Aio Wireless: $25 Unlimited Talk & Text

cellphoneSo for the last couple of years now I’ve had mobile cell phone service with MetroPCS. For $40 I received unlimited talk, text, and web. However, I never really used the web access because the cheapo Kyocera phone I’ve been using doesn’t really have any web browser to speak of. Instead, I just use for the unlimited talk and text so I can stay in touch with loved ones.

The old Jason (the non-frugal guy I don’t know anymore) purchased an iPhone 3G back in 2008 and used to use it for everyday mobile service. It’s long been deactivated, but I still use it for its WiFi capability for free web access.

So what I’ve been doing is using the cheap mobile service with MetroPCS to handle my day-to-day phone conversations, and then using the old iPhone for the occasional email check on the go. But I’ve long suspected that $40 was too much for this rather simplistic combo, and, recently, I was proved correct.

This past weekend, after much research, I signed up with Aio Wireless. I purchased the cheapest rate package they offer: A $25/monthly rate plan that includes unlimited talk and text. There is no data usage included with this, but I’ll still continue to use WiFi where available as I do now.

I simply could not be happier with this choice. This move provides numerous benefits:

  • This will save me $15 per month permanently. The $25 is an out-the-door figure, including all fees and taxes. Which is the same as how MetroPCS handles their billing as well. At $25, this is one of the cheapest all-inclusive cell phone plans I could find on the planet that doesn’t require me to use WiFI VoIP intermittently. It’s unlimited, so no need to count minutes. It’s a prepaid service, so there’s no long-term contract. Although at this cheap of a rate I wouldn’t mind signing a contract anyway.
  • Aio Wireless is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (T). I’m a shareholder in T. I simply love to contribute to the bottom line of companies I own an equity stake in. It always bothered me that I was using MetroPCS when I don’t directly profit from it, so I’m ecstatic that I can now not only be an owner of T, but a customer as well!
  • As a subsidiary of AT&T, Aio uses AT&T’s nationwide cell network. This is a vast improvement over what I was getting before with MetroPCS, which uses the T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) network. The service was so-so around Sarasota, but positively horrendous whenever I visited family in Michigan. I was pretty much dead in the water up there, and had to use other people’s phones to make calls anywhere.
  • I needed a new phone anyway, as my Kyocera was dying. It was turning on and off by itself randomly, which was obviously a pain in the butt. Not enough of a pain to where I wanted to go out and spend money on a new phone, but this move was well-timed in that regard. I bought the second cheapest phone Aio offers in their ZTE phone. It was a whole $49.99. In the day and age where smartphones are commonplace, this phone hearkens back to yesteryear. It’s extremely basic, like the Kyocera. Pretty much good for just talking and texting, which is fine by me.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this decision.

What I learned with this exercise is to never be complacent. I’ve been extremely frugal for years now, but at $40 per month I was simply paying too much for cell phone service. It was a decent deal a couple of years ago when I canceled my expensive cell and data plan with AT&T that I was using on my iPhone, but after all of the competition that has popped up lately better deals are abound.

I’ve been using my new cell phone for a few days now, and so far it’s solid. I’ve noticed clearer calls and much better service. In addition, I can actually call and speak to a live person if necessary, which is great. I think at $25/month you can’t go wrong here.

I didn’t take this decision lightly. Although we’re talking about relatively small amounts of money here, every dollar I spend is one less dollar that I could potentially invest and add to my compounding dividend income snowball. So I take every snowflake pretty seriously. I looked at the competition pretty heavily, but I found Aio to be the best option in terms of price and service.

The competition:

Republic Wireless was the first option I looked at. They only have one phone: The Moto X. At $299, that’s way too much phone for this frugal guy. Furthermore, in order to provide service cheaply they want you to do most of your talking on VoIP , which is Voice over Internet Protocol. I tried this a while ago, and it SUCKS. There is often a delay and/or echo, even with extremely high speed internet. Furthermore, dropped calls are frequent. Now, when you don’t have WiFi available Republic still allows you to make phone calls with their network – which uses the Sprint Corporation (S) network. The Sprint network isn’t even close to AT&T, so this was a no-brainer for me. In addition, from the way I understand it, Republic doesn’t want you to use a lot of time on the cell network and will alert you if you do. They want you to perform most of your operations on WiFi, and understandably so. At $10/mo (not including taxes and fees) you get unlimited cell talk and text, but from what I’ve read, if you talk too much on the Sprint network Republic reserves the right to boot you from the program. This is because Republic has to pay for access to Sprint’s network, and customers that are abusing access end up jeopardizing it for everyone. Again, it’s understandable, but simply not a package that makes sense for me. Lastly, their customer service is forum-based. I’d rather have access to real, live humans if I need service. All in all, I decided that Republic Wireless is a poor choice for me.

