Ways to Cut Your Cell Phone Costs

Cell Phone Bills and How Lower Them

By: Jon Boyd Barrett

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The days without cell phones seem unfathomable. How did we ever live without them?
While there are obvious advantages about having a cell phone, one disadvantage is the effect that the resulting bill has on your wallet. The value of cell phone service has improved in recent years, yet many still feel it to be overpriced.
Here we compile various ways in which you can cut the costs on your monthly cell phone bill.

Switch Plans

Too many people are paying more than they need for their cell phone service.
If you don’t use all of the monthly minutes that you have, consider downgrading to a cheaper plan. Alternatively, if you are regularly going over your minutes then it may be time to upgrade.

Family plans are another option for cheaper rates. You don’t have to have a family for these either, just find someone close to you who is reliable and that would be interested in sharing a plan with you in order to save some money.

The quality of plans is always changing with most providers now even offering unlimited calling plans, some as little as $49.99 a month (Virgin). This is definitely something worth looking into if you use a lot of minutes. Even if you have to pay a termination fee for leaving your current contract early, you may save a lot of money in the long-run by doing so.

Get Rid of Extras

Cell phones come with a lot a great features these days, but using them will often require you to pay a lot of extra fees. Determine what you really need from your service and check that you're not paying for what you're not using.
Data plans, for example, can easily add $20-$30 a month to your bill. Do you really need to be able to receive your e-mails all day, every day?
Other features that you may needlessly be paying for are: GPS, International Roaming, text packages, ringtone and game subscriptions, walkie-talkie and many more.

Off-Peak and Early Evenings

Take note of your off-peak hours and try to keep your longer phone calls within those times.

The off-peak time for most providers is 9pm to 5.59am, which isn’t very helpful if you generally go to bed at 10pm and have a lot of phone calls to make. What you can do however, is ask your provider if they offer an early evenings feature, meaning for a small fee they will extend the off-peak hours from 7pm to 7am.

Pre-Paid Cell Phones

More and more people are starting to go the route of pre-paid cell phones. These not only avoid the need for a contract, but mean that you know exactly what you are spending whilst not having to worry about potential nasty surprises on a monthly bill.

The best value pre-paid service is currently through Vigin mobile, with phones starting at $20 and minute packages starting at $20 for 200 minutes, up to $50 for 1000. T-Mobile also have good pre-paid rates.

Of course, if you spend a lot of time talking on the phone, pre-paid might not be right for you. But, if you can utilize your landline and/or Skype (see below) for your long calls, then you might be able to get by with using minimal minutes on a pre-paid cell phone.

No More Cell Phone

Until 10 years ago, the majority of people didn’t use cell phones and the world seemed to get by just fine.

People managed to get to places, make appointments and do pretty much anything they do these days, without the hassle of a having a buzzing or ringing in their pockets every few minutes.
It is of course possible to avoid cell-phones completely. By doing so you will save a lot of money. Sticking to a simple landline will cost you as little as $24.99 a month. Vonage offer a plan at this price which gives you unlimited nationwide calling.

Texting

If you have an unlimited SMS texting package, you could opt to have text message conversations rather than using up your minutes during the peak hours.
Some networks have unlimited texting packages for as little as $9.99, making them well worth the money if you are an avid texter.

Skype

If you have easy access to a computer with internet, start using internet-based phone services such as Skype. Skype allows unlimited calls to any other Skype number for the unbeatable price of zero dollars. Plus, if you have one, you can also use your webcam.

Skype will also allow you to call landlines anywhere in the world at very reasonable rates. This works out at just a fraction of the cost of making long-distance calls through your cell-phone provider.

Free 411 Calling

Calling 411 from your cell phone usually ends up in a $1 charge. Directory assistance certainly isn’t cheap, or at least it isn’t if you chose to use your own network’s 411 service.

Now, you can use one of the various free information numbers such as 800-Free-411, 800-411-Metro, 800-Goog-411 or 800-411-Save. These excellent and free directories could save you quite a bit. You can even text your inquiry to Google (466543), and get a text reply with you results.

Alternatively, if you have a data plan, simply use one of the many online directories to get the information you require.

Disputing Bills

There may come times where you receiving excessive charges on your cell phone bill which you deem to be unfair. Often, calling your provider's customer service team and explaining your situation in a calm and friendly matter will see you get a full or partial refund for the charges in question.

The most important thing here is to be kind and civilized with the representative that you’re speaking to. Point out the issues in your bill that you have a problem with and have a clear idea of what you think a fair resolution would be.

If you are clearly at fault for the excessive charges then don’t try to deny it, just tell them that you would greatly appreciate them helping you out.

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