Ting is a prepaid cell phone carrier known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.
An MVNO is simply any cell phone carrier that does not operate its own cellular network.
Instead of building their own networks, MVNOs make agreements with the four big carriers to use their cellular networks for coverage.
In Ting’s case, it uses the AT&T or T-Mobile networks for coverage.
If you are curious to learn more about how the agreements work between the big carriers and the small carriers, check out my article on how some cell phone plans can cost so much less than others.
Ting offers a good selection of plans to choose from.
The $10 Ting Flex plan is a great option for low-data users. You pay $10 per month for unlimited talk and text, and then just $5 per GB used.
What’s great is you can share the data usage across multiple lines. So a family of four that only uses a total of 2GB per month would end up paying just $12.50 per line.
The rest of Ting’s plans are classic data-bucket plans. You get a set amount of high-speed data each month.
After you use up your high speed data, your data speeds slowed to 2G speeds, or about 128Kbps. There are no data overages for Ting’s data-bucket plans.
Check out Ting’s current plan offerings below:
You can get $25 of Ting credit applied to your first month of service when you sign up through our link.
No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.
Yes, Ting offers family plans. However, all lines need to have the same plan.
So if you sign up for the Ting Flex plan, all lines will need to be on the Ting Flex plan. You’ll pay $10 per line for unlimited talk and text, and then you’ll pay $5 per GB of data usage for all lines on your account.
If you get one of Ting’s data-bucket plans, then each line will get its own separate high-speed data allotment.
Ting’s family plans do not offer any multi-line discounts at this time. I
Instead, the family plans are really designed just to make it easier for parents to manage lines for their kids under one account.
See Ting’s current family plans below:
Ting does not support tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices at this time.
Ting currently uses the T-Mobile and Verizon networks to provide coverage. You choose to use either the T-Mobile or the Verizon network when you first sign up for service. It is possible to have multiple lines that use different networks under one Ting account.
Ting’s parent company, Dish, also recently signed an agreement with AT&T. So it may be possible to see Ting plans operating on the AT&T network before the end of the year.
T-Mobile’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 12, 25, 26, 41, 66, and 71. T-Mobile’s 5G bands are n41, n71, n260, and n261.
Verizon’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, and 66. Verizon’s 5G bands are n260 and n261.
AT&T’s LTE bands are 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, and 66. AT&T’s 5G bands are n5 and n260.
LTE and 5G bands marked in bold are the primary bands that the networks use to provide coverage.
Other non-bolded LTE and 5G bands are typically used to provide supplemental coverage.
The more LTE and 5G bands your phone has for a particular network, the better coverage and faster speeds you will get on that network.
The above data come from the FCC and from Verizon directly.
Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.
You can also check coverage using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.
Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to participate in the project.
The above information comes from the FCC and from AT&T direclty.
You can check AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.
You can also check coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of the cellular networks.
Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.
The above information comes from the FCC and from T-Mobile directly.
Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.
You can also check T-Mobile coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.
CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.
You can download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.
Ting supports visual voicemail, group and picture messaging, Wi-Fi calling, VoLTE, hotspot, and HD video streaming on all of their plans.
5G access is also available if you choose to use Ting on the T-Mobile network.
Using the T-Mobile network also gives you access to domestic roaming, which is where your phone will roam on the AT&T network in areas where T-Mobile doesn’t have coverage.
When you are roaming on AT&T, you get unlimited minutes and texts and up to 100MB of data usage.
Roaming is not available if you use Ting on the Verizon network.
Most unlocked phones will work with Ting.
An unlocked phone means it isn’t tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.
Contact your current carrier to ask if your phone is unlocked, or if there are certain steps you need to follow to request to have it unlocked.
You can check if your phone works with Ting by using their compatibility checker tool.
You can also consider purchasing a compatible unlocked phone from the selection below:
Yes, Ting supports both international calling and international data roaming.
International calling and data roaming are available at pay-per-use rates that you can find on Ting’s website.
Ting offers international calling and data roaming at pay-per-use rates. You can see Ting’s rates for specific countries on their website.
Ting support is available via email, online chat, or by calling one of their support phone numbers.
New customers can call 1-855-999-7266 for assistance.
Existing customers can dial 1-855-846-4389 to get help with their service or phone.
See Ting’s full list of available support options here.
