Save Money Switching Cell Service to Ting

I recently switched my cell phone service from AT&T to Ting and cut our bill by more than half. The service and coverage have been excellent. I wish I had discovered Ting years ago. Ting is an MVNO that stands for a mobile virtual network operator. An MVNO basically resells popular wireless services (such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc) at very low rates. Ting buys excess T-mobile and Sprint capacity at a wholesale price and then passes on the savings to the consumer. The great part about Ting is they only charge you for what you use. So if you are someone like me who does not use a lot of data and talk, you can save a lot of money. My wife and I were able to use our existing iPhones and move over our phone numbers to the new Ting service.

Saving Switching to Ting

Before switching to Ting we were paying $81.00 a month for two iPhones. We had unlimited talk and text with a 1GB data plan. We rarely went over the data limits. After switching to Ting, our monthly bill is now about $36.00 dollars. That is a savings of $540 dollars a year without sacrificing quality or coverage!

Benefits of Ting

• No contracts
• Pay for what you use (Data, Text, and Talk)
• Nationwide coverage
• Bring your own phone and number
• Inexpensive
• Nice user app (see phone usage, billing, set caps, and alerts)
• Wifi calling and texting
• No extra charge on 60+ international calls

How to Switch to Ting

The Ting website makes switching very easy. Just follow the recommendations of the website on how to move over to Ting. Make sure that you keep your existing cell provider until you make the transition. This way you will have no problems porting over your phone numbers.

1. You need to own your phone.

So, if you are still financing the phone from your cell provider then you’re out of luck. You have to own your phone outright.

2. You can’t have a contract with your current provider.

You can not have an existing contract with a cell phone provider. Many cell phone companies have gone away from this model. If you have a contract, it still may be cost-effective to get out of it in the long run.

3. Go to their website and see if your current phones are compatible.

Most phones will work on Ting. Enter your phone’s IMEI/MEID number on their website. An IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) or MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier) is a unique number exclusive to your phone. It indicates your phone’s manufacturer and model as well as the brands and frequencies it supports. This number can be found by going to the settings of your phone and click on the about option. Once you enter the IMEI/MEID number click on the check button. If your phones are compatible you can make the transition to Ting. If not then you will have to buy a compatible phone. Ting offers many phone options on their website for purchase.

4. Order your SIM cards.

Once you determine that your phone is compatible you can order the SIM card for your particular phone. You will need to order a SIM card for each phone you want to switch over. Each phone has a small SIM card the can be swapped out that allows your service provider to work with your phone.

5. Make sure your phones are unlocked.

This step is very important. When we switched over to Ting. I was unable to activate our phone after installing the Ting SIM cards. My iPhone kept saying it was locked. I had to call AT&T support to get both of our phones unlocked. The AT&T tech was able to send a command to the phones to unlock them. Once that was done the new SIM card worked which is why it is important to keep your existing cell provider before making the switch.

Swapping SIM Cards

It will take about two business days to receive your Ting SIM cards. Swapping SIM cards is pretty straightforward. Each phone has a slot to install the SIM card. If you don’t know how to remove your SIM card, check out YouTube to see videos on how to remove a SIM card. Make sure your phones are unlocked (this may not be the case for everyone).

Porting Numbers

You will need to activate the phone and port over your phone numbers. This can be done on the Ting website. It will walk you through the process. It may take a few hours until the numbers get ported over. You will receive an email confirmation once the porting process is complete. Once the switch is complete you will see Ting as your new provider on the phone.

Ting App

Make sure you download and install the Ting app on your phone. It is a great feature. With the app, you can check your usage, set alerts, and data caps. You can also manage each phone and toggle on and off a bunch of features. This will give you complete control of all the phones on your plan. It can also estimate your phone usage and give you an idea of your monthly bill.

$25 Credit by Switching to Ting

If you are interested in giving Ting a try you can click on this link and get a $25.00 credit toward your bill.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend Ting. I have been extremely happy with the service and savings. The savings can really add up over time. We have had no issues with coverage or calls being dropped. Data and text have also worked excellent. If you don’t like the service you can always switch back.