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If you’re looking to save money on your cell phone bill, be sure to check out Ting, a cell phone provider with a new view of pricing and customer service. Ting has a fresh attitude towards doing business that may re-define cell phone service for you.
Background
You probably haven’t heard of Ting, they’re fairly new, about seven months old, and are owned by Tucows, in business since 1994. Ting currently offers cell phone service in the US. I recently spoke its CEO, Elliot Noss, about the way Ting is trying to re-write the book on cell phone service.
=> Don’t miss the link at the bottom of this article where Wonder of Tech readers can save $50 at the Ting website.
Reasons You May Want to Switch to Ting:
1. Savings
According to Noss, Ting brings “cleaner, fairer, more transparent pricing” to customers. If you have a family or a business and need multiple phones on one account, Ting can really save you money. “We’re seeing savings typically in the 40-70% range,” said Noss.
Noss explained where the savings come from:
- being able to choose your services (minutes, texts and data) separately
- sharing a plan between devices
- adjusted charges based on your usage.
Each phone on the account costs $6/month and the calls, text messages and data are pooled among phones on the account.
If you want to see how much you would save over your current cell phone plan, check out Ting’s handy Savings Calculator which will calculate savings based on your use. If you’re unsure how much you’ll use your phone, check out Ting’s handy Usage Calculator.
The savings are especially steep for those who use their phone rarely or inconsistently. If you throw your phone in a drawer for a month, the cost would only be $6 plus Regulatory Fees.
2. Custom Plans
Choose your plan based on how many minutes, texts and megabytes of data you use each month. Ting will adjust your plan down or up each month, based on your actual usage, without any penalties.
Ting has a Plan Calculator to help you choose which plan is best for you. Here’s an example of a plan for three phones for people who don’t call much, don’t use much data, but text a lot (for example, my teenage daughters). The monthly cost for three phones is $32;
Heavy users who exceed the maximum amount of usage under the XXL plan are charged:
- 2¢ per minute for calls
- 1/4¢ per text message
- 2.25¢ per megabyte of data
Noss contrasted Ting’s 1/4¢ charge with the 25¢ that some major carriers charge per text message, 100 times what Ting charges. “We make money at 1/4¢. We make money on everything we sell.”
3. Only Pay for What You Use
Your bills will automatically adjust based on your actual usage. If you use fewer minutes, texts or data then your plan’s level, you can go down a level and Ting will automatically give you a credit on your next month’s bill.
Noss gave the example of someone who signed up for the 500 minute a month plan but only used 100 minutes one month, “you’d get $6 credited to the next month’s bill.”
4. Customer Service/Geek Support
If you’re tired of navigating through a phone tree that seems to have been designed by a basket weaver, check out Ting’s customer service. The company has human operators that answer the phone and a “No Hold” policy so you won’t be transferred around to different operators trying to get your question answered.
Ting trains their operators at a high tech level so they can answer all of your questions. They can help you set up your phone and answer questions such as, “What’s the best app for finding restaurants?”
5. No Contract
There is no commitment with Ting. Sign up, quit, change plans, do what you want. You won’t have to stick around for two years unless you want to.
6. Wi-Fi Hotspot
You can use your device as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for free. You get instant access to Wi-Fi anywhere your phone gets data coverage and you only pay for the data you use.
7. Sprint Network
Ting uses the Sprint network so you can use Ting anywhere Sprint has coverage. Ting’s website includes the Sprint Coverage Map so you can see if Ting has service where you need it.
8. 4G/LTE
If you need fast data speeds, you’ll be happy to know that Ting is now selling phones that work on Sprint’s 4G/LTE network.
9. Bring Your Own Device/BYOD (Coming Soon)
Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2012, users can bring a Sprint phone to Ting, with some exceptions. No iPhones, BlackBerry phones, Push-to-Talk phones or phones currently under contract with Sprint will be allowed. Details can be found at Ting’s website.
10. Service Outside the US
Ting offers plans in US, but also can provide service in countries that have CDMA coverage, listed on Ting’s website.