I also looked at Ting. They are a service that allows you to customize your mobile package to the amount of minutes, texting, and data access that you think you will need. However, based on my needs my quote came out to $29/month. According to their homepage, most users end up spending $21 per month. Their quotes do not include taxes and fees, which are in addition to what I was quoted. Ting uses Sprint’s network, like Republic. For me, Ting offers a network with worse coverage at a more expensive price. No, thanks.

Straight Talk Wireless was the final competitor I investigated. Their cheapest plan is $30/month. ‘Nuff said.

New cheapo, old cheapo, deactivated iPhone 3G
New cheapo, old cheapo, deactivated iPhone 3G

Overall, I’m super excited. I spent $105.24 at the Aio kiosk where I purchased everything. This included my first month’s service at $25, my new ZTE phone at $49.99, and an activation fee of $25. Plus, of course, taxes. That’s it. The activation fee will be made up within two months based on the savings between my old rate and the new one, but it’ll take a little longer to make up the cost of the phone. However, as I mentioned above, my Kyocera was slowly dying on me so I was going to need a new phone sooner or later anyhow.

Aio Wireless does offer other plans. Notably, their most popular plan is their $40/month unlimited talk, text, and web plan which comes with a plethora of smartphones available. In addition, if you sign up for auto-billing you get a $5 monthly credit. So with this configuration you end up spending $35/month. However, the unlimited web on their 4G/LTE service is limited to 500 MB per month with this rate plan. Exceed that and you’re switched to 3G for the rest of the month until you can reset on the following billing cycle. I came *this close* to signing up for this package, as it would have only been an additional $10/month and I’d have a cool Nokia phone with all kinds of sweet features. But the extra recurring $10/month and the extra $50 stretch for the Nokia phone was too much for me. So I stuck with the cheapest plan they offer. The frugalist inside of me is beaming with pride!

Full Disclosure: Long T

How about you? Have you ever looked into Aio Wireless? Think I made a good choice here? 

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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68 Comments

  1. Excellent Jason! I have been looking into Republic Wireless……so share your experience with us in a few weeks. These smaller guys are putting all kinds of pressure on the legacy carriers (AT&T and Verizon), which is why I won’t own them. The legacy boys have lost pricing power and the stability of customer contracts……it’s all just a commodity business now. Looking forward to hearing about your experience Jason
    -Bryan

  2. Looks like you did great research.I’m happy that you found one that meets your need.

    I am kinda lucky that I work in IT and I have a Samsung s4 provided to me by my company. unlimited everything. 🙂

  3. Sure, the legacy companies have more competition, but remember it is the smaller companies paying the larger ones to rent the cell towers. Until other companies start footing the bill directly for the massive infrastructure required to support a cell network, I think the larger companies will always have a place as a result.

  4. Jason, I use Republic. I have found the VOIP is OK with fast internet – no echo, no dropped calls, no delay. If your internet is slow (my personal internet got slowed down when I asked for a discount), you get the echo, delay, etc. If you move off of WiFi on a phone call, the service transfers you to the mobile network, which is pretty seamless. For my needs, Republic is fine. I use their unlimited talk/text/data-only-on-wifi option for $10/month. For the cost, I find the service is acceptable. The coolest thing about the Republic service is that the phone builds a wifi network, so as you logon to a network somewhere, the next time you’re back at that location, the phone will automatically log you in. Most of the suppliers I have to use for work have free wifi, so I’m not often w/out the data-over-wifi.

  5. I agree WYOR. I didn’t mean they were going out of business. Only that I anticipate low/no growth with tightening margins. The cost of building out infrastructure will keep AT&T and Verizon in business for ever……but can they keep growing their dividends?! At a slower rate probably
    -Bryan

  6. It’s clearly not for everybody, but I recently switched to Freedom Pop. 200 minutes, 500 texts, and 500 MB of data per month free.

