Republic Wireless Abandons Unlimited Data, Adopts Project Fi-Like Refund Model
When Google first announced its Project Fi wireless service in late April, one of the headlining features allowed customers to receive refunds for unused data. For example, Google charges $10 per gigabyte of data that you add to your plan; so if you pay $60 for 6GB worth of data and only use 2GB during your billing cycle, you’ll receive a refund of $40.
Rather than just let new customers binge on its unlimited data plans ($25 for unlimited 3G data, $40 for unlimited 4G data), Republic Wireless has announced that it is tossing them in favor of a refund model similar in concept to Google’s Project Fi. The available Refund plans will include:
- 500MB of 4G data for $17.50 per month
- 1GB of 4G data for $25 per month
- 2GB of 4G data for $40 per month
- 3GB of 4G data for $45 per month
Data not used during a given billing cycle will be refunded back to the wireless subscriber. However, if you go over your monthly allotment, you’ll be hit with a $15 surcharge for each extra gigabyte. Considering that the old unlimited plan topped out at $40 per month, there’s a pretty good chance that those that opt for the new 2GB plan will end up paying a lot more for data (and that’s probably exactly what Republic is banking on). The new Refund plans all include unlimited calling and texting.
“So think o this as your golden green ticker to what’s next in the wireless industry,” said Republic Wireless in a statement. “Get paid for using more WiFi. Have options and a fairly sized plan at the right price. No funky math. What you pay in, is what you get paid back. Dollar for dollar. Fair is Fair.”
It should be noted that these new Refund plans are only mandatory for new customers. Existing customers can keep their unlimited plans if they like them (for now).
