The average cell phone bill in 2014 was $73 a month.  Verizon customers paid an average of $148 a month, Sprint customers $144, AT&T $141, and T-Mobile $120 a month. (source).  I pay $10 a month for uhlimited talk and text on my phone (c. $12 with taxes) with a company that I had never heard of (before we started looking) but which was rated very highly by Consumer Reports. (Otherwise I would never have considered them.)  What company is this, you ask?  Republic Wireless:

Republic Wireless offers a cell phone plan that provides unlimited talk and texting anywhere in the USA, and unlimited data wherever there is a WiFi network, for only $10/month.  Unlimited talk, text, and data everywhere is available for somewhat more, but still far less than with the major carriers.  (The average customer who wanted more than the base plan paid in the representative month of July, 2015 only $14.82!) In fact, even if you sign up for a more expensive plan that includes cell data, you can get refunded if you don’t use it! I don’t need the cell data, but if you do, and you use less than what you paid for, Republic Wireless will refund you the difference (remember that all data that goes over WiFi is free)! They also have a WiFi only calling plan for a mere $5/month.  For many customers–including the author of this article–the $10/month plan is all that is needed.  (We have two phones, so it is $20 a month plus taxes).

Thus, while I am happy without cell data at $10/month, if you need it you can avoid paying much more!  So, instead of spending $100 or more a month on your cell phone, why not pay $10/month and save and invest what you get to keep in companies that do good or other high yield investments?  When calls or data are routed over cell networks instead of over WiFi, Republic Wireless uses the Sprint network, so you have cell coverage wherever Sprint does and WiFi coverage everywhere there is WiFi.  You can check coverage for your area by clicking on the banner below:

Check your cell coverage, for when you don’t have WiFi.

However, Republic Wireless is not for everyone.  Customer service is not available over the phone, only over the Internet.  International calling is also not available (at least right now).  If these are a deal breaker for you, consider some of the other cell phone companies I review on my webpage.  However, paying $10 a month for unlimited talk and text, instead of some vastly larger amount with a different company, may well make it worthwhile for many consumers to get customer service over the Internet instead of over the phone and who do not need international calling.  The company offers a 30 day money back guarantee, so if you try Republic out and do not like the company, all you pay for is the initial shipping cost for your phone.  See if Republic Wireless is for you by clicking on the words below:

Is Republic right for me? Smartphone plans starting as low as $5 per month.

Note: I have affiliate links with Republic Wireless. If you use the banners on this blogpost to sign up for their services, I will receive financial compensation.  I can in good conscience say that there is nothing on this blog post that I would not have said were I not an affiliate of the companies, and I believe that it is appropriate that we both benefit from the information I have put together for your betterment (1 Timothy 5:18).  However, if you are bothered by the fact that I will be compensated if you use these banners to sign up, you can sign up on the webpage without clicking on these banners, and I will get nothing.  If you choose to use the buttons on this webpage, I offer you my sincere thanks.