Republic Wireless 2.0 has been introduced

[ROY2007]

What is RW 2.0? https://community.republicwireless.com/docs/DOC-1654

What will I pay with RW 2.0? https://republicwireless.com/plans/#refund-plan

Seems like this will be more costly if you typically use more than 1 GB of data.

Looks like there's a grandfather period of just over a year before current customers will have to switch to the 2.0 plan.

I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts. I moved from the $25/month plan to the $10/month plan about 6 months ago and it seems to meet my needs most of the time. I'll probably stay on the 1.0 plan until the grandfather period is over.

[AZDude]

Looks like things wont change that much, although we need more information to know for sure.

[kendallf]

I think I'll stick to my old plan for the next year until they force me to swap. 

Biggest changes are that the unlimited data goes away, as well as the ability to select between 3G/4G.  Based on my current usage and the new price structure, I don't think that will matter too much to me.  They're basically capping the $25/mo rate to 1 GB, and I typically do not go over 1 GB/mo.  They're going to a more TING-like "buckets" pricing structure, complicated a bit with "refund" language (why not just say that your rate is $15/GB?  I guess "refund" sounds better!).  Ting's pricing above 2 GB is basically $15/GB also, so this looks directly aimed at them.

Also, I note, buried in the text of the 2.0 document, that roaming data will now be charged at ~18 times the normal data rate (!).  I am very rarely on roaming data from what I've noticed currently, but this might be a deal killer for some people.  FWIW, my current total cell/roaming data usage for last month was 809MB/3.1MB.  This will of course vary depending on your coverage area; I'm in Jacksonville, FL with pretty good coverage generally.

[ROY2007]

I did see that about the roaming data.. Yikes! I have a feeling most Mustachians aren't heavy data users, and therefore won't be affected too much by this change. It's nice that they're giving us a year before we have to change over.

[forummm]

I still have the Defy XT on the Beta plan, so I don't think I can even switch to 2.0 if I wanted to. I'm OK with my $19/mo unlimited everything. I would save a few bucks if I could switch because I use almost no data.

[iknowiyam]

I still have the Defy XT on the Beta plan, so I don't think I can even switch to 2.0 if I wanted to. I'm OK with my $19/mo unlimited everything. I would save a few bucks if I could switch because I use almost no data.

Ditto. I looked into it - Defy XT is not eligible for the new plan. Even if I got a refurbished phone the new plan would not be worth the additional phone cost.

[StockBeard]

How is Republic Wireless better/cheaper than, say, the $30 unlimited data plan from T-mobile?

[WildJager]

How is Republic Wireless better/cheaper than, say, the $30 unlimited data plan from T-mobile?

It has a WiFi chip built in and can transition between WiFi and cell data (phone, text too).  I'm just assuming here that the T Mobile plan doesn't do that, as I haven't looked into it.  A cool benefit of the WiFi service is that you can use you phone as normal anywhere in the world.

[Jeremy E.]

I use about 3-4 gbs per month as I like watching youtube videos on my lunchbreak and don't have WiFI at work. I think i'll stay on the $25/month plan until they change, and then I'll switch to maybe Freedompop? Or some other provider. Then I'll get to sell my $300 Moto X for like $50 or some lame amount.... sad day.

[MoneyCat]

Sounds like far too many hoops to jump through.  No, thanks.


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[Frugal Father]

The change won't really affect me as I'm on the $10 plan and don't use data at all unless I'm on wifi. We looked at my wife's phone though and it looks like we would save some since she uses about .5GB/month and is on the $25/month plan.

[MillenialMustache]

I should save money, but I was clicking around on the site yesterday and couldn't figure out how to switch. How do you do it?

[Johnez]

Nice. I actually hate the fact that I'm paying the same rate as all the data super users going into 2-3 gb per month territory. I ran with about ⅓-½ a gb a month with Ting when I kept track, this'll probably save money. The previous setup was unsustainable and I actually worried about the company's future.

Only problem I have is the "refund" policy. We are not idiot consumers here, dazzled by buzzwords. Just keep a straight price structure. Not that hard.

[Daley]

We are not idiot consumers here, dazzled by buzzwords. Just keep a straight price structure. Not that hard.