  7. Great post! I have Verizon on a family plan that goes back to 2003; the plan is so old that when techs look it up they tell me I need a new plan to do most anything other than a free upgrade. I still have a slide phone (it was a huge upgrade over my old one cause it had a keyboard). Unlimited calling and texting for $25/month.

    Downsides includes friends destroying my phone’s inbox with group texts and lack of internet for driving directions! Who cares though, as long as you are saving money!

    – Gremlin

  8. Bryan,

    I agree with you. Wireless telephone service is largely a commodity now. So the economic moat for many of the major carriers is rather narrow. I anticipate continued dividend payouts for the foreseeable future, but the growth being rather small.

    However, it’s good that AT&T is entering the foray with their own subsidiary in Aio. This is a solid offering.

    Best regards.

  9. FFdividend,

    Thanks! I’m glad I found it too. It’s a pretty attractive price point considering the quality and service.

    That’s great you’re getting some free phones there. Awesome! I’d be all over that. 🙂

    Cheers.

  10. Liam,

    Thanks for sharing that! Glad to get some perspective from a user. 🙂

    I’m glad the transition from VoIP to cell is seamless for you. That was maybe my biggest hangup with choosing them. The reviews on them tend to be somewhat negative in this department. And I don’t have ultra fast internet at home because Comcast wants too much money for it. I have the slowest they offer for the cheapest rate plan they have. You didn’t see that coming, did you? Haha.

    I may consider them again in the future. $10/mo is certainly very attractive, but I think at this time it just won’t work for me. Plus $300 for a phone is just out of the question. Maybe when they have their new phone (the G?) I could look at it again. It’s not like I have a contract with Aio.

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Best regards.

  11. Jacob,

    Awesome. That’s fantastic right there.

    I looked into Freedom Pop, but they don’t offer service in my area. I then looked into a bunch of other areas that I’m familiar with and came up with no dice. I’d love to have free service.

    I’m not real familiar with how they do this. How do they offer free service? Doesn’t seem like a very profitable business model, that’s for sure. If you have any insight I’d be interested!

    Best wishes.

  12. Dividend Gremlin,

    Saving money is the name of the game!

    It does suck to not have certain features, but I’m totally fine with it. I simply have to wait until I get home to do much on the internet, as my old iPhone is limited to WiFi only, and quite slow at that. She’s getting old.

    Every dollar saved and invested brings us closer to freedom.

    Take care.

  13. Nicely done! An expensive cell phone plan is almost like a drug, it can be difficult to get rid of.

    I have been a happy Platinum Tel user for several months now. I spend roughly $10 for my cell phone usage. The key to a super low monthly bill like that was to change my data usage patterns. I used to download podcasts with impunity, at any time and any place. Now I hardly use any mobile data at all, I just do my downloads through wifi.

    Lowering my bill to $10/mo (from $75/mo) has given me a huge boost of confidence about making FI work. I don’t have to tell you how much principal I would have needed to cover a $75/mo bill =).

  14. Great job Jason, even phoning up the mobile carrier after you have been them for a while and asking for even the smallest discount helps. I have to up here in Canada and it looks like our crazy phone bills are going up another $10-$15 per month again this year gah, not enough competition! Anyway congrats on the deal, i’m going deal hunting again later this week to see where i can save a bit here and there. cheers

  15. Same here! I don’t work in IT, but I do have a global unlimited plan through work. I’m just waiting until my contract expires next year so I can get rid of it.

    I may get a pay as you go sim card and transfer my number just so that I can keep my personal number. Otherwise, I don’t really have any attachment to the phone.

    It would be nice to just use what already gets paid for by my employer anyway.

  16. Maybe once you semi retire you can build yourself a phone with faster data connections 🙂

  17. DM,

    Kudos on going with a cheaper cell service. I’m not familiar with Aio, but I did go with Republic last May in an attempt to reduce my wireless expense. Although I didn’t like the high price of the phone I’ve been pleased with service from Republic. You are right that you do get the occasional dropped call when on wifi but for 23.00 a month for unlimited everything I can’t complain.

    For anyone considering the Republic I would recommend them based on my experience. I had also heard that they could boot you from the program if you weren’t offloading your usage on to wifi. For eight months I didn’t have internet hooked up here at the house, had to run new cable, and during that time I was not using any wifi. All my calls and data usage was being done via the cell network. I never received any kind of notice or disruption in my service. However, keep in mind I’m not a huge data consumer either.

