The #1 Way We Save Money

Cell phones.

What an integral part of our lives, something we turn around to retrieve if we leave at home. But they cost us how much a month??

When I had to get off my lovely $10/line (unlimited calls, no texts, no data) as a part of my parents family plan because I was the oldest and my younger brother needed to be added, I started researching. I couldn't afford to pay much more than I currently was. At the time, I switched to the cheapest plan I could find: $30/month plus tax for 1,000 texts, 1,000 minutes, and 1,000 KB of data.

When I met my now husband he was paying $57/month for 450 minutes (unlimited night and weekend calling), 250 texts (for those outside the network, unlimited in network), no data

Shortly before we married we heard of a startup called Republic Wireless. Their concept was to offer the lowest rates possible by having the users use WiFi for calls, texts, data whenever possible. They weren't open to just anyone at that point, but they were looking for beta testers. My husband and I both joined.

That was almost three years ago.

We haven't looked back.

Since we joined Republic the service has only improved as have their phones.

And we only pay $20/month for TWO phones ($10/each) - unlimited text, calls, and WiFi data (plus local fees and taxes, which are less than $5/month for both phones).

That means we save over $60 every month! 

I might be a little excited about that. How can you save money on your phone bill?

I'm glad you asked. You did ask, right? Because who doesn't want to save money?

Republic Wireless offers three options for plans:

• The $5/month basic WiFi only plan
  This plan offers unlimited calls, texts, and data from WiFi, but nothing via cell towers.
  
• The $10/month unlimited texts and calls via cell with WiFi only data
  This is the plan we use. You have unlimited calls and texts whether you are using WiFi or cell, and unlimited data use, as long as you are connected to WiFi. If you want data via cell, check out option 3.
  
• The $10/month+ unlimited texts and calls via cell with pay-for-what-you-use data WITH cash refund!
  This is just so cool. So like the above plan, you get unlimited calling and data, then for $7.50 you can add a minimum of 0.5 GB data to your plan. The testers for this feature used, on average, only 0.3 GB data, which means they received an average of a $3 refund for the 0.2 GB of unused data.
  
  A CASH refund. No gimmicks. No rollovers. You purchase what you estimate you need every month in 0.5 GB increments, and Republic refunds you for whatever data you don't use. Basically, the more you use WiFi, the more you save. Awesome!
  
  The average price per month for this feature after the cash refund is $14.50.

You can buy either the Moto G (our choice) or the Moto X from Republic to use with their phone service. Yes, you have to buy one of these phones from them because what they are doing is unique and requires specific hardware design. With the savings we experienced from switching when we joined their beta testing three years ago, we were compensated for the costs of the phones within a year. 

Another way we benefit from using Republic Wireless? We can actually afford internet! Woohoo! Before we simply didn't have room in our budget for internet, cell phones, and our other necessitates. We pay $15/month for internet service, which allows us to do the $10/month plan from Republic. If you include internet in our "phone bill" category, we pay $35/month, plus tax and local fees. That is still a monthly savings of about $50!

And Republic Wireless is about to roll out seamless transitions from wifi to cell and back. This used to be buggy, but I was just part of a test lab for this new feature and it worked flawlessly. I am so excited about this.

Really, the only "downside" to using Republic is if you are a brand loyalist. If that's you, I really encourage you to give Republic Wireless a try. You get great service and save a ton of money. Did I mention there is no monthly contract? Yeah, it's a month to month service that you don't have to stick with.

We have been with Republic since pretty much their beginning, and we plan to stay. Like a good cheese, Republic Wireless has only gotten better with time.



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Republic Wireless did not underwrite this post. All opinions and experiences and mine. This post does contain affiliate links. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission for referring business. Thank you for your support!