I’m in a relationship, and it’s getting serious.

Ting and I have been together for almost a year now, and we’re still going strong. But like any relationship, there are a few bumps along the way. A few surprises. There are things you love, and maybe some things that could be improved. Yes, we’re still talking about cellphone service.

Last year, I wrote about my switch to Ting. After a month, I was a pretty big fan of their service. But how do I feel a year later? Here’s a quick rundown of how Ting works, along with some pros and cons I’ve noticed after being with them for a year. I go into more in the video below, too.   

How Ting Works

Ting is more or less a “pay for what you use” cellphone carrier. I say more or less because they don’t exactly charge you per-minute. They use pricing tiers, or buckets. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing model:

You can read more about how Ting works in my original post. But to sum it all up, they use Sprint’s network, they’re a no-contract carrier, and if you want to switch, their website makes it incredibly easy. But here’s a quick breakdown of how to switch to Ting, anyway:

1. Buy a Sprint-compatible phone.
2. Sign up for a Ting account.
3. Activate your new phone through Ting’s website.
4. Port your existing number through Ting’s website.
5. Check your final bill with your provider.
6. Sell your old phone.

And now let’s take a look at a few pros and cons.

Pros With Ting

Price: Price was the reason I switched, and I was happy when my first bill arrived at $35. Over the past year, $35 is still the cost of my average bill, so I’m very happy with Ting’s pricing.

Flexibility: I love that you can pretty much use whatever phone you want with Ting. There are a lot of other solid discount phone carriers out there–for example, Republic Wireless uses the Moto X, which is a great phone, and they’ve got great service. But I like that Ting is flexible if you want to try different options.

Customer service: Excellent customer service with Ting. It’s available on weeknights until 1am and weekends until 8pm. So while it’s not 24/7, it’s darn well close. More importantly, they listen to you. They don’t run down a script when you chat or talk with them, so you get fast answers.

Cons With Ting

I didn’t have many cons when I first switched, but now that it’s been a year, here are a few I’ve noticed.

Price: Yes, I listed this as a pro. But it could just as easily be a con if you use lots and lots of data, minutes, and texting. If you use 1000 minutes a month, 2000 texts and 1000 megabytes, you’ll pay upwards of $80, which is probably more than an unlimited plan with a major carrier. But these days, with widespread WiFi access and free texting and voice apps available, it’s pretty easy to keep your usage low.

Coverage: It’s the Sprint network, which is notoriously bad, so I have to list “coverage” as a con. Again, when I first switched, I didn’t notice any coverage problems. But now that I’ve had the service a while, I have to report, there have been times I’ve been frustrated with the coverage. Driving through the Grapevine in Southern California, for example, I notice my coverage isn’t as great as it used to be.

Slow to roll out features: Ting is a smaller, newer company, so this is to be expected. There are certain features that take a while to come to Ting. When I wanted to buy the new iPhone 6, I had to get on their GSM network, which was in beta. For a while, I didn’t have 4G and had to stay on 3G (life is hard, I know), because it wasn’t yet available for GSM on Ting. It also takes new phones a bit longer to become available on Ting. But again, it’s not a major carrier, so you have to expect this.

Overall, I’m still a big fan of Ting and highly recommend them to anyone interested in saving money on cellphone service.

Get a $25 Credit (Or $100 Until June 8!)

I get no compensation from Ting for reviewing their service, but like any Ting user, I do have a referral link that can save us money.  If you’re planning to switch, use this link by June 8th, and you’ll get $100 in credit toward your bill or a new phone. After the 8th, you’ll still get a credit of $25, and so will I. It’s a win-win.

If you want to hear more of my review of Ting, or you just want to hear me ramble on, check out the video above. If you’re a Ting user and want to chime in, or if you have any questions about the service, leave a comment below.