I remember the days when you had no idea what your cell phone bill would be at the end of the month. Back then, we were assigned something along the lines of 500 text messages outside the market per month, and once you went over, the bill rose to scary levels. Ever since then, I – like many others – have maintained a passion for keeping my cell phone bill as low as humanly possible. If your bill could need a little trimming, here’s where to start.
“Autopay” your mobile phone bill
This is a slam dunk. Many of the big companies will offer discounts if you sign up for autopay at your expense every month. T-Mobile offers $ 5 per line for each qualified phone on your subscription, Verizon offers a discount of $ 5- $ 10 per. line depending on your plan, and AT&T offers up to $ 15 per line depending on your plan. Not only that, but you’ll never have to worry about late fees getting stuck on your bill again.
A word of warning, though: If you travel outside the country, make sure you have all your ducks in line. You do not want to be hit by a high phone bill from roaming or international data charges, make it pay automatically, and then wake up one morning with less money in your checking account than you would otherwise expect.
Spring for unlimited data
The right place you can get hit on your phone bill is to review your data allocation. E.g, Verizon charges a steep $ 15 per gigabyte you go over to your data. This is probably not necessary for everyone; if you have a cheaper data plan and do not go over your allotment, there is no need to upgrade to an unlimited plan.
Otherwise, most providers offer unlimited data at competitive prices, so if you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, it might be time. Verizon’s unlimited data plans start at $ 80 per share. month; AT & T’s starts at $ 65 per month; and T-Mobiles also start at $ 65 a month.
Try a smaller carrier
There is so much fuss about Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile that one would think that they are the only phone companies in the game right now. However, there is a whole infrastructure of smaller companies that prioritize low prices if one is willing to sacrifice. An unlimited Mint Mobile data plan costs $ 30 a month for one line, with cheap options available for plans with less data. A Boost Mobile unlimited data plan starts at $ 50 per. monthand one Xfinity Mobile subscription starts at $ 45 per month (each for a line, as well).
Although these companies are cheaper than their big three counterparts, it is because they rent wireless capacity from larger companies instead of maintaining their own cell phone towers. This means that it is possible for you to see slower data rates if the network is congested, as the larger companies will prioritize their customers first. But if the absolute fastest data does not worry you much, this is a great way to save a good deal of money on your monthly phone bill.
Remember that there is power in numbers
If you want to save money on your phone bill, by far the most effective method is to sign up for a “family plan”. Carriers offer significant discounts to groups that sign up for a plan together. The difference between signing up for the Verizon plan alone versus a “family” of four is $ 25 per month, per line; for AT&T is the difference $ 30 per month, per line; and for T-Mobile there is a difference $ 38.75 per month, per line. And most importantly, there is no requirement that the members of a family plan are actually a family – it is open to anyone who wants to save money.
