Ways to Save on Cell Phone Bills
The price of cell phone bills can be astronomical. In fact our cell phone bills at one point were higher than our utility bills. The average American spends about $1,000 a year on their cell phone bill. In my family, we pay an average of about $20 per phone per month for our plan with a major provider. Here are some ways to help you save on cell phone bills.
Choosing a Cell Phone Provider
Comparison shop: Shop around. Use free websites to do the work for you. Whistleout.com is a great tool and resource. Tell them what you need and they’ll tell you if your plan is the right fit or if there’s a better one out there. If you’re shopping carriers, you should add up the cost of the phone plus the cost of the service for the life of the contract before you buy and watch out for mystery charges.
Negotiate. Call a customer service representative and tell them that you’re shopping around and trying to decide what service you’d like to have after your contract expires. See what they can offer in forms of incentives and rebates. Any upfront costs for equipment or start-up fees can potentially be waived if you ask. When you’re in the market for a new phone, don’t just assume you can’t talk down the price. Go to the store and talk with a salesperson to see if you can get the activation fee or upgrade fee waived. If you’ve been a customer for a long time, then be sure to bring that up. Use whatever leverage you have, including fees—or the lack of fees—from competitors.
Get a Family Plan. Many providers offer incentives or deals when adding lines. You can even go in on a family plan with friends in order to reduce your costs. This is the first place I started saving big on my cell phone plan. Best of all, you will be able to call the members of your family plan without using up your minutes.
Keep up with your carrier’s latest promotions. Even if you’re already a customer — you may be able to cash in on current offers.
Ask for a Corporate or Group Discount. Every wireless provider has companies, groups, and government agencies that they offer discounts to. If you are not sure if you belong to one, discuss it with your provider.
Sign up for a no-contract deal. Even though you’ll have to pay more for the phone up front, you can save in the long run in some cases. Also, if you decide to switch providers, then you won’t have to pay any penalties, because you’re not under contract. Some carriers even offer no-interest payment plans for the phones, so even if you can’t afford to pay the full price upfront, you can pay it off in installments. You can buy out-of-contract, refurbished phones and save big.
Get a prepaid phone. The pay-as-you-go phone can save you a lot of money, and you won’t be locked down in a contract. You will know your bill ahead of time and won’t have any surprises. The prepaid option is a good option for people who don’t meet their minutes quota.
Never Buy Accessories from Your Provider. Mobile phone companies have big profits on accessories. You can find big savings purchasing elsewhere such as Amazon.
Ways to Limit Cell Phone Data & Text Usage
Use a Wi-Fi connection whenever you can. Data overages can pile up quickly, so use WiFi whenever you can to conserve data on your smartphone. WiFi is available in a ton of places…home, work, gym, coffee shops, etc. so be sure to check to see if you can access it.
Know your limits. Apps like My Data Manager track your data usage and set off an alarm when you’re close to your monthly max so you don’t incur additional charges. This is a great resource for my daughter as she is a streaming HOG! Streaming is definitely the most dangerous thing you can do over the carrier network.
Cut Out the Stuff You Don’t Use. Look at their cell phone bill and don’t pay for things you don’t use, such as emergency roadside assistance, 411, and “enhanced voicemail.”
Use texting apps. Download a free texting app on your phone, so you won’t have to pay for texts. WhatsApp is popular as it can be used on BlackBerry, iPhone, Google Android, and the Nokia phone. And it’s free!
Call from your computer: You can call people from your computer for free with programs like Skype (as long as they are using it to talk to you, too).
Be aware of roaming. Check with the carrier to see what kind of roaming charges there are and if you will see some even when you’re traveling domestically. And if you’re traveling internationally, consider a pre-paid phone in the country your visiting.
