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I have had a history of switching cell phone providers, maybe I was doing my best Goldilocks impersonation and looking for just the right one. While I may have started with an old Nokia phone using US cellular in the late 90’s, I have upgraded to what I believe is the best cell phone service in the country. I have used Republic Wireless for the past 6 years and I’m here to tell you in my Republic Wireless review that it’s the best value money can buy.
As part of my transparency guarantee I may be compensated by Republic Wireless if you use one of the links below to sign up. Any money earned allows me pay for things like hosting, email subscription services, and even giveaways for you. If you choose Republic Wireless I appreciate you choosing to sign up with one of my links!
Early on with my Nokia phone and US Cellular, but this was my parents plan and I don’t think even text messages were a thing back then.
While I started with an old Nokia phone and US Cellular, throughout most of college I had Sprint. My phone had an antenna which I would like to assume worked when you lifted it to the sky. Mostly it was half bent and never stayed straight in the air anyways.
I traveled a lot during my days in college. As I was traveling I would often make phone calls to friends and family across the country. At this point hands free wasn’t a thing, although I did try the little headphone that attaches to your ear, major fail.
I’m not exactly sure when but I made the switch to Verizon wireless and what some would consider the best wireless available. The price I was paying was a bit higher but I thought it all equaled out with less dropped calls and better coverage. Can you hear me now? still echoes in my ears when I think about Verizon, curse them.
As time went on my Verizon bill kept getting higher and higher. The switch to the iPhone made my bill shoot up like a rocket. After one year of Verizon and the cult like iPhone, a gift from my wife,I was ready to pour the kool-aid out and find a cheaper plan.
At this time I was paying $80 per month, a hefty sum for a wireless plan. I began to research other lower cost carriers. Sprint, T-mobile, and a few others all had cheaper plans but I was worried about contracts, coverage, and the fact that the costs weren’t really that much less.
Frugal WirelessAround this time is when I found, “just the right bed”, a reference to Goldilocks for those unfamiliar. In in this case the right bed turned out to be a cell phone plan provider.
I had already begun researching cell phone plans and Republic Wireless (RW) had caught my eye. Mr. Money Mustache had written about the company back in May as he talked about a very frugal pricing option with one phone as the only choice. The lonely phone option seemed about as good as my old Nokia, from the late 90’s.
The frugal plans certainly caught my eye and I wanted to research more and find out if other phone options would become available.
This could be a perfect match, you know Even Steven Money and Republic Wireless. Before I began drawing hearts around our names I started researching the capabilities of the company and how exactly could they have such low wireless plans. $5 per month was incredible.
Republic Wireless essentially piggy backs off of other carriers. Currently RW uses T-mobile and Sprint currently the 3rd and 4th largest wireless carrier. The coverage based on the map looks very good.
The least appealing part of the map seems to be in Idaho. No real concern to me personally but it’s important to check your local area’s coverage.
I mean this is the map of their coverage, it’s pretty much covered in green and we both know green means very good.
Republic Wireless Review Score: 9/10
The ground breaking technology for me was the ability to make phone calls using a Wi-Fi network. Each time I would make a call my cell phone would check if I had Wi-Fi capability, if it did then I would make the call using Wi-Fi.
Also if for whatever reason the Wi-Fi isn’t working or working very well it would seamlessly switch to my regular RW cell phone coverage.
I had never came across anything like this, so I was blown away. Not only does Republic Wireless use wireless networks (Wi-Fi) instead of cell networks whenever possible to make phone calls, they also use this to send text messages and for all data consumption purposes.
Republic Wireless Review Score: 10/10
There is a reason I am calling Republic Wireless “Frugal Wireless”. The costs per month are some of the lowest if not thee lowest in the industry.
When I first started with RW my plan was $5/month and it included unlimited talk, text, and data as long as I was on a Wi-Fi network. For me it was perfect.
I had access to Wi-Fi at home, in the office of my lobby, and was able to connect to a bunch of different Wi-Fi hotspots. The cost savings was incredible, especially considering my monthly bill with Verizon was $80 per month!
I was saving $75 per month, which is no small amount. Since then I have upgraded to a monthly plan that fits my usage and data consumption better. Over time RW has also had some minor changes but has kept the price relatively the same.
Today I currently have the $20 per month plan. I have no long term contract and I could cancel at any time.
My plan includes unlimited talk and text through their 4G LTE network and 1 GB of data. It’s a perfect fit for me as I don’t often use data very often. In fact I have 8 days remaining in my monthly plan and I’ve used 347mb with 677 mb remaining.
Current plans now range from the low cost of $15 per month up to $40 for those who tend to use data on a regular basis. In amazing news, RW actually lowered their prices. If you pay for the entire year upfront you can save $30, $40, or even $80 per year. It’s like getting 2 months for FREE!
The plans themselves are really flexible. If you need an extra 1GB simply log in to your account via your RW app and buy a GB of data it costs $5. I have done this once or twice when I was traveling but can’t remember the last time I made an extra data purchase on RW.
