Ting announced support for the Nexus 5 several months back. Basically, that meant users could buy a Nexus 5 from Google and use it with any of the Ting plans. But there was also a bit more to the story, a bit about how the carrier may start selling the handset direct at some point in the future.
Well, thanks to a recent update on the Ting Blog, that time has come. Interestingly, that time has come with a catch. Ting has announced they are selling the Nexus 5, but have said they would prefer it users bought direct from the Play Store instead.
“Starting today, Ting is now selling the Nexus 5. But, please, for the dear sweet love of Google, don’t buy it from us.”
Further details from Ting bring mention about how they are already selling the Nexus 5 below their cost and “still can’t even come close to matching” the price with Google. For those unfamiliar, Google has the Nexus 5 priced from $349 (for the 16GB model). As it seems the Nexus 5 is a popular device amongst Ting users, the carrier is suggesting those considering a purchase should grab a $10 Ting SIM card and then buy the handset direct from Google.
According to Ting, that would mean an initial savings of $95. Ting has the Nexus 5 priced at $445. They have the 16GB model available in black. To that point, Google has options for 16GB and 32GB as well as color options of black or white, and the recently released red.
Regardless of where you purchase the Nexus 5, once you have the required Ting SIM card — you can then get some service. Ting has a setup where you end up paying for what you use. You pay for the amount of nationwide minutes, the amount of global messages and the amount of data that you use.
