scrubbedexpat099

Republic Wireless.

No brainer.

hungryhorace

They use Sprint though, and they suck balls big time. Plus limited handset availability with RW.

scrubbedexpat099

I was concerned about Sprint, but it has not been a problem. Where I am it is more important to be CDMA so you can pick up the other towers. I use it to listen to the radio as radio reception is cack up here and was surprised how few dead spots I encountered.

In reality, most of my use is on wi fi, so irrelevant anyway.

Also using it as a phone seems to be very minor! Had not quite worked out that one.

If you must have an I Phone, agree not the one for you.

scrubbedexpat099

As an aside my Nexus has T Mobile free data, T Mobile seems much more patchy.

hungryhorace

T-Mobile is a current 'work in progress'. If you live in an area they cover then you will have a first class HSPA+ or LTE experience. If you don't, then like you say, expect patchy coverage. I was with T-Mobile for a couple of months initially but switched to ATT as T-Mobile was just so ropey coverage wise (I would drive past the state border and drop to 2G!).

However, things have drastically changed in the last year. T-Mobile is aggressively expanding their LTE network and by the end of 2015 their *entire* cell network will be provisioned with LTE upgrades. That's pretty impressive.

Also, if rumours are to be believed, Sprint's parent company will purchase T-Mobile then integrate Sprint into the T-Mobile brand as TM is a hot brand whereas Sprint is held with great negativity.

Skint

We use Ting. Two phones. Only pay for what we use. Monthly bill runs $21 + extras, combined for BOTH phones. Very affordable compared to our crappy old PAYG Virgin deal. Very non-evil company whose customer service answer the phone with a real person within 5 or 6 rings!

Piggybacks on the Sprint network and needs unlocked Sprint phones - including iPhone 4/4S/5 (we got used ones from glyde.com)

You check your account online and you always know your expected bill each month, which varies according to your use

Ting.com

delbitter

Looks good and I do like good customer service! Will check them out.

hungryhorace

ATT GoPhone just improved their prepaid package.

$54 (through callingmart.com) now buys you, 2.5GB LTE data (50 ms pings!), Personal Hotspot functionality (ie, tethering) and Facetime over Cellular.

Boom!

Steve_

Yeah, I've got a Republic Wireless phone, the reasons for which would be obvious to you but it bears some explanation for the OP.

They work over wifi and then seamlessly transition to cell service, so say you're in your house on wifi and then walk down the street it switches over without you having to redial. If you only want to use the wifi option then it's $5 a month plus tax, with cell and wifi only it's $10 a month and there are options for 3G ($25) and 4G ($40). You have to buy the phone though, they're Motorola and the cheapest phone is $150.

The reason I've got one is because it's $5 a month and people in the US can phone me on a US number and there are no roaming charges because it's on wifi. When I'm in the US I can switch it over to the $10 plan.

As hungryhorace points out though, the cell service is provided by Sprint and Sprint is pretty awful it has to be said. Check the coverage map for Sprint before you do this. I've got friends in the US with RW phones and they happen to have great Sprint coverage where they are but I've had problems in various US locales.

Even then though, even if you only use it on wifi it's a better option than a landline.

www.republicwireless.com