    Services like Aio, Republic, and Ting are great ways to save money on a service that has become so much a part of our lives.

    Cheer!

  18. Great Deal! I am considering opening a position in T in a near future, so I am really happy to see some consumer feedback on this. Also, what you said about living frugally but paying 40$ is very true. I have noticed that when I am used to certain fixed expenses, I end up trying to reduce on the variable ones (like food) when I could shop for a better deal for the fixed ones, like phones..

    Cheers

  19. Freedom Pop uses Sprint’s network. So far I’ve only used it in Atlanta but I will test it when I next travel.

    http://www.freedompop.com/about.htm

    The company uses the freemium model – if you would use more minutes or data than they give for free you can pay for more, and the cost would rise close to one of the other resellers (for example Virgin Mobile) for unlimited everything. I think it’s $11 per month for unlimited calls, which is the only upgrade I’d consider.

    A longer review I’d previously written:

    I signed up in the fall and for $100 they sent me a refurbished phone with their custom OS (tweaked Android) right when the service came out. The first phone was pretty disgusting (dirty) and the screen didn’t light up correctly. After a few hours the screen stopped working entirely. I paid to ship the phone back to them to get it replaced/repaired. This was close to 6 months ago, and I forgot about it. About 3 weeks ago they finally sent me the replacement phone. It looked almost (if not) new. I’ve had no complaints about the hardware with the 2nd phone. It’s the HTC Evo Design – the model is a few years old. I think they offer more powerful phones for more $. I did have to call FreedomPop to reactivate my account which they had disabled. But since then it’s been good. The FreedomPop phone does not fully integrate with Google Voice, so I can receive calls and send/receive texts but not call out with my GV number. It’s a minor annoyance. I worry more about having enough signal for both calls and data. I understand that they don’t support roaming at all. In Atlanta (the only place I’ve tested the phone) it’s been comparable to my previous Virgin Mobile phone (owned by Sprint). One weird quirk is that if you are connected to wifi the phone will route calls over it rather than use “cell” signals. These minutes still count towards your monthly limit. So a couple times when I took calls at home with a few walls between the phone and the router the call quality was crappy, until I walked closer to the router. But I don’t take many calls anymore on my cell phone; I make/receive calls from my laptop usually.

    Definitely you would have to be very patient in dealing with this company as a customer. It’s much more of a startup than the major carriers.

    Thanks,
    Jacob

  20. I think you made a minor mistake here. You could have just brought your iPhone over to their service (free) for the $35/mo plan. Also if you register online there is no activation fee. You would have saved $75 up front and put it towards free unlimited data for the next 7 months instead of getting a new phone.

  21. I am a Republic Wireless user, although I do go for the Pricier $25 a month plan with unlimited Text, Phone and Data. I don’t think that you have all of the information correct regarding the Republic Service.

    1) They have recently announced that they will begin selling the Moto G phone for $149 no contract as a lower cost alternative to the Moto X.

    2) Voice over IP especially on Republic has come a long way in just the past few months and they are constantly improving their software. To make a gross generalization (VOIP Sucks) based on your limited experience of a technology you used over 3 years ago seems a little ignorant in this time of rapidly evolving technology.

    3) I have been a user for 6 months and have never heard of anyone getting kicked off of the plan for using too much bandwidth or excessive cell usage nor have I ever been told of any limits on cellular usage. That being said there is an overall feeling of community and people strive to use as little cell network as possible just like Prius drivers strive to squeeze as much mileage out of the car as possible. I would be interested to see where you got this information from.

    4) Republic offers a 30 day money back trial period for users to try the phone and various technologies and see how they would work for each individual. As someone trying to disseminate information I am surprised you didn’t at least take the product for a test drive before passing judgement.

    I also find it a little hypocritical that you admit to using the slowest possible internet speed at home for additional monthly savings but somehow the fact that the Sprint Network isn’t quite as robust as the AT&T network is an automatic deal breaker for you.

    Moving to Republic would also allow you to get rid of your iPhone and only use one device for both your phone and your mobile internet device, as well as a full featured GPS. I am sure your iPhone still has some residual value on ebay that could be used to further offset the $149 price of the Moto G.