Hasn't that always been how they've promoted their services, though? Buzzwords and bullcrap?

I saw this price increase coming last year after the changes to their roaming policies when less than 2% of their user base set policies for everyone, and this won't be their last rate increase either. Next they're going to either kill "unlimited" mobile calling or raise base rates further for non-WiFi-only plans because of the people who are "abusing" their mobile minutes. Freedompop and RingPlus are now officially the cheaper and better options for what's actually being offered, both will let you bring your own Sprint device, and at least RingPlus has real customer support.

My advice? Leave for a real MVNO while their phones are still worth something on the used market. I give Republic about 12-18 months at this point before they're nothing more than a footnote in the history of the American mobile industry.

[thek1d]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

[Daley]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

My question is, no matter how cheap it is, why would any sane person pay good money for a service that is a constant irritant and doesn't actually provide what they are paying for?

[MoonShadow]

I don't have Republic, and have had doubts about the costs. I have a company discounted Verizon plan that is supposed to be $20 per month for each of three lines, but that doesn't include taxes, so it about $26 on average per line.  When they say the average user pays $14.xx per month, does that count the taxes?  Or is that really the whole bill?

[Merrie]

We are on the $10 a month plan and so this shouldn't impact us. We could probably get mobile data elsewhere for not a whole lot more than we pay now, but honestly I don't really *want* mobile data at this point; I don't need the temptation to surf Facebook from my phone at work.

[Johnez]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

It works occasionally for me. If me and my girl are both on WiFi it works, if I'm on a cell network it doesn't-usually. I was shocked to receive a pic the other day at work (no WiFi), but alas evey attempt since then has failed.

[Jeremy E.]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

I have this problem as well, it's very annoying. I'm usually able to fix it by restarting my phone, however I shouldn't have to restart my phone it should just work. But it only happens about once a month for me, then I restart my phone and it's fixed for another month. I enjoy Republic Wireless even though I have this problem and wish it wasn't changing to be too expensive for my tastes, does anyone know when it will be changing? Does anyone know a company that can take unlocked GSM phones, and has phone plans with at least 200 minutes, 1500 texts and 3GB of data for fairly cheap? Best I've been able to find so far is Walmart Family Mobile, does anyone have experience with them?

[Johnez]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

My question is, no matter how cheap it is, why would any sane person pay good money for a service that is a constant irritant and doesn't actually provide what they are paying for?

The rationale goes-I don't spend much because I don't want much. And we go on happily with our lives.

If it was that much an irritant, we'd be done with Republic. It is a well known issue however, and phones are easily sellable.

[Daley]

Does anyone know a company that can take unlocked GSM phones, and has phone plans with at least 200 minutes, 1500 texts and 3GB of data for fairly cheap?

Two things: have you tried reading the guide yet, and have you considered going on a data diet?

You axe the clown data habit, and a whole world of cheap GSM MVNO options with excellent customer support opens up to you.

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

My question is, no matter how cheap it is, why would any sane person pay good money for a service that is a constant irritant and doesn't actually provide what they are paying for?

The rationale goes-I don't spend much because I don't want much. And we go on happily with our lives.

If it was that much an irritant, we'd be done with Republic. It is a well known issue however, and phones are easily sellable.

That's some pretty flimsy logic to justify such a significant ongoing financial commitment from someone who claims to desire so little from a service that you still deliberately chose to spend money on it. If anyone's going to sacrifice the equivalent of $2400 (or more) worth of permanent investment in perpetuity for a service, they should dang well better want that service to work reliably.... otherwise, they're just being a wasteful spendthrift on something they don't actually need.

[Jeremy E.]

Does anyone know a company that can take unlocked GSM phones, and has phone plans with at least 200 minutes, 1500 texts and 3GB of data for fairly cheap?

Two things: have you tried reading the guide yet, and have you considered going on a data diet?

You axe the clown data habit, and a whole world of cheap GSM MVNO options with excellent customer support opens up to you.

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

My question is, no matter how cheap it is, why would any sane person pay good money for a service that is a constant irritant and doesn't actually provide what they are paying for?

The rationale goes-I don't spend much because I don't want much. And we go on happily with our lives.

If it was that much an irritant, we'd be done with Republic. It is a well known issue however, and phones are easily sellable.

