Carrier RingPlus (Free Phone Service)

[Channan]

Another new good free plan is about to be available, but only for a short amount of time. Today, from 5-9 Pacific (about 1.5-5.5 hours from when this is posted) RingPlus is offering a free plan with 3750 minutes/texts/MB of data with a $27 top up.

If you don't have a compatible phone, you can get a loaner from their store or pay $35 (which includes your $27 top up) until you find a phone. Details on this plan are here.

 

[Hal~9000]

*snip*

While I don't expect Ring+ to survive forever, I am thoroughly enjoying my free monthly service in the meantime. Even if they just survive another month or two I've more than made up for the original $29 investment. Anything longer is pure gravy baby!

I mean, before I thought I had a good deal with GoPhone and paying $40/mo for unlimited talk/text/2GB of data... now I made an initial $29 payment and every month get 4000 min/text/mb of data for free

Thanks Channan, wouldn't have taken the plunge without your help

 

[Channan]

While I don't expect Ring+ to survive forever, I am thoroughly enjoying my free monthly service in the meantime. Even if they just survive another month or two I've more than made up for the original $29 investment. Anything longer is pure gravy baby!

I mean, before I thought I had a good deal with GoPhone and paying $40/mo for unlimited talk/text/2GB of data... now I made an initial $29 payment and every month get 4000 min/text/mb of data for free

Thanks Channan, wouldn't have taken the plunge without your help

Glad I helped someone. How is Sprint's service in your area?

I found them surprisingly good. Not quite as good as AT&T or Verizon, but it's pretty rare I find a place where it's mostly useless, and even then I'm only talking data. Calls and texts work perfectly all the time. I've yet to completely lose service.

I haven't taken any speed tests to compare speeds, but that doesn't really matter as long as it's fast enough for what I need, which is pretty much all the time.

 

[Channan]

Another new good free plan is about to be available, but only for a short amount of time. Today, from 5-9 Pacific (about 1.5-5.5 hours from when this is posted) RingPlus is offering a free plan with 3750 minutes/texts/MB of data with a $27 top up.

If you don't have a compatible phone, you can get a loaner from their store or pay $35 (which includes your $27 top up) until you find a phone. Details on this plan are here.

RingPlus is offering this plan again today for three hours.

3750 minutes
3750 texts
3750 MB (~3.66 GB)

Pay $27 once and get all the above every month for free.

It'll be available from 5-8pm Pacific, which is a little less than 4-7 hours from now.

 

[gotluck]

Signed up for the seashore plan, not much to lose!

Sprint is better than I thought around here

 

[bufffilm]

RingPlus is offering this plan again today for three hours.

3750 minutes
3750 texts
3750 MB (~3.66 GB)

Pay $27 once and get all the above every month for free.

It'll be available from 5-8pm Pacific, which is a little less than 4-7 hours from now.

Would you say it is worth it if one bought say the HTC 626 phone to qualify for the free plan?

Just wondering.

 

[Channan]

Would you say it is worth it if one bought say the HTC 626 phone to qualify for the free plan?

Just wondering.

Depends. How much is the HTC Stitch? Do you plan on using RingPlus as your main phone line or just as a backup? If just a backup, do you have another phone in mind or would you use this phone?

I think this is a really good plan, and worth getting even just as a backup if you don't invest too much money in getting it. As long as you don't use any MMS (use Google Voice and Hangouts instead to send free MMS over data) or go over your allowance, you'll never be charged more than what you initially pay to get the plan.

Signed up for the seashore plan, not much to lose!

Sprint is better than I thought around here

Are you already on the plan, or did you just recently try out Sprint?

 

[bufffilm]

Depends. How much is the HTC Stitch? Do you plan on using RingPlus as your main phone line or just as a backup? If just a backup, do you have another phone in mind or would you use this phone?

I think this is a really good plan, and worth getting even just as a backup if you don't invest too much money in getting it. As long as you don't use any MMS (use Google Voice and Hangouts instead to send free MMS over data) or go over your allowance, you'll never be charged more than what you initially pay to get the plan.


Are you already on the plan, or did you just recently try out Sprint?

I asked because the 6s stays on Verizon and I don't have any other smartphone that I can use.

I'm not opposed to a backup phone...would I be able to use that HTC 626S sim later in a Samsung S7 and still work?

 

[Channan]

I asked because the 6s stays on Verizon and I don't have any other smartphone that I can use.

I'm not opposed to a backup phone...would I be able to use that HTC 626S sim later in a Samsung S7 and still work?

I doubt they use the same SIM card model, but worse case scenario is you just buy another $10 SIM card from Best Buy or $15 from R+ to use in a Galaxy S7 later.

