How RingPlus works
It’s legitimate; RingPlus does provide free cell phone plans. Their mission, as stated on their Facebook page, is to “give its Members free cell plans paid for by media content played in ring back tones.” Thus, when signing up for a free cell phone plan with the carrier, an ad of sorts will be played through the Ring-Plus radio when on hold and calling someone. This is how they are able to afford to give away free plans. Of course, with every thing that is “free” there is somewhat of a cost.
The free plans do have limitations. To start, there is no activation fee nor is there a monthly fee. There is, however, what is known as a required “Auto Top Up.” Plans that include this need to maintain a positive balance on their account. Any overage charges will be taken from that Auto Top Up with amounts specified from the plan. If you do reach a $0.00 balance on your account and your credit card does not allow for an automatic increase, your services will be suspended until the top up payment is made. Other than the initial top up balance, you should not have to pay anything more unless you were to go over your allotted minutes or texts. So, their current free plan is technically free and could be a viable option for the individual needing a cell phone plan at a low cost.
In addition to a top up fee, some plans do require a membership subscription. The membership essentially includes add-ons like 3-way calling and call waiting as well as a Lifetime Membership that does not auto-renew.
Their available plans
Because RingPlus has so many plan options, we will just focus on a few to help give you an idea.
- The Mad Hot Chocolate Free Plan. No contracts required, no sign-up fee and no monthly fee except for the initial $30 top up fee. Included is 500 minutes, unlimited SMS and MMS, and 500 MB of full-speed LTE. Also requires a Membership + plan.
- The Mad Espresso. For $3.99 per month plus tax, you’ll receive 300 minutes, 300 SMS and MMS, and full-speed LTE. Some add-ons required for this plan. Expect to pay an additional $5 activation fee and a $15 top up fee.
- The Map Cuppucino. A monthly fee of $5.99 plus tax, an activation fee of $5, and a top up fee of $15 will be paid up front. The plan includes 500 minutes, 500 SMS and MMS, and full-speed LTE. Some add-ons may be required for this plan.
- The Mad Mocha. This plan costs $9.99 per month plus tax, an activation charge of $5 and a $15 top up fee, not including any additional add-on fees. With this option, you receive unlimited minutes, SMS and MMS, along with 1 GB of full-speed LTE. Some add-on may be required for this option.
- The Mad Latte. For $17.99 each month plus tax, $5 for activation, and $25 for the top up expense, you also receive unlimited minutes and unlimited SMS and MMS. Plus, you’ll have 1,750 MB full-speed LTE and bottomless data. Some add-ons may be required.
- The Mad Macchiato. The rates for this plan are $29.99 plus tax per month, $6.75 activiation fee, $20 initial top up balance. Included are unlimited minutes, unlimited SMS and MMS, and 10GB full-speed LTE with bottomless data. Some add-ons may be required.
Initial Impressions
Although the RingPlus website has a nice design, the initial view is overwhelming. With so many plan options and add-ons, it makes it hard to make a decision. It is also originally unclear what the benefits of being a member are other than discounted activation and top up fees, exclusive parties for your kids and a portion donated to charity. I have to dig and comb through a lot of information other than the existing plans to learn more about these separate services.
There is an extremely helpful and detailed video on the site that helps to explain the process of RingPlus from beginning to end. And, although unclear specifically to whom, the company does note they donate to charity, which is always nice to see.
RingPlus.com also includes a forum on their site, where deals are posted, individuals can post classifieds and discussions can be seen.
Overall, it seems as though the company offers a wide range of options in an effort to reach a large audience but information could be condensed and made a little more clear.
What people are saying
Reviews across the web seem to be mostly positive and objective regarding the service, except for the Better Business Bureau, which gave it 1.59 stars.
The cons include:
- Lag time can be a little long
- Not a good solution as a business phone
- Upgrades and issues may have to be solved on your own
- Not meant for those who are easily frustrated or impatient
- A little hard to understand at first
The pros include:
- No contracts
- Can use an existing Sprint device
- Low cost plans and many options
- Membership option offers rewards and discounted upgrades
- Free plans available with limitations
- Limited minutes on free plans do not seem to be an issue for users
- As long as you are in a Sprint network, service is great
- Cancelling services seems to be easy
Final words on the RingPlus review
For those interested, you’ll need a Sprint-compatible phone. If you do not have one, you can purchase a compatible phone directly from them, which will automatically be registered to the service for your convenience. You may want to do some price checking to make sure the switch would actually save (or cost) you money as well. As long as you have great Sprint coverage in your area, it may be a phone service worth looking into.
Hopefully you found this RingPlus review helpful. Do you use RingPlus? What are your thoughts? Feel free to start a new topic discussion in our forums.
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