    Personally I find the fact that Aio is owned by AT&T to be off-putting, to think that they are going to continue to offer a truer lower cost alternative to their bread and butter plan just doesn’t seem like a likely long term outcome.

    I am also not bothered by having to get my customer service from a forum and email rather then on the telephone with a real live person. I only rarely need support and have never found the reps from AT&T or Verizon to be of very much help but that of course is my own bias YMMV.

  22. This sounds like a great option, Jason! We are on a pay as you go model with PTel, and run about $5-$10 a month. But we hardly ever use our actual cell phones, as I work from home and my wife is almost always on campus, so we’re on our computers (& wifi) all day. My texting mostly goes through Google Voice, and make my actual calls through gmail (& a wireless headset). I’m very happy with the set up, but as a former AT&T customer I agree with you that their network is top notch. For someone really wanting to actually use their cell phone for calls and texts, using a quality network like AT&T or Verizon is a good choice.

  23. Assuming no major new change occurs in the importance of wireless networks (i.e. they remain just for use with wireless smartphones), then once the build of LTE is substantially complete capex will decrease and FCF will increase. Although, growth will be somewhat limited (more or less to inflation).

    The catalyst I see in a 10-15 yr timeframe is new technologies that allow wireless data to compete with land-based internet, or to find new applications that become useful for the wireless data (i.e. data chips in cars–already happening, integration of utilities/traffic with self driving cars, etc).

    These are all likely 10+ years before they become the norm, but large utilities will always have a place, especially in this data connected world. Along the way, I’d love a 4-5% dividend for being patient!

  24. We switched to Ting about 6 months ago. The savings have been dramatic for us.

    We have 5 phones (1 basic home phone with data disabled) and 4 smartphones (3 iPhone 4 and 1 Windows Phone).

    With the new Ting data rates our last bill was $82 + taxes/fees. Prior bills were about $93 + taxes/fees. Ting recently reduced data rates which was welcome.

    This same setup was approaching $300 on AT&T with a shared data plan.

    I can see where a single phone wouldn’t be quite as good of a deal. For us the Sprint network is good, but not great. But I am ok with the network for saving that much per month. Ting does use Verizon for voice/text roaming if you are out of the Sprint network. Which is great, but it doesn’t offer data roaming.

    There are some great low cost options out there right now. I like it.

  25. Agreed. I value good service since I do travel a solid amount. I don’t care if it’s not blazing fast LTE, but having no signal when you need it is frustrating. I had T-mobile years ago briefly and switched to ATT for that reason. The discount for having T-mobile wasn’t enough to accept the less wide coverage.

    I still think it depends on your needs though. If you hardly ever travel, and your area has good service for a discount carrier, then why not save even more?

  26. Ravi you hit the nail on the head. I can’t agree with you more.

    DM, is AIO utilizing AT&T’a old 3G network for your phone service? If you don’t have a data plan then you don’t have to be on the 4G network. The 3G network should work just find.

  27. Ravi,

    Good points there.

    I think the potential for wireless internet is pretty great. That could certainly boost the bottom line for the major carriers. Right now many of the MiFi boxes are prohibitively expensive if you use a lot of bandwidth, but that’ll certainly change in time.

    Best wishes.

  28. Frank NY,

    Aio has access to AT&T’s 3G and 4G. However, it won’t matter for me whatsoever because I won’t be using any of it. But from what I have read from various sources there is no difference in AT&T’s eyes whether you’re using Aio or AT&T service to access the network.

    Cheers!

  29. Jacob,

    Thanks for sharing all of that! Great information there.

    Sounds like it won’t work for me at the moment, especially since they don’t even offer it in my area. However, something to keep in mind.

    Glad to hear it’s working out so well for you. That’s really fantastic.

    Best regards.

  30. Spoonman,

    Very nice! $10/mo is very, very nice. That’s freeing up a lot of dividend income for other, more necessary expenses. Great job. I never heard of them, so I just now looked at the site. You must use the “Paygo” option to get it that cheap I’m guessing? Although I probably average 500 minutes per month talking with family back home, so I’d end up spending more than I now do with Aio.

    I’m hoping $25 is just one stop for me on the way to an even cheaper bill. Right now I’m happy, but $10 would certainly be even better. 🙂

    Cheers.