11. Alerts
You can set up notifications if you want to be alerted when you exceed a certain level for each type of service. This feature can be especially useful if you’re sharing a plan with your kids. You can be alerted if they’re going a bit crazy with their texting or using a lot of data watching Netflix videos on their phone.
Things to Keep in Mind
Coverage Is Important
It doesn’t matter how many benefits Ting has for you if you can’t get coverage where you need it. Consult the Sprint Coverage Map to see if Sprint covers your area.
You’re Going to Need a Phone
If you already have a Sprint phone eligible for Ting’s BYOD plan, you won’t have to buy a phone when you switch to Ting after it launches that program. But if you need to get a Ting phone, that will be an added expense. Ting’s phones currently range from the $70 Kyocera Brio to the $579 Samsung Galaxy III.
Ting doesn’t subsidize its phones with contracts so you’ll have to pay close to full retail price for your phone. Noss acknowledged that people aren’t used to paying full price for phones.
“The thing that people miss when they’re getting that subsidy is that they’re borrowing money. They’re borrowing a small amount of money at what is impliedly a very high interest rate. Every single customer we have can borrow that money easily at a much lower interest rate simply by using their credit card.”
No iPhone
If you must have an iPhone, you can’t use Ting yet. Ting doesn’t sell iPhones and won’t let you bring a Sprint iPhone even when it launches BYOD, though they hope to get the iPhone at some point in the future.
Online Only
Ting phones and service are not sold in stores. You have to visit ting.com to sign up for their service and purchase a phone but Ting tries to make the process easy with unboxing videos for each phone it sells. As mentioned above, Ting offers geek support free through its highly trained operators who answer the phone live when you call.
Testing Ting
Ting put me in touch with Elizabeth Nordeman, a database developer at The Hay Group in Philadelphia, who has been a Ting customer for about six months.
“Their customer service is amazing and their price is unbelievable. I can’t believe they’re on the same network as Sprint and I’m paying so much less,” Nordeman said. She figures she is saving about $20 per month on her cell phone plan by using Ting.
Nordeman especially appreciates speaking with a live person when she calls Ting. “It’s a very personal and cool experience. I feel like they actually care which is unusual.”
Nordeman was skeptical when she first heard about Ting and was worried that there had to be a catch but decided to take a risk to save money. “The thing that sold me was the fact that they’re using Sprint’s network,” said Nordeman
Nordeman uses her phone is fairly consistent each month, except for one month when she received a credit on her bill. Her bill was reduced by $13 because she didn’t use as much data as usual, so Ting charged her for the Medium data plan instead of the Large one.
“I had no idea I was using less data until I saw my bill came down the next month.” Nordeman likes that the credit appeared automatically. She also likes that her phone works as a Wi-Fi hotspot for free. That’s a feature she wouldn’t pay for but finds it handy to have when she needs it.
Wonder of Tech Readers Save
Wonder of Tech readers can save $50 off of the cost of Ting service or phones by clicking on this link: Wonder of Tech/Ting (not an affiliate link).
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a new cell phone provider and want to save money, check out Ting.
Had you heard of Ting? Are you looking to save money on your cell phone bill? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Ting sounds great. Again, unfortunately I’m living in Norway 🙂
But, all I’m thinking about right now is if I should be buying the new iPhone or not. Well, it’s not 100% sure that it will be launching on 12. September, but it seems that it will be. And I have no idea how different it will be, but I can’t wait 🙂
Hi Jens, Yes, Ting is just in the US and Canada for now, but they don’t have the iPhone yet anyway, so even if they were in Norway, you probably wouldn’t be switching to Ting. I know what a big iPhone fan you are! 🙂
The iPhone 5 is due to be announced on September 12, but the launch date is probably going to be September 21. I am not sure whether I will be getting it or not. The new phone is supposed to have a different dock connector which will be a real pain for those who have an iPad and any iDevice accessories.