But if you plan on using a Galaxy S7 later, just buy a SIM for your iPhone, register for the plan with the SIM and your Verizon iPhone, then just put your Sprint SIM card in your iPhone once a month and make a phone call until you get the Galaxy S7. You don't have to actually use it except to make a monthly call to make sure your R+ service doesn't get terminated for inactivity.

 

[gotluck]

Depends. How much is the HTC Stitch? Do you plan on using RingPlus as your main phone line or just as a backup? If just a backup, do you have another phone in mind or would you use this phone?

I think this is a really good plan, and worth getting even just as a backup if you don't invest too much money in getting it. As long as you don't use any MMS (use Google Voice and Hangouts instead to send free MMS over data) or go over your allowance, you'll never be charged more than what you initially pay to get the plan.


Are you already on the plan, or did you just recently try out Sprint?

signed up on the plan thursday, I had been waiting for the next promo

ringplus is my first experience on sprint!

their low frequency band 26 seems to be more prevalent than tmobile band 12 around here, i was surprised!

 

[bufffilm]

I doubt they use the same SIM card model, but worse case scenario is you just buy another $10 SIM card from Best Buy or $15 from R+ to use in a Galaxy S7 later.

But if you plan on using a Galaxy S7 later, just buy a SIM for your iPhone, register for the plan with the SIM and your Verizon iPhone, then just put your Sprint SIM card in your iPhone once a month and make a phone call until you get the Galaxy S7. You don't have to actually use it except to make a monthly call to make sure your R+ service doesn't get terminated for inactivity.

I don't want to chance the possibility that putting the Verizon sim back in after making the 1x per month call with Ringtone sim will screw up my Verizon service somehow.

The big question is whether $120 for the HTC 626s plus the $27 top off fee is worth all this bother?
/ heh /
[doublepost=1463362053][/doublepost]So I have the phone in my shopping cart but see no way to link the phone to the promo...am I missing something?

If i checkout, is that all I need to do?

 

[Channan]

signed up on the plan thursday, I had been waiting for the next promo

ringplus is my first experience on sprint!

their low frequency band 26 seems to be more prevalent than tmobile band 12 around here, i was surprised!

I'm not sure if T-Mobile has band 12 here yet, but they didn't when I tried them a few months ago. They already bought the spectrum, but were in the process of getting it approved.

But without band 12, Sprint is hands down better than T-Mobile where I live. Definitely not as far as speeds go, but I get a consistent LTE signal in a lot more places on Sprint than I did with T-Mobile.

I didn't buy a Sprint model iPhone SE because Sprint doesn't currently use band 41 where I live, but even if they did, it's not really a big deal as long as I have a low frequency band for better coverage.

I don't want to chance the possibility that putting the Verizon sim back in after making the 1x per month call with Ringtone sim will screw up my Verizon service somehow.

The big question is whether $120 for the HTC 626s plus the $27 top off fee is worth all this bother?
/ heh /
[doublepost=1463362053][/doublepost]So I have the phone in my shopping cart but see no way to link the phone to the promo...am I missing something?

If i checkout, is that all I need to do?

I didn't check the promo, but they might not offer that plan with a phone purchase. I don't think they normally do. But they seem to offer a high data plan at least once a week, so even if you don't get this plan, you shouldn't have to wait long to sign up for one as good or better.

If you don't get this plan, just keep an eye on this thread. I regularly update it with good promotions when I see them.

Also, swapping the SIMs isn't going to mess up your Verizon service. There's nothing to worry about. Put your Verizon SIM back in your phone and it will be exactly like it was before swapping SIMs.

 

[bufffilm]

I'm not sure if T-Mobile has band 12 here yet, but they didn't when I tried them a few months ago. They already bought the spectrum, but were in the process of getting it approved.

But without band 12, Sprint is hands down better than T-Mobile where I live. Definitely not as far as speeds go, but I get a consistent LTE signal in a lot more places on Sprint than I did with T-Mobile.

I didn't buy a Sprint model iPhone SE because Sprint doesn't currently use band 41 where I live, but even if they did, it's not really a big deal as long as I have a low frequency band for better coverage.


I didn't check the promo, but they might not offer that plan with a phone purchase. I don't think they normally do. But they seem to offer a high data plan at least once a week, so even if you don't get this plan, you shouldn't have to wait long to sign up for one as good or better.

If you don't get this plan, just keep an eye on this thread. I regularly update it with good promotions when I see them.

Also, swapping the SIMs isn't going to mess up your Verizon service. There's nothing to worry about. Put your Verizon SIM back in your phone and it will be exactly like it was before swapping SIMs.

I'll wait then until you post something that will be free with buying a phone included.

 

[Channan]

I'll wait then until you post something that will be free with buying a phone included.