  31. talesfromthetape,

    I was actually just reading about how the Canadian carriers are raising prices. They certainly operate their oligopoly a lot different than we do here in the US. You guys have it bad for customers, but good for shareholders.

    I hope you’re able to cut some expenses here and there. Every dollar saved is another snowflake. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  32. Thanks for the reply. It sounds like an amazing deal. Great find. It is always nice to save money.

  33. Stoic,

    I’m glad you’ve had such a great experience with Republic. $23/mo is very cheap. That’s good that they didn’t give you any hassles about using the Sprint network so much for a time there. I’m not sure how much throttling they really do. They used to be quite upfront about that when they were newer, but it seems like they’ve backed away from that a bit lately.

    I may revisit Republic in the future. If I were to use them I’d probably go for the $10/mo plan because I rarely use any mobile data.

    Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a good service, but I think for now I’ll stick with Aio because I don’t have to worry about using any VoIP at all.

    Take care.

  34. DividendVenture,

    That’s a great point there. Sometimes we’re blind to what’s right in front of us. Although $40 didn’t seem very expensive at all, once I started looking around I realized better deals were abound. And saving $15 adds up over time, so I’m really happy about it.

    Best wishes!

  35. cosmickid69,

    First, let me start by saying I have nothing against Republic. And I’m not against the idea of using them in the future. However, I must be honest with my opinion and research.

    1. The Moto G is not available right now. That’s why I didn’t list it. I listed the Moto X at $299 because right now that’s all that Republic offers. This is correct information.

    2. Can you explain the technical side of exactly what has changed with VoIP over the last three years, or more specifically over the last few months? Since I’m so “ignorant” I’d love to hear from someone who seems to have this all figured out, even when a number of reviews available all over the internet contradict you.

    3. Republic Wireless used to post this directly on their homepage. They seem to have backed away from advertising this directly, but there’s many reviews online that point to this fact. Furthermore, their ToS mention it as “inappropriate use” or “prohibited use”. And then, of course, the fines for doing such.

    http://republicwireless.com/legal/terms-and-conditions

    4. I don’t want to have to worry porting my number back and forth. If I thought Republic really had something to offer I’d try it out, but I think I have a superior service on a superior network right now.

    5. I wasn’t speaking of data usage. I was speaking of the cell phone networks between Sprint and AT&T. I can point you to a network map if you’d like.

    I don’t know why using Aio because they are a subsidiary of AT&T would be off-putting? That makes no sense to me.

    Using forum-based customer service isn’t a problem until you actually have a problem. Then it’s a problem. I’ve been there and done that with Google. I’d rather get a great deal AND have access to customer service reps if necessary. That’s just me. And I’ve never had a bad experience with AT&T reps. I used to use their service years ago with my iPhone and they were always helpful. YMMV.

    Cheers.

  36. donebyforty,

    Nice! Spoonman above mentioned PTel. Sounds like a great deal there. Seems like it’s really cheap like that when you don’t use the minutes much, as some of their services are truly pay as you go. I can see how setting up Google Voice saves the bucks there. That’s awesome! 🙂

    And I thought I was getting by cheap with $25. You’re doing it on $5. That’s fantastic.

    Best wishes.

  37. Wade,

    Great stuff there. You’re saving some serious bucks there with Ting. Congrats on that!

    And I’m with you. The competitive bar has definitely been raised here lately, and customers win out. I always ask myself “is it worth it?” whenever I’m using a product or service. And I think having unlimited access to talk and text is worth $25. I wouldn’t mind it cheaper, but I think the value is there.

    Cheers!

  38. Ravi,

    Why not save more indeed.

    I’m glad that I was able to get on a better network AND save money. My service with Metro was so-so at best, and absolutely horrendous at worst. If I lived in Michigan I definitely would not have been able to use their service. It just plain didn’t work.

    Best wishes.

  39. OK I just want to say that I was in a crap mood this morning and came off like a total tool. I apologize and wish I could delete this whole thread. I love Republic and just want to make sure they get a fair shake and my over zealousness got the best of me. Sorry

  40. Yeah, it’s the Paygo option. I can get away with it because I hardly speak on the phone. I think for your situation Aio is probably optimal.