Apple has convinced me before to want something I didn’t think I wanted, but I have no problem skipping iPhone models. I skipped the iPhone 4 and stuck with the 3GS until the 4S was released in October.
Hi Carolyn,
It sounds good. More competition is needed here in the UK. I pay 15p a minute on mine. That’s about 25 cents. I ordered a sim from GiffGaff which is reasonable for people with a smart phone. I ordered that today for the Chinese student who will be arriving next Thursday. That will cost £10 a month for 250 minutes and unlimited texts and internet. I found out today that I have a relative working in one of the halls of residence, I wish I had known sooner. We are waiting to hear about the visa now, not long to go!
Hi Mike, The deal on GiffGaff sounds good, if the coverage is good and the data speeds are decent.
You have a lot more competition between mobile phone providers in the UK than we do here in the US, but that seems to be changing with providers such as Ting. Competition is a great thing! :-bd
I’ve been on Ting for 6 months and couldn’t be happier! If you’re an average user of voice/text/data, it’s the best way to get top of the line Android smartphones on cheap plans. You can add to point #7: Ting allows free voice roaming on Verizon’s CDMA network.
Hi Joseph, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I really appreciate hearing from a satisfied Ting customer. After speaking with Elizabeth and reading glowing reviews from users on the Internet, it’s wonderful to hear from a reader how great the Ting service is.
I didn’t know that about Ting having free roaming on Verizon’s CDMA network. I will check with Ting and add that after it has been confirmed. Thanks for letting me know about that!
🙂
I’ve been told that Ting has free voice roaming throughout the US (on CDMA carriers like Verizon and US Cellular). See Ting responses in this forum thread:
https://help.ting.com/entries/20827387-service-area-coverage
You are absolutely right, Joseph. I just confirmed your information with Ting. Thanks so much for letting me know about yet another great feature of Ting! 🙂
Hey Carolyn
It would definitely be good to be able to pick and choose what you wanted from your provider in the way that Ting do it.
I’m not aware of any provider in the UK that does that. Shame.
I love my iPhone too though so even if it were available in the UK. I couldn’t move to Ting either!
Thanks for sharing.
Tim
Hi Tim, No, Ting isn’t in the UK yet, and they don’t have any immediate plans to expand overseas. It will be interesting to see which comes first to Ting, iPhone or international expansion. I have a feeling there will be a demand for both! 🙂
Sounds like some pretty serious savings indeed. How can you go wrong…..unless you have an iPhone, huh?
Good info though, thanks for sharing.
Hi Bill, Yes, Ting really wants to get the iPhone. I predict it will be sooner rather than later since Virgin Mobile got the iPhone earlier this year.
Android fans will be very happy with the cell phone selection at Ting. There are Android phones available in all price ranges including the Samsung Galaxy S III. 🙂
Thanks for such a thorough and interesting post, Carolyn. You can’t even find a phone number on the bills from my current provider (which has always struck me as ironic) – forget about getting any kind of remote human support. I’ll be looking into this as soon as Sprint is in my coverage area. I see in the comments a mention of access to the Verizon network. Does this mean those with non-Sprint access at their primary site can tap in through other carriers? Do you know if Ting has plans to dig deeper into possible collaborations with other cell service providers or will Sprint be the primary option long-term?
Hi Nanette, How lovely to see you back here at The Wonder of Tech! Yes, live humans are hard to come by with Customer Service. I was particularly impressed that Ting takes Customer Service so seriously. It shows a great respect for the customer which is so rare these days.
That is a brilliant question about Verizon coverage. I will ask Ting and get back to you on this.
Hi Nanette, I heard back from Ting who informed me that roaming coverage on Verizon gives coverage for phone calls but not data. If you got Ting in an area with Verizon coverage but no Sprint coverage, you could make calls but not access the Internet with your Ting phone.
