Republic Wireless has added some new wireless plans and I have a hard time seeing how they'll appeal to anyone but we'll get more into that in a moment. Republic has also eliminated one of its plans. The $5 plan that offered unlimited talk and text that only worked on Wi-Fi has been terminated (updated: a few site readers have commented that this plan is still available (at least for now) but it is not an option at checkout, and can only be signed up for with the Republic Wireless app. The plan is also not listed on the Republic Wireless website). With services like Google Hangouts available where users can place calls and texts over Wi-Fi for free, it's hard to justify paying $5 for something one can get for free and I suspect a majority of people felt the same and weren't signing up for the plan, hence its disappearance. The company has also given names to their preexisting plans as well as their new ones, and they are named based on the amount of data they offer going from XS to 3XL. Republic Wireless's new plans are as follows:
- XL - 3GB 4G LTE data $55/month
- XXL - 4GB 4G LTE data $70/month
- 3XL - 5GB 4G LTE data $85/month
All Republic Wireless plans include unlimited talk and text. With these new plans Republic Wireless appears to be charging premium pricing for coverage that's on Sprints network. It is important to note however, that Republic Wireless does at least offer you a refund for any unused data you have at the end of a billing cycle. Even with a refund, its hard to justify any of the pricing listed here. There are simply too many cheaper options available elsewhere to the consumer. The plans would be more impressive if they topped out at $45-$55/month to be more in line with what competitors charge for 5GB of LTE data. On top of that, Republic Wireless does not support BYOSD, ((Bring Your Own Sprint Device)) and so if you plan to switch service to them you'll have to invest in one of three new phones, the Motorola E, G or X.
Republic Wireless's other preexisting plans are as follows:
- XS - Unlimited Talk and Text $10/month
- S - 500 MB 4G LTE Data $17.50/month
- M - 1GB 4G LTE Data $25/month
- L - 2GB 4G LTE Data $40/month
All plans include unlimited talk and text.
I have to say I am very disappointed in Republic Wireless's new plans, and do not like the direction the company is headed in. The company used to offer much cheaper plans that were a much better value, but ever since they began offering refundable data, they have gotten more expensive, particularly if you need to use up all of the data your plan includes. At the lower price points of $25 and below, the company does at least offer something reasonable to those out there that don't require a lot of data. So what do you all think of these new plans? Am I missing something with my analysis or do you agree that the new price points are rather absurd?
About Republic Wireless
Republic Wireless offers service on Sprint's network. The company uses a Wi-Fi first approach for its cell phone plans. Calls and texts are placed whenever possible over Wi-Fi, and when Wi-Fi is unavailable or a customer moves out of Wi-Fi range, the cell phone seamlessly transitions over to Sprint's cellular network without any interaction from the end user. The Wi-Fi to cellular hand off ideally occurs without a loss of service or dropped call for the user.