That's some pretty flimsy logic to justify such a significant ongoing financial commitment from someone who claims to desire so little from a service that you still deliberately chose to spend money on it. If anyone's going to sacrifice the equivalent of $2400 (or more) worth of permanent investment in perpetuity for a service, they should dang well better want that service to work reliably.... otherwise, they're just being a wasteful spendthrift on something they don't actually need.

I started looking at your guide, but it suggests going on a data diet, so I stopped reading it. I like to watch youtube videos or do other internet related activities at lunch, I don't like my coworkers enough to talk to them during my lunch break lol.

[gimp]

Still on the Defy Xt... hah.

Gonna answer the siren call for a Real Phone later this year and switch off RW.

No complaints over the past 2.5 years though.

[Daley]

I started looking at your guide, but it suggests going on a data diet, so I stopped reading it. I like to watch youtube videos or do other internet related activities at lunch, I don't like my coworkers enough to talk to them during my lunch break lol.

Then you'd better get used to ridiculous monthly costs and terrible customer service, 'cause mobile data 'aint cheap, and marginally cheaper mobile data 'aint good.

[Constance Noring]

Does anyone know a company that can take unlocked GSM phones, and has phone plans with at least 200 minutes, 1500 texts and 3GB of data for fairly cheap?

Two things: have you tried reading the guide yet, and have you considered going on a data diet?

You axe the clown data habit, and a whole world of cheap GSM MVNO options with excellent customer support opens up to you.

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

My question is, no matter how cheap it is, why would any sane person pay good money for a service that is a constant irritant and doesn't actually provide what they are paying for?

The rationale goes-I don't spend much because I don't want much. And we go on happily with our lives.

If it was that much an irritant, we'd be done with Republic. It is a well known issue however, and phones are easily sellable.

That's some pretty flimsy logic to justify such a significant ongoing financial commitment from someone who claims to desire so little from a service that you still deliberately chose to spend money on it. If anyone's going to sacrifice the equivalent of $2400 (or more) worth of permanent investment in perpetuity for a service, they should dang well better want that service to work reliably.... otherwise, they're just being a wasteful spendthrift on something they don't actually need.

I started looking at your guide, but it suggests going on a data diet, so I stopped reading it. I like to watch youtube videos or do other internet related activities at lunch, I don't like my coworkers enough to talk to them during my lunch break lol.

Books are a handy way to avoid talking to people. Do you have a library card?

[Jeremy E.]

I started looking at your guide, but it suggests going on a data diet, so I stopped reading it. I like to watch youtube videos or do other internet related activities at lunch, I don't like my coworkers enough to talk to them during my lunch break lol.

Then you'd better get used to ridiculous monthly costs and terrible customer service, 'cause mobile data 'aint cheap, and marginally cheaper mobile data 'aint good.

I'm happy with Republic Wirelesses $25 plan, and 5GB is more than enough, and the only difference I notice between 3G and 4G in my area, is that sometimes 4G freezes. I wish more companies offered lower cost data plans that were 3G instead of 4G. I'll just have to ride the Republic Wireless gravy train until next August, then I'll figure out the best plan of attack. Those Zenfone 2's look awesome for a $200 unlocked GSM phone... But I can't find too many good plans to go with it(unless I can get on someones cricket group plan someday!). Also Freedompops HTC Evo 4G LTE looks good for $50 but 1GB might not be enough and overage charges of $25/extra gb is too much.
Constance Noring, I do, but I prefer youtube videos over reading a lot of the time, I find it more entertaining personally.

[ender]

I did see that about the roaming data.. Yikes! I have a feeling most Mustachians aren't heavy data users, and therefore won't be affected too much by this change. It's nice that they're giving us a year before we have to change over.

We've been on vacation this week and roaming and still haven't broken 0.5 gb of data since midjune.

If you aren't dumb even roaming data doesn't add up that much.

[aschmidt2930]

With my typical data usage it sounds like it will actually save me a little money, it's nice to know, but a non-issue.

[Merrie]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

It works occasionally for me. If me and my girl are both on WiFi it works, if I'm on a cell network it doesn't-usually. I was shocked to receive a pic the other day at work (no WiFi), but alas evey attempt since then has failed.

