from home I’m in a secure building with no wifi! I actually use my 5gb each month!!

    1. Sounds like you are one of the few exceptions to who can save with this sort of plan. If you are looking to save, though, I would check your settings to see how much of that data is spent on unnecessary apps. Some apps steal data in the background and you can turn that off in the iPhone settings! Maybe it would let you get down to your carriers 3gb plan.

      1. I’ve gone through all that, it’s just a matter of no wifi access for 10 hours/day!

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