Elliot Ness, the CEO of Ting, praised Sprint repeatedly as a valued partner during our chat. I imagine the relationship between Sprint and Ting will last quite a while.s
Thanks so much for the research on this one, Carolyn. Believe me, if Sprint were available here I’d go with them because I am aware of their outstanding customer service. Their coverage just doesn’t reach here. Anyway, it’s great to know phone coverage is available through Ting and other networks. I’ll look into it. Again, I really appreciate your sharing knowledge and great finds.
Hi Carolyn,
This is the future of services. Instead of going towards machine, the trend will be towards providing a human support. Sure they may be costly but users would prefer talking to people rather than machine.
I think Ting is differentiating itself very well on the fundamental parameters of customer service. I think if they keep going like that , it will be win-win for everyone.
Sad that I cannot sign up 😉
Hi Ashvini, Yes, I hope that Ting comes to India some day so that you can sign up for it.
Yes, live operators may be expensive but it’s an investment in the customer. When I spoke with Elliot Noss, he elaborated about the live operators and told me that most of customer service calls in his industry come from billing issues. He explained that by having such straight-forward plan options and by giving refunds for services not used, Ting doesn’t get the volume of Customer Service calls that the larger carriers get. By making their pricing transparent, Ting shows customers just what they’re getting when they sign up for service so there are fewer questions for operators.
You’re right, it’s a win-win. 🙂
Hi, Carolyn! I watched the video about Ting pricing and from what I saw (including your explanations) it’s a bargain! It will be a very competitive provider on the market.
Hi Laura, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you enjoyed this article. You’re right, Ting is a bargain and it also gives great customer service. I do believe that Ting will be a strong competitor to the major carriers.
Hi Carolyn,
I must say that this post is so huge to read upon,but informative one.The services Ting is offering is surely great and i can’t stand the fact that this type of services cannot be here in India.I guess i have to wait for long to take advantage it.
Hi Aditya, Yes, this is a long post, but I wanted to cover a lot of information about Ting.
I do hope they come to India some day soon!
I am sure it will if Ting cannot make it may some other service can bring in something like that but for that i have to wait for long.
Hi Aditya, I hope that you get such service sooner rather than later!
Hey Carolyn,
Well, I recently went over and joined my brother on his family plan because he gets unlimited calling and texting. Due to Mom moving and hearing better on the cell then her landline, we decided to give this a go. On our plan she felt guilty talking on the cell because we only had 500 minutes between us. Now I’m only paying $30 a month and you just can’t beat that…
Hi Adrienne, Actually, I believe Ting does beat that. For two phones sharing 500 voice minutes, the monthly charge would be $21 on Ting versus $30 for one phone on your plan.
Actually Carolyn, I was paying $30 a month for 500 minutes but now that I went over with my brother I still just pay $30 but I now have unlimited minutes and unlimited texting. Now that can’t be beat…
Hi Adrienne, You’re right, unlimited is great if you’re a heavy user of voice minutes and texts. If you consistently use over 1000 voice minutes a month and over 1000 texts, then your plan is cheaper. But if you’re not a heavy user, then Ting probably is less expensive.
Elloit Noss pointed out that most people overbuy their cell phone service. Unlimited is great for heavy users, but people who don’t use their phone a lot may not need unlimited and may be able to save quite a bit with Ting.
Now, that’s something worth checking out 😉
At our household, we have always switched carriers between AT and T, Sprint and Verizon (We are using Verizon. As you can the guess, the problem is the fees itself).
Ting seems like to great (seems to me that we can save a lot of money) and with amazing features like no contracts and adjusted billing – I think it is a cell phone provider that is going to change the industry 🙂
Appreciate the share, Carolyn 🙂
Hi Jeevan, Yes, Ting can really save you a lot of money over the traditional providers. Check out the Plan Calculator based on your use and see how much you can save. If you decide to go with Ting, make sure to use The Wonder of Tech coupon to save $50! 🙂
Carolyn – Nice to read about this new service. 3 things that I liked about it are “pay as much as you use”, “no contract” and “byod”. This will play an important role in making this TING service universally accepted like many others.
