Republic Wireless- the budget phone plan

Astrid Code, Journalism 1 Writer

With just $15/month for unlimited talk and text and $5/month for each GB of data, Republic Wireless one of the cheapest phone plans out there. One of the key features is that Republic always defaults to Wi-Fi for data, calls and texts if it is available. If not, it either uses Sprint or T-mobile networks, which have 98% coverage in the US.

I myself use Republic Wireless, and have found it to be really good for the low cost. I never have to turn cell data off and on when I go into a place with Wi-Fi, and even if I turn Wi-Fi off, there is a nice reminder after a couple minutes to turn Wi-Fi back on. All of this data conservation meant that I was able to keep under 3G of data per month without even trying, streaming YouTube, scrolling through Instagram, and reading chapters and chapters of webcomics off Wi-Fi. This leaves no reason to get an unlimited plan at a much larger cost.

Another nice feature of Republic’s My Choice plan is the flexibility. At any point in time, you can add more data to your phone or change your monthly data plan to give more or less data, which is very useful.

However, the calls are not the best quality, frequently cutting out and at some times being frustratingly unintelligible. This was solved by switching to a Google Hangouts call, which has much better sound quality, but uses data (if not on Wi-Fi), not the unlimited call service. This wasn’t a huge problem for me, as I usually text or video call if I need to contact someone, but could definitely be a dealbreaker for some people.

Overall, if you’re looking for a basic, flexible phone plan at a low price, don’t like paying for more data than you need, use Wi-Fi a lot, and are willing to sacrifice subpar call quality, Republic Wireless is the phone plan for you. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.