This has happened to me intermittently. Sometimes doing the software update straightens it out. I think it's currently working. We never really got in the habit of sending picture messages so it's a pretty occasional thing for me to even try.

[Johnez]

That's some pretty flimsy logic to justify such a significant ongoing financial commitment from someone who claims to desire so little from a service that you still deliberately chose to spend money on it. If anyone's going to sacrifice the equivalent of $2400 (or more) worth of permanent investment in perpetuity for a service, they should dang well better want that service to work reliably.... otherwise, they're just being a wasteful spendthrift on something they don't actually need.

$10 * 24 months = $240.

Even with fancy phone being $200 its a good deal.

[Daley]

That's some pretty flimsy logic to justify such a significant ongoing financial commitment from someone who claims to desire so little from a service that you still deliberately chose to spend money on it. If anyone's going to sacrifice the equivalent of $2400 (or more) worth of permanent investment in perpetuity for a service, they should dang well better want that service to work reliably.... otherwise, they're just being a wasteful spendthrift on something they don't actually need.

$10 * 24 months = $240.

Even with fancy phone being $200 its a good deal.

Two things: 1) you don't seem to understand the concept of permanent investment math - $10 spent per month = a requirement of $2400 permanently invested at a 5% withdrawal rate, or $3000 at a more conservative 4%, and 2) $20+ a month after taxes and amortized phone costs over two years for a service that doesn't even consistently deliver what you're paying for reliably is decidedly not a good deal. You need to see the bigger picture here.

If I had to dedicate $5000+ in permanent savings to pay for just my mobile phone service like you effectively have, you bet your sweet bippy I'm going to want that money invested and spent to pay for something that's actually reliable. Doing anything less indicates that either, a) I don't actually respect my labor and hard earned money, or b) I don't actually need to be wasting this kind of money on it if reliability doesn't matter.

Learn to respect the true value of ten bucks.

[alsoknownasDean]

I use about 3-4 gbs per month as I like watching youtube videos on my lunchbreak and don't have WiFI at work. I think i'll stay on the $25/month plan until they change, and then I'll switch to maybe Freedompop? Or some other provider. Then I'll get to sell my $300 Moto X for like $50 or some lame amount.... sad day.

At least you can put another carrier's SIM in it...oh wait.

I'm typing this from my phone on it's third carrier (each on different networks).

Vendor lock-in isn't Mustachian.

[Slam]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

It works occasionally for me. If me and my girl are both on WiFi it works, if I'm on a cell network it doesn't-usually. I was shocked to receive a pic the other day at work (no WiFi), but alas evey attempt since then has failed.

I had this problem for a while.  I deleted the conversation between me and my gf, where most of the pictures go through, and that solved the problem.  I guess the messages app can only handle so many pictures.  I prefer sending pics through whatsapp or email so they don't get compressed and I don't have problems with the messages app.

[ender]

I use about 3-4 gbs per month as I like watching youtube videos on my lunchbreak and don't have WiFI at work. I think i'll stay on the $25/month plan until they change, and then I'll switch to maybe Freedompop? Or some other provider. Then I'll get to sell my $300 Moto X for like $50 or some lame amount.... sad day.

At least you can put another carrier's SIM in it...oh wait.

I'm typing this from my phone on it's third carrier (each on different networks).

Vendor lock-in isn't Mustachian.

Calculating total cost of ownership is more important than worrying and vendor lock in.

Generally that results in higher cost but if not that's not "anti mustachian..."

[ROY2007]

I've been using Republic for almost 10 months and can never send/receive pictures through text. Crashing the text app every time and can't seem to find a fix anywhere.  Loved the service at first, but this annoyance is going to drive me away from them eventually.

I've had trouble with that too. Here's a help document from their community that worked for me. Unfortunately, I've had to do this a couple times.

https://community.republicwireless.com/message/329441#329441

I think part 4 is what actually solved the problem:

Reset Republic App settings
Note: Make sure your phone is connected to WiFi.
Open the dialer, then dial *#*#8647#*#*
The dialer will clear, and the green arc notification icon will reappear after about a minute. (If the green arc notification icon does not reappear, restart your phone. The green arc should then appear after your phone restarts.)