But still am unsure of the coverage and network capabilities, when a new provider comes in, it takes a lot to shift from our existing carriers due to uncertainities. I will surely wait and see how things go with it.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Hi Praveen, You’re exactly right. Those three features of the service are tremendous. And it does take a leap of faith to switch to a new provider, as Elizabeth Nordeman expressed. But I take a lot of comfort in that Ting is owned by a company that has been around for quite a while, plus that they use the Sprint network.
I signed my father up for Ting today. He is a light cell phone user so Ting will save him a lot of money each month. :-bd
Carolyn,
I do hope they can make the rest of the network take notice and change their practices. I know they tell us they keep the prices high to upgrade the services and such but the problem is most people aren’t seeing the benefits. They need to find a happy middle or figure out a way to make people see benefits from the inflated cost structures. Just my opinions of course….
Aaron
Hi Aaron, I agree, it would be great if more businesses took the approach to Customer Service that Ting takes. I hope Ting’s attitude is contagious! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I just looked at the Sprint coverage map and must comment that maybe it has improved, but you should take those maps “with a grain 0f salt”. We tried Sprint in Napa, CA, and it was terrible even tho’ the map shows coverage. And I’m surprised at the comment on excellent customer service from Sprint because our bill was always wrong and they never got it right. It would be ironic if Ting had superior customer service on Sprints own network which sounds like the case. However, I’ll stick with my iPhone and Verizon. ATT was faster data, but Verizon actually works everywhere we go- from the ocean to the mountains.
Thanks for the info on Ting, however.
Hi Ann, Sorry you had difficulty with Sprint coverage and Customer Service. You’re right, it is ironic that Sprint allows other carriers to offer its network at a lower cost.
It’s helpful if you can ask a friend who uses the network you’re considering to visit with a cell phone in hand. That way you can see what kind of coverage you might get at your home.
Cell phone signal can be affected by the strength of the antenna in the cell phone. I live near a dip in the road where I always dropped calls until I got an iPhone 4S. Now I don’t drop calls there anymore.
Ting???
i really like the custom plans, and even if you go over the price per minute/text is great. After reading all of this I can only see two things that may hurt them. First, people who have to pay full price for a phone won’t go this route, even though they should consider it because the savings over the life of the phone may actually be better than have to be locked into a 2-year deal with other providers. The other thing I see that may be a problem is how they market the program and who they market it to. Cricket is still today considered a poor mans provider thus they struggle to crack the big dollar contacts. Let’s hope Ting takes a different approach.
Thanks for sharing this information.
Hi Joe, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Excellent analysis. Ting does have a challenge in getting people to pay full price for the phones. We’re very accustomed to buying phones at a reduced price and then committing to long-term contracts. The investment in a phone full-price may make many hesitate, even though in the long run they could save hundreds of dollars each year by going with Ting.
Ting’s killer feature, in addition to the cost savings, is the amazing Customer Service. Providing live, highly-trained operators means that Ting gives customers a feeling of a premium service, not a cut-rate service. So I think Ting’s approach is very different from Cricket’s or other low-cost (or high-cost) carriers.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your insights with us, Joe!
I am also a Ting customer…and a very satisfied one! In fact, I would describe my experience as a breath of fresh air…the customer service is great, and the pricing…well, it is unbeatable. I’m saving over $2,000 on a family plan—I switched from Sprint. It’s amazing. And for those of you that are waiting to get on Ting, you can invest in the company in the meantime…the ticker symbol is TCX, and the stock price reflects just how strong the Ting business model is. Invest your money in the Ting stock, and you’ll reap additional handsome rewards (in addition to those from saving money from cellular service).
Hi Mike, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! It’s great to hear from a very satisfied Ting customer. You seem to be very pleased with Ting on a lot of levels. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
Ting seems like to great (seems to me that we can save a lot of money) and with amazing features like no contracts and adjusted billing , I think it is a cell phone provider that is going to change the industry. Good post, thanks for sharing.
Hi Joe, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you liked this article. I think you’re right, Ting may bring change to the cell phone industry with its consumer-friendly innovations.