About a week ago I made the switch from Verizon to Republic Wireless. For the past 5 or 6 months I have been reading with interest posts about switching from Verizon to: Republic Wireless, T-Mobile, Walmart’s plan, and a number of other phone services that aren’t Verizon.
I have to admit that other than the cost Verizon was fine. The phone service was good, I was treated well when I went into the store (same guy always helped me), and my phones were great. I especially liked my DROID RAZR. The thing is…each month I got angrier and angrier about one specific thing: the cost.
I was paying $105-$110 a month for a single person-that included a freaking DISCOUNT for state employees. Are you kidding me? I am not even a phone person. I am not, by any means attached to my phone. I use it to speak to my mom, grandma, and text my friends to meet up with them.
I connect with my overseas friends via SKYPE and FACETIME, I write letters, and I see people in person. Why on earth was I wasting my money on a service that I don’t really use? Each month I got angrier. I do need a phone that works in case of emergencies, but I didn’t need all of the bells and whistles. So, I decided to do something about it.
I came up with a plan.
- First, I reviewed my personal situation. Did it make sense to change service now? Or, should I wait?
- How would I pay to do this? I decided to side hustle my way out of Verizon! I ended up taste testing some nutrition bars, had some ads on my site, and was paid for some freelancing that I did. I was sick during this time so I actually didn’t do as much as I originally intended.
- Reviewed the number of APPS that I currently run-I only use Instagram, My Fitness Pal, Facebook, and What’s App. I might add a couple more, but I don’t think so.
- Decided on a time frame- A big issue that I was dealing with was the fact that I still had a year to go on my Verizon contract. I would have to buy out the contract and pay for a month’s service. I did receive a $120 credit for the first year but it costs $350 to buy out a contract. So, I paid $230 (buy out contract) + 105 (phone service)=$335.
- Why now? I didn’t want to wait too long because I had dropped my DROID and broken it. It was experiencing problems and I knew that I would have to replace it soon. I didn’t want to upgrade and extend my contract to 2016 (another 2 years). Also, I didn’t want to continue paying $105 a month. So, I sucked it up and got it done.
Some initial thoughts on the Switch
- Ahem, read the directions. I might not have done that…so, I wasn’t completely set up on the new phone the first few days. Slight comedy of errors the first week. I emailed Republic Wireless and they responded within 15 minutes with the solution. I fixed the issue and I’m good.
- Check to see if you have Sprint 3G coverage. Denver does, but oddly enough only Colorado Springs has 4G. I think that’s because the military is down there. My understanding is that Sprint is expanding its 4G service so I think that should happen in Denver sometime next year. You can check Sprint coverage via a link on Republic Wireless’ website.
- Check and see if your number will export to the Republic Wireless phone. Mine did.
- Once your phone is set up I would encourage you to trouble shoot your phone service. Ask your friends and families about how they perceive the service. My mom and grandma were happy with the sound quality of our calls. They are the fussiest of the people who I talk to, so I had to check with them or they would drive me crazy if there were issues 🙂
- Make sure you see the 3G and bars in the top right hand corner. If you don’t then you aren’t set up properly.
Cons
- In some areas you might experience intermittent service if Sprint coverage is weak
- You will need to log in to different WiFi ports throughout the city. This will be a little annoying the first month but, once it’s all set up I think it won’t be a big deal. Basically, if you normally are at: work, coffee shops, etc. Set up your phone to pick up the signals.
- Getting out of current phone contracts is expensive.
- Getting the new Republic Phone is expensive. I side hustled my way to the new phone.
PROS
- Nice phone
- $25 a month contract
- No contract
- Long term costs drop dramatically
- No more Verizon
- Interesting Web Community
My intention is to put all of my upcoming side hustle money to cover the entire cost of switching over. At the end of the day, I will be saving a substantial amount this year and overtime. This year I will save $735 if I decide to stop applying side hustle money towards the cost of switching my phone over this year. That is one ticket overseas or 2 or 3 domestic plane tickets. That is money that I could use to pay down debt. I have decided to use all side hustle money towards this switch, by doing that I will have saved $1260 this year. That’s a couple of weeks in Nicaragua with yoga, ATV, zipline, and food. Yep, I have some trips on my mind.
For the numbers people
| Repbulic Wireless | Year 1 | Year 2 | Total |
| Paid out my contract | $300 | 0 | |
| Cost of new phone | $300 | 0 | |
| Cost of Republic Wireless Service For 2014 | $300 | 300 | |
| Total | $900 | 300 | 1200 |
| Verizon | Year 1 | Year 2 | |
| Cost of Service (if I stayed) | $1,260 | 1260 | |
| Replacement phone-cost rolled into new contract | |||
| Total | 1260 | 1260 | 2520 |
| Cost: Pay out contract/New Phone/year of service | 900 | ||
| Current Side Hustle Money | 375 | ||
| Total Out of Pocket (subtract the cost-side hustle) | 525 | ||
| Two Years of Verizon | 2560 | ||
| Out of Pocket | 525 | ||
| Total Savings over 2 years | 2,035 | ||
| Year 1 | Year 1 | Year 2 | |
| Verizon Service Cost | 1260 | 1260 | 0 |
| Cost to Switch-Side Hustle Money | 375 | 0 | |
| Cost to swich over (subtract the two) | 900 | 900 | 0 |
| Total Savings | 360 | 735 |
I am so happy that I’ve done this. As a result of doing this my monthly expenses (not including retirement savings) now are around $2000 a month. This I can work with. By summer my monthly expenses will be around $1700. That is totally workable. I am in debt repayment mode so I will be focused on making more than $1700 a month. However, my goal has been to lower my total monthly output. I’m feeling pretty good about this.
This year is a year of change. My phone service, getting rid of my storage, and whatever else is holding me down. I am starting to feel so free. I love it.
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I’m switching in September when our contract expires! We have Verizon and pay $140 a month, so I’m looking forward to going down to $50 a month 🙂
Between now and then, I just have to worry about saving up the $600 for both phones. It’s in the budget, and I seriously can’t wait to switch over.
Hopefully by the time you switch they will offer an additional phone. It IS expensive to buy the phones, but I felt that the long-term savings was worth purchasing a new phone. I just decided that if I could side hustle my way out of the contract-I would!!
I’ve been reading a bunch of posts lately about Republic and I’m totally intrigued. Right now I have a family plan with my mom and grandma. My only concern about switching is they won’t get reception (they’re in the middle of nowhere Maine). I shouldn’t have any issues in NYC.
I’m not sure if there is a family plan through Republic. I would say that it is highly likely that there isn’t any Sprint coverage where your Mom and Grandma currently live. You may want to look at T-Mobile’s plan. So far (knock on wood) I’m pretty happy with everything.