  41. Thanks for the interesting article! I looked into my current plan with AT&T and found they now (as of March 9) offer reduced rate plans. Still doesn’t seem to be as good as Aio though. AT&T offers me 300MB shared between two people, and unlimited talk and text. This costs $70/mo due to a bit of a discount from my employer. Aio offers what appears to be 500MB of high speed data and unlimited talk and text at $40/mo per phone, but $35/mo if I do autopay. So, it appears that I can pay $70/mo and get more data from Aio. I will try the new AT&T plan for a few months, and perhaps switch to Aio if I find we need more data. Currently, we are paying $118/mo for two phones, $70 would be a super reduction, thanks again for getting me to look into our phone service!

  42. cosmickid69,

    No problem. We all have our days!

    And like I said, I have nothing against Republic. If the reviews come in that things have drastically improved, and the cheaper G is a winner, I wouldn’t be opposed to moving over.

    Best wishes!

  43. michael,

    Hey, glad the article caused you to take a look at your phone bill. That’s awesome that you’re now saving some serious cash. 🙂

    Sounds like AT&T may continue working, but if not Aio is good for me so far.

    Best regards.

  44. I use Airvoice Wireless for 10 dollars a month. I used an old motorolla flip phone and a 5 dollar Sim card I had to purchase from Airvoice. Fifteen dollars to get started and ten dollar a month for about the past 7 months now. No problems and I was even able to link the phone for free with google voice. Nice deal. PS. I bought some shares of Proctor and Gamble today. Hope to get a snowball of my own!

  45. Kevin,

    Congrats on saving some coin and buying some shares of PG! That’s the formula I’ve been following for years now: Save as much money as possible and plow it into high quality companies.

    Keep it up! 🙂

    Best wishes.

  46. Great job reducing the monthly budget. So many people get sucked into ‘it’s only $10 more a month’ and on several different bills. You make me want to be a better spender! I’ve got an iphone from a few years ago and have been putting off switching for far too long. I could be saving so much money!

    Appreciate the rundown on the carriers and I think you made the right choice. You should feel proud! You’re setting a great example 🙂

  47. Interesting read! I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to get my phone bill down! I got it down to $10 a month with the following:
    1. Transfer my old Cellphone number to Google Voice (which may be merged to Google Hangouts). (20$)
    2. Buy a simcard from Airvoice Wireless (ATT network) for my 4.5 year old IPhone 3GS (5$)
    3. Use my Google Voice for calls(from gmail)/most text messages (forwarded to email) .

    The Airvoice Wireless plan cost me 4 cents a minute and 2 cents per sent/received text. Any unused money rolls over to the next month (I have $30 accrued or 1200 minutes, 2400 texts).

    I converted from ATT and payed about 65 a month (after employee discount). I waited to change until I found someone who would let me BYOD. I don’t like phones enough to want to buy another one.

    This works for me because I am near the computer most days and anywhere else I am probably in a wifi hotspot.

    I tried Freedompop, but found that the phone they provided wasn’t great and my 3GS was still good enough =)

  48. ILG,

    That’s awesome there! I love the ingenuity. 🙂

    I see you purchased a sim card from Airvoice. Do they still offer the $10/mo plan? It seems like whenever I try to view their plans the $10/mo 250 minute rate plan disappears. Weird. Maybe I could call them and find out.

    Keep up the great work. Every dollar saved can be invested and used to generate even more dollars. The gift that keeps on giving!

    Best regards.

  49. Ryan,

    Thanks, man. I appreciate the support. Means a lot to me!

    And $10/mo doesn’t sound like much, until you’re repeating the same mistake over and over again. Sure, I could have easily upgraded to the $35/mo plan because it would only require an additional ~$3,500 invested to afford the expense on a permanent basis. However, repeat the “it’s only $10” mantra over and over again and that $3,500 multiplies itself. Soon it turns into a lot of money. And that’s something I try never to forget.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Cheers!

  50. ILG,

    Thanks so much. So they still have it. That’s great.

    However, I’m wondering if it’s $10/mo for 250 minutes why do you route your calls through Google Voice? Is it because you use more than 250 minutes per month? I’ve heard of many people using Airvoice in combination with Google Voice. If you can keep your usage below 250 minutes per month then this isn’t necessary, right?

    Thanks again!

    Best wishes.

  51. torsverr,

    I wanted to get back to you on this.

