Reduce Phone Bill |
By Alexander Carl on May 19, 2010
.jpg.aspx?width=75&height=75) The secret to keeping costs down in general is being aware of what you use. Once you know the details of your expenses, you can find services that meets your needs at the lowest price.
This includes cell phone service, too. If you’re looking to lower your bills, these are the areas you need to examine:
Usage. Cell phones are vital for most consumers, but not everyone is glued to theirs. If your time on the phone is less than a daily occurrence, you should consider going pre-paid. There are fees for reloading a phone card, but it’s less overall than a package.
Texting. Some of us are textaholics, and others can barely find their way around the number pad. If you only text once in a while, a standard payment per-text will work. Otherwise, you need to look into texting plans (such as 500 per month for $8). Different carriers offer different plans— figure out how much you text a month.
Friends and family. Almost all networks offer free or reduced charges when talking in-network. It could be worth switching if your best buds share the same carrier.
When you talk. Are you a night talker? Do you use your phone for daytime business? Both scenarios could benefit from different plans, with or without unlimited nighttime calls. Don’t pay for what you don’t use!
Long distance. If you make international calls or use frequent long-distance, consider Skype. Its services are cheaper that cell plans, and calls between members are free.
Your landline. Do you really need it? Some cut back by getting rid of it, though it’s wise to have a backup line in case of emergencies. If you use your landline as often as (or more than) your cell, you may want to drop one in favor of the other (or, again, go pre-paid).
The gunk. Cell plans are notorious for having a bunch of extras: roadside assistance, extended warranties, Internet access, and so on. If you need none of it, you can either downgrade your plan, or ask your provider to opt out.
To lower your costs further, you might even downgrade your phone. Again, don’t pay for what you don’t need.
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