You’ve probably already figured this one out: cell phone bills are pricey. The average American is now shelling out around $110 per month on cell phone service. How much you pay will depend on several things, including how much data you use, how much your state charges in taxes and if you are on a financing plan or buy your phone outright.
If you’re spending a lot more than $100 a month (for an individual), you’re probably overpaying. Here are some tips for slashing that bill.
1. Find the Right Plan for You
The easiest way to save the most money on your plan is to be sure that you’re signed up for the best plan that fits your needs. You don’t want to be paying for data that you don’t use or facing charges for sending more than your allotted texts.
Comparing cell phone plans can be difficult and confusing, but WhistleOut takes the stress out of it. Enter some info about your phone, usage and network, and it will tell you which plan offers the best value.
2. Know Your Limits
Download the app My Data Manager, which tracks your data usage, lets you know which apps are using the most data and sends you an alert when you get close to your plan’s limits or your chosen daily limits.
Stay under data limits by using Wi-Fi as much as possible, especially for activities like streaming video or making face-to-face calls, which are among the activities that eat up the most data.
3. Skip the New Phone
Now that most major carriers have done away with cell phone contracts and subsidies, there’s even less incentive to upgrade every time a new phone comes out. Sticking with an older phone or buying a used phone instead of a new one will greatly reduce your monthly bills.
4. Just Say No to Insurance
Unless you’re prone to losing or breaking your phone often, it’s usually a smarter financial decision to skip insurance on your phone. Instead, keep an older phone as a backup in case your current phone breaks or is lost, or set aside the money you would have spent on insurance as an emergency account you can tap should something happen to your cell.
5. Take Advantage of Discounts
All of the major carriers except T-Mobile have discount programs affiliated with some schools and large employers as well as for military members. Enter your affiliated email address into the discount page on the carrier’s site to see if you qualify.
What are your best tips for cutting a cell phone bill?
Image courtesy of Flickr.