You could be waiting a long time. There's even a possibility they won't ever offer that again. Your best bet is to either buy a phone now so you have one ready to sign up for the next good flash promo, or just buy the SIM for your iPhone.

I promise putting the Sprint SIM card in your Verizon phone will not mess your phone or Verizon service up. There is a 0% chance anything will mess up.

 

[bufffilm]

Here's a thought...I do have a Verizon moto E with a prepaid Verizon sim in it. (Bought it to play with Android 5.1 and I thought [incorrectly] that I could use it as a backup device if my 6s had problems)

Supposedly, if I go to a Verizon corporate store and pay 1 month of prepaid service, then they say the phone could be unlocked. Would I then be able to use that phone with Ringplus as a BYOD?

 

[Channan]

Here's a thought...I do have a Verizon moto E with a prepaid Verizon sim in it. (Bought it to play with Android 5.1 and I thought [incorrectly] that I could use it as a backup device if my 6s had problems)

Supposedly, if I go to a Verizon corporate store and pay 1 month of prepaid service, then they say the phone could be unlocked. Would I then be able to use that phone with Ringplus as a BYOD?

Check here and see if your phone would even work on Sprint's network. I'm not sure if it would, but if it does pass the IMEI check, as long as it's unlocked, it should be good to activate on their network.

 

[bufffilm]

Check here and see if your phone would even work on Sprint's network. I'm not sure if it would, but if it does pass the IMEI check, as long as it's unlocked, it should be good to activate on their network.

Yeah, I tried that...it was inconclusive.

 

[Channan]

One of the coolest free plans I've seen yet being added tomorrow from 5pm-9pm Pacific. The top-up is $25, but then you get the following for free every month.

3000 minutes
3000 texts
3000 MB

The cool thing about this plan is RingPlus is offering two add-ons for this plan, and you have to choose one.

1. Add tethering for $10 per year.

2. Add 500MB and 250 MMS per month for free.

Obviously if you choose tethering, the plan is no longer free since it will cost you $10/year. But on the bright side, it comes out of your top-up, so your first two years will be covered from your initial top-up. On your third year, you'll only have $5 left in your account, at which point you'll be charged another $25 top-up and then you won't pay anything for another three years.

If you choose the second option, you get 3000 minutes, 3000 texts, and 3500MB of data, along with 250 MMS each month for free. This costs nothing extra. Normally MMS are 5¢ each, so 250 MMS would cost $12.50 without this free add-on.

I'd probably choose the tethering add-on if I was getting this plan. $10/year is less than 84¢/month, and tethering is more important to me than an extra 500MB or MMS. If I was using this as my main service and didn't use Google Voice/Hangouts, I'd probably go for the free MMS, though.

 

[Channan]

Latest plan available tomorrow (May 21) from 5-9pm Pacific and Sunday (May 22) from 7-9pm Pacific:

3400 minutes
3400 texts
3400 MB

$25 top-up. You get to choose (only) one of the following five add-ons:

1. 100 MMS for free
2. Tethering for $3/month
3. Tethering for $9/six months
4. Tethering for $16/year
5. +5GB for $25/month

Regardless of which add-on you pick, you can also buy an additional 2000 MB for $20. You have six months to use the additional data and it auto-renews every six months unless you cancel.

Honestly, I'm really tempted to "downgrade" to this plan for tethering. My current plan (4000 MB) offers tethering for $13/month, but I could give up 600 MB/month for tethering for only $16/year.

 

[JulesJam]

I don't want to chance the possibility that putting the Verizon sim back in after making the 1x per month call with Ringtone sim will screw up my Verizon service somehow.

That would be impossible - Verizon and Sprint's networks are completely separate. You can have the same phone active on both Verizon and Sprint but of course not at the same time unless it is a dual SIM phone. But there is no issue at all with switching SIMs between a phone when the SIMs are active on different networks.
[doublepost=1463801501][/doublepost]

Honestly, I'm really tempted to "downgrade" to this plan for tethering. My current plan (4000 MB) offers tethering for $13/month, but I could give up 600 MB/month for tethering for only $16/year.

Nice option.

The only things to keep in mind with R+ are the voice call latency, which is a problem for me, and the lack of roaming, which you could get if you kept a minimum $50 on the line or become a M+.

 

[Channan]

Nice option.

The only things to keep in mind with R+ are the voice call latency, which is a problem for me, and the lack of roaming, which you could get if you kept a minimum $50 on the line or become a M+.

I've seen some people complaining about the latency, but it's been a non-issue for me. I tested it out by calling myself and the latency was, at worst, about half a second, which didn't seem any abnormal than phone calls I've made on other carriers. I've also called my dad two or three times to test it out and we never had an issue of talking over each other.

