How to Save Money On Your Cell Phone Bill
These days just about everyone has a cell phone – and most of us are spending too much for it. You may need to use the cell phone for a few months to get a good understanding of how you are likely to use it in order to find the best rates. Do you call the same people each month? Do you send and receive a ton of text messages or none at all? Knowing how you use your phone helps you save money because you can select the plan based on what you actually use. These are tips that will help you save money on your cell phone bill.
Selecting the Right Plan
Most cell phone plans are based around a certain number of minutes. If every month you have a ton of minutes left over, you probably don’t need to pay for the plan that offers that many minutes. On the other hand, if at the end of each month you’ve run out of the included minutes and paying per minute for all over-time, you need a plan that offers more minutes.
For individuals who seem to have variable usage month to month, you may be best with a plan that lets you roll over unused minutes from a previous month to help “fund” a month when you talk more.
Emergency Only
For people who only like the comfort that comes from having a cell phone in their pocket in case of emergencies, a prepaid phone is probably your best option. There are no contracts, no monthly minimums, and you just have to make sure you have enough minutes on the phone to keep it active.
In-Network Calling
If you tend to call the same few people over and over again, you can save considerably by having a cell phone plan that lets you designate friends or family numbers for unlimited calling.
Compare Plans
There are two websites that help you monitor your cell phone usage and that help you save money. Billshrink takes a look at your cell phone use and compares it to the available plans through all the major cell phone providers to see if you could save money using a different plan. Fix My Cell Bill charges $5, but lets you upload your cell phone bill to see recommendations for how you could be saving money.
Text Messaging
Texting with cell phones has become extremely popular. Most plans charge 10 to 15 cents per message, unless you have a plan that allows unlimited text messaging. If you send or receive more than a handful of text messages per month – take a look at plans that include unlimited text messaging to save money.
When your Contract is Up
If you have an existing cell phone contract that is coming to an end, call your current cell phone provider and mention you’re thinking about switching to one of the other carriers to use the Apple iPhone or Blackberry Storm or similar, fancy phone. Most of the time, the retention department will do what they can to keep you by offering you a bunch of extras or better plan.
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Although new phones come out all the time, people should consider getting a new phone every three years instead of two. Unless you get the most basic phones that are often free, this will cut down on your annual “new phone” costs. Also, you won’t have to pay activation charges as often. In then end, these two savings may add up to $60-$150 per year.
I recently switched cell phone plans and did a great deal of research to make sure I was getting the best deal out there. I noticed Straight Talk from Wal-mart. They offer a great $45 unlimited plan. This includes great nationwide service on the Verizon network, unlimited calls to any number, unlimited texts, and unlimited internet. If you are looking for a new cell phone plan I highly suggest Straight Talk.
Have you ever heard of the online cell phone consultants at http://www.reviewmybill.com?
Their professional help may save you any hustle that arrives with a cell phone bill issues. Common complaint about cellular is that the bills are hard to understand and that they hate dealing with their carrier… that is where http://www.reviewmybill.com come in and make sense of customers bill AND contact the carrier for them.
I have Straight Talk on the Verizon network. Bought it at Walmart and it’s an amazing deal. The Samsung Finesse is a very cool smartphone and paying only $45 a month for unlimited everything is the best deal going!
Who needs an iPhone? LOL!!
I’m saving over $50 a month with Straight Talk with the potential to save more than $1,100 over the next two years versus my previous carrier’s prices. Their $45 unlimited use plan is just a great deal and you dont worry about overage fees or contracts. Speaking of contracts, another great benefit is being on the dependable Verizon network and not dealing with any sort of company commitment. Even their selection of cell phones are well priced and varied and so much better than you would have expected from a new, prepaid company. If you are doing your shopping and want to save, Walmart’ Straight Talk line is so worth a look.
I swithched over to StraightTalk after paying for my last cell phone bill (over $250!!!!) and never looked back. Now, I dont’t ever have to worry about going over minutes again for only $45/month. I haven’t had one single dropped call! I have the Samsung R451C – the phone has all the features I’ll ever need and more! My only regret is not doing this sooner!
Great post!
I’ve been looking for ways to economize and when my cell contract was up, I got a Net10 phone. I pay 10¢ a minute and 3¢ for texts. It’s a terrific value and there’s no contract or overages.
Check it out! You can get ‘em online at net10.com or at Target, Walmart, Best Buy etc.
Comparing plans is a great way to help you realize how much money you can save on your cell phone bill. I compared my old plan to a tracfone plan and was shocked how much money I was spending that was needed. I got a great tracfone for a great price with a camera and everything. I didnt have to sign a contract and there are no monthly fees. With tracfone for only $20 I got 60 mins talk time and some TracFone models also offer unlimited double minutes which gave one bonus minute for every minute i bought and added to the phone. Tracfone was a great switch for me.
Best money saver tool this year for me – NET10 prepaid. I was looking for a company that offered me real bang for the buck and NET10 does that easily now that I’m saving $80. While I had to downgrade my minutes and my IPhone, I consider it worth it now that I don’t have to wrry about rising bills or extra contract fees. Deciding on a plan and company should be so easy if you consider how much you talk and what you can spend – hence NET10 is often a great fit.