Republic Wireless Upsets Subscribers With New Data Plans

Republic Wireless has decided it was time to do away with unlimited data, and instead go with a new refund-based data setup where users buy the amount of data they think they need and then either pay more if they go over or get a refund for unused data at the end of the month. The new arrangement hurts for those who took full advantage of the unlimited data arrangement, but for users with more modest data demands it will still prove more budget-friendly than alternatives on some of the bigger name wireless carriers.

Republic Wireless announced the new arrangement today, hailing the new refund plans as a better alternative for its subscribers. The way it works is fairly simple, with subscribers all starting on the base $10 plan (though it assures users there's the $5 plan, too), then the user estimates how much data they will need and pays for the related package.

The data packages' costs depend on the number of gigabytes — getting 500MB will cost $7.50, for example, while 1GB will be priced at $15, 2GB at $30, and 3GB (the maximum amount) at $45. So an unlimited talk/text plan with 3GB of data will cost users $55/month.

If some data is left unused at the end of the month, Republic Wireless will then refund the value of that data. The carrier is encouraging users to use WiFi when possible as a way to cut down on their data usage and costs.

SOURCE: Republic Wireless