But I mainly use Hangouts to make VoIP calls, so the latency on standard network calls doesn't really matter to me. And really, with such a low start-up fee and no monthly fee, it's very hard to complain about the network.

 

[JulesJam]

Supposedly, if I go to a Verizon corporate store and pay 1 month of prepaid service, then they say the phone could be unlocked.

You don't have to go to a corprate store to do that - you can do it online. But all that does is unlock it for use on Verizon postpaid - all Verizon 4G LTE phones are carrier SIM unlocked out of the box. Paying for 1 month just lets you use it on Verizon postpaid. Make sure you pick the $30/mo WiFi only plan if you are going to do that.

Would I then be able to use that phone with Ringplus as a BYOD?

The Verizon Moto E doesn't have the radios or the firmware to work on Sprint. It is carrier unlocked out of the box but it doesn't have the hardware or the software to work on Sprint. It works on TMobile though.
[doublepost=1463802525][/doublepost]

But I mainly use Hangouts to make VoIP calls, so the latency on standard network calls doesn't really matter to me.

Exactly. If you used the voice minutes more you may notice the latency of the voice calls. Each person has to try it themselves to know.
[doublepost=1463802613][/doublepost]

And really, with such a low start-up fee and no monthly fee, it's very hard to complain about the network.

I am not really complaining just explaining why I can't use it as my primary phone. I do make a lot of voice calls.

I did try Hangouts with Verizon and the call quality was an issue. I haven't tried it in awhile, I will try it on my R+ lines and see how it goes. I wonder how much more a roaming VoIP call would be compared to a roaming voice minute call?

 

[Channan]

Exactly. If you used the voice minutes more you may notice the latency of the voice calls. Each person has to try it themselves to know.

I have used the voice minutes, though. I just use Hangouts a lot more. The month on my first line already started over, but last I checked I used like 40-50 minutes. On my second line, I've used 15 minutes so far this month. It's not a huge amount of minutes, but I think that's enough to know if it was an issue for me. I really think some people just have a worse experience than others, because not everyone complains about the latency.

I am not really complaining just explaining why I can't use it as my primary phone. I do make a lot of voice calls.

I did try Hangouts with Verizon and the call quality was an issue. I haven't tried it in awhile, I will try it on my R+ lines and see how it goes. I wonder how much more a roaming VoIP call would be compared to a roaming voice minute call?

I've been using Hangouts on Verizon since it first came out, and other apps including Talkatone and GrooVe IP before that. I'll admit that it hasn't always been perfect, and still isn't, but it's been my main use for phone calls for a year and a half now and it's been more than adequate for me. Most of the time, the quality of Hangouts is as good or better than making a regular phone call, and I'm not talking about Hangouts-to-Hangouts calls. I could easily get by with only data on Verizon, but I definitely need the actual cellular minutes occasionally on Sprint in places where their data network isn't very strong. Verizon's is strong everywhere I go.

 

[JulesJam]

Most of the time, the quality of Hangouts is as good or better than making a regular phone call,

Verizon's HD calling blows everything out of the water when it comes to call quality. Of course it only works on Verizon to Verizon calls right now and only if the other person has an HD calling enabled phone.
[doublepost=1463808330][/doublepost]

Latest plan available tomorrow (May 21) from 5-9pm Pacific and Sunday (May 22) from 7-9pm Pacific:

3400 minutes
3400 texts
3400 MB

$25 top-up. You get to choose (only) one of the following five add-ons:

1. 100 MMS for free
2. Tethering for $3/month
3. Tethering for $9/six months
4. Tethering for $16/year
5. +5GB for $25/month

Regardless of which add-on you pick, you can also buy an additional 2000 MB for $20. You have six months to use the additional data and it auto-renews every six months unless you cancel.

This is a great plan. I think I am going to get it for one of my neighbors who doesn't have internet at all because they are old and don't want to learn to use a computer. I think they could learn to use a phone with an email app and the voice search feature would work for them too.

I have an LG Stylo they could use which is pretty big but I wonder if you could use a tablet on a plan like this?

 

[Channan]

Verizon's HD calling blows everything out of the water when it comes to call quality. Of course it only works on Verizon to Verizon calls right now and only if the other person has an HD calling enabled phone.

The majority of the people I talk to are on AT&T, so I haven't even used HD calling yet.

This is a great plan. I think I am going to get it for one of my neighbors who doesn't have internet at all because they are old and don't want to learn to use a computer. I think they could learn to use a phone with an email app and the voice search feature would work for them too.

I have an LG Stylo they could use which is pretty big but I wonder if you could use a tablet on a plan like this?

Tablets aren't allowed on the free plans.