Republic Wireless Review Score: 10/10
Get started today and Enjoy a stress-free summer with Republic Wireless. Stay connected with your family on us! 3 months of service for all new lines through June 6. Activate by 7/7.
As I mentioned early when RW first came out the only phone they had to offer was Motorola Defy XT which didn’t exactly have me waiting in line to unpackage my new phone. Then something magical happened.
RW offered a new phone. One that had great reviews and was not only an upgrade from the Motorola Defy XT but I would consider it an upgrade from my iPhone 4. Plus remember I wasn’t exactly drinking the kool-aid that Apple was offering.
It should be noted that while I don’t drink the kool-aid that Apple and the iPhone offers, many people do. If you are looking to make a switch and bring your iPhone with you that option is not available through RW.
When the Moto X 1st generation was offered I knew this was going to be not only the right phone for me but the right wireless provider.
The phone itself was $300. For me this made the commitment a little more real. I was able to run the numbers and realized that even if I made this “big commitment” of purchasing the phone, I would break even in 6 months.
$80 per month X 4 months=$320, while my phone purchase of $300 + my new $5 monthly plan would amount to the same $320. If I decided to upgrade my phone plan to a plan with data, I would still be ahead of the game by the end of month five.
Republic Wireless Review Score: 9/10
Today after a phone mishap with my wife that involved me diving into the cold waters near Glacier National Park I have a new phone.
Yes, RW offers many more phones than they did back in 2013 when I originally purchased my cell phone. My new phone is a Moto Z Play which is again the best phone I ever had. I feel like this is my reward for diving into the glacier like water to retrieve the old phone. 
I won’t gush too much over the Moto Z Play but it has this crazy amount of battery life and even has the capability of Moto Mods. When my wife purchased the phone it even came with a speaker attachment and later on she purchased a projector.
When we get tired or want just one more episode of Game of Thrones, the projector lights up dragon fire and white walkers on the wall in our bedroom. I mean who doesn’t want more Jon Snow or the Mother of Dragons?
Most of the phones available today are either Motorola or Samsung. Be assured you are getting the latest and greatest in technology. Prices currently range from $149 to $999 on the website, but I have seen them as low as $99, which is a steal for a smartphone today.
Shop Now for the latest Samsung and Motorola smartphones. Whether your new to smartphones or looking for your kids first phone, Republic Wireless has something for everyone.
Also you can even bring your own phone along to RW if you own a Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy. This is a nice option to have as I almost bought the Google Pixel when I was considering a new phone.
Because I have a special affiliate relationship with Republic Wireless, I am able to score deals from time to time. This deal is great for those who already own their own compatible phone and want to bring it over to RW.
Bring Your Own Phone To Republic And Get 1 month FREE service + FREE SIM card + FREE shipping!
The coverage is great, the costs are extremely low, and the phone options are excellent. The really quite honest review of Republic Wireless is turning out to be a gush fest where I pronounce my love for all things Republic Wireless. What kind of Republic Wireless review is this?
Here’s the thing this has been my real experience, right down to the customer service.
The customer service has been easy to work with. Most of customer service they provide is essentially a big community of people that help you to find your answer when you need it, 24/7.
They DIY customer service community has been really helpful. I have gone in and quickly found my issue and resolution in a matter of minutes. There has been times when I wasn’t able to find the answer and opened a ticket for tech support help. It’s really that easy, just submit the issue you are trying to fix and they provide the answer with a fairly quick turnaround.
The service I have received has always been direct and to the point. If you are looking to call in to a customer service rep everything something happens with your phone or your wireless plan then this could prove to be a challenge for you.
It appears they have even upgraded their customer service support which now has the phone support from a technician which you can just schedule a callback with. This is 100% my preference as waiting on hold sucks the life out of me.
“Republic gives you access to 100% US-based support, 24/7. Get answers when you need them from our Member Community, user-friendly help documentation, or directly from a trained Customer Expert. If your question is better resolved over the phone, we’ll schedule a callback with a technician. Never spend your valuable time waiting on hold again.”
For my wife and I the number of issues we have had with the service or our phones has been minimal. Each time we went to the Republic Wireless membership community and we were able to either solve our problem or open a ticket which solved the issue. No hassles, just a simple DIY approach to resolving the issue.
Republic Wireless Review Score: 9/10
I have been using RW for almost 6 years and I am a loyal consumer of this great cell phone service. The value that RW provides is second to none. I pay $20 month to be able to call and text in unlimited fashion.
My small 1 GB data plan keeps me in the loop when I need it for sports stories, social media, or my constant use of Google Maps when traveling to a new destination. I’ve got a great phone with a battery life that lasts forever and has cool features like a speaker for music and a projector screen.
The coverage, customer service, cell phone, and monthly bill have all exceeded my expectations. There’s a reason 98% of Republic members stay with us each month, even without a contract.
I absolutely give RW my full fledged recommendation to any friend, family member, or simply someone who wants a cell phone plan at a great price.
In fact I have recommended RW to friends and family. For example I purchased my own Mother a phone and cell phone plan as a gift. Now that’s a recommendation. I recommend RW so much I’d even purchase it for my own Mother!