    It looks like I did make a mistake. I was concerned about using my old iPhone all of the time because it’s slow and crashes all the time, but I swapped the sim card from the ZTE to my iPhone 3G and the iPhone works like magic. Looks like I could have saved at least the $50 on the phone. However, I still like going to the store and making sure everything gets set up okay and the number ports fine. That’s probably worth the $25, but maybe I’m just old school.

    Although, they would not have let me use the iPhone on the $25/mo plan because it’s a smart phone. They only have like three phones they let you use the $25/mo plan on. But they don’t know I swapped anything over, so I guess in the end it may have worked out pretty good as long as my iPhone doesn’t crap out on me. However, even if it does I’ve got the ZTE for backup now. 🙂

    Thanks for the perspective there. I should have talked to you before making the move. 🙂

    Best wishes.

  52. Hey!

    A few reasons:
    I can route calls to Google Voice to anywhere (work,cell, my parents house, etc).
    I can send/answer texts(like email)/listen to voice mails in my email account (no charges)
    I am in a unique situation where company policy doesn’t allow me to bring my phone to work (see points above).
    I wanted to keep my current number (had it for many years).

    But if you only talk on the phone for less that 250 minutes a month and are always on Wifi (for texts), then you absolutely don’t need to use Google Voice. I don’t know if you can transfer your cell number to an Airvoice Wireless sim card though.

    Plus you get the benefit of being able to talk into your computers microphone instead of holding a cell to your head =)

    One note, there are going to be some changes to Google Voice announced in a few months, so I don’t know how things are going to change. I may be looking for somewhere else 😐

    Take care!

  53. Think you may have sold me on AIO. For the first time in at least a decade or so I am finally out of a contract! I’ll be buying an unlocked Moto X or Nexus 5 and going from my $75 plan down to a $35 plan so even after buying an expensive unlocked phone I’ll be a head of the game in a few months (I would have ended up with a legacy and standard $200 phone…just would have). So to spend 350 to 400 on the phone is a lot, but like I said I’ll be head in just a few short months. I’ll also be able to jump program to program depending who has the best deal.

    So thank you for letting me know about AIO.

  54. ILG,

    Ahh, gotcha. Makes total sense. Thanks for getting back to me on that.

    I hope Voice doesn’t change too much and you’re able to still use the service to your advantage.

    Cheers!

  55. Evan,

    Hey, glad I could be of help. 🙂

    So far, I really like Aio. I’ve had no issues and the call clarity/signal has been a big improvement over what I was getting with Metro PCS. It’s really night and day.

    Best of luck!

    Take care.

  56. I’m interested in using the same $25/month plan as well, but with an iPhone 4 instead of a basic phone. Is it true that your iPhone 3G is still working with the plan “like magic”? And is it also true that they will find out which phone I am using and make me switch to the $40/month plan like they say?

    Thank you ahead of time.

  57. Zayne,

    Thanks for asking. Great question there!

    I’m still paying just $25/month. I’ve already paid my second bill and I’ve been using my iPhone 3G almost exclusively the whole time (after the first couple days of service). It’s been wonderful, and no issues at all. I would definitely do it all over again (buying the cheap phone and swapping the SIM card).

    Best of luck!

    Cheers.

  58. i went from at&t at $60 a month for 400min and was charged alot for any aditional texting or internet.i did not use these functions .in january of this year i switched to AIO and was very happy with my $40 plan with unlimited talk and text and pretty good data. however by the begining of April the phone slowed down considerably and the 3G worked sporadically. i have spent a lot of my sunday afternoons with their customer service.no matter how many times they thank me or review protocols ,the phone is still not high functioning. i went to the store that sold me this phone and they do not stand behind their product.of course they wanted to sell me a more expensive phone. Why would I trust them with my money? so, i don’t know what to do and i feel ripped off.

  59. car,

    Sorry to hear about your experience. I can’t speak about their data because I don’t use it. But I’ve not experienced one issue with their phone service. The voice quality has been wonderful for me.

    I wonder if it’s a phone issue or a network issue? I hope they’re able to resolve the issue for you!

    Best regards.

  60. In Holland theres 50 euro’s package plans unlimited text and calling.

    The cheapest simonly i’ve got is 16 euro/month

    500 minutes no text and 1000mb internet

  61. William,

    16 euros per month doesn’t sound bad. That’s about on par with what I’m paying now for my Aio/Cricket plan. You get less minutes, but more data. I think that’s a fair trade-off. 🙂

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Cheers.

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