Bonnie Cha

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Ting Will Pay You (Sort Of) to Switch Carriers

Looking to attract new customers, prepaid carrier Ting announced this week that it will pay the early termination fee (ETF) for anyone who wants to break their current cellphone contract and make the switch to its service.

In a blog post, the company said it has set aside $100,000 for the promotion, which will launch on Feb. 1 and run through the end of the month. Ting will pay up to $350 for each line that you bring over, but there is a catch. (Isn’t there always?)

You won’t be receiving the money up front, so you’ll still have to pony up the dough to get out of your existing contract. Instead, the carrier will credit your account for the amount of the ETF once you start service with Ting.

Ting operates on Sprint’s network, and subscribers are charged based on how many voice minutes, text messages and data they use per month. As far as phone selection, customers can purchase a new, used or refurbished device from Ting, or they can bring over a Sprint-compatible handset.

Ting is among a new crop of startup cellphone companies looking to take on the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile), with low monthly plans and no annual contracts. Republic Wireless, Solavei and Voyager Mobile are some of the others.

Ting, which is owned by Canadian Internet service wholesaler Tucows, launched its service in February 2012. Though the company has not disclosed how many customers it has, CEO Elliot Noss said in an August interview with AllThingsD that they are very pleased with the results so far.

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