How to Slash your Monthly Phone Bills
We are swarmed with bills each month that leave many of us with very little to save. Utilities and phone bills usually take the bulk of our monthly expenses after mortgage or rent. While we can’t alter the latter, we can certainly slash our phone bills by switching plans or service providers and looking for other money-saving strategies without affecting our ability to stay in touch. To assist you in determining where to scale back, assess your communication patterns as follows:
- Who do you call most often?
- At what time of day do you make the most calls?
- Which do you use frequently: text or call?
- Do you download information from the internet most of the time?
- Do you check your emails via phone when you are out?
Photo by JonJon2k8
Upon evaluation of your communication patterns, consider the 9 ways you can slash your monthly phone bills:
1. Switching plans
Check out your plan the next time your bill arrives. You may have signed up for a package with a lot of redundant features. For instance, your plan package may include features such as three-way calling, call forwarding or unlimited long distance. If you don’t use such features, ask for a plan with basic features for less the cost.
2. Shop for a better deal
If you think you can get a better deal than the plans offered by your existing company, do a little online research on relevant websites such as mobile-phones.smh.com.au to find out the best mobile plans. You may find you can get more features for as little as $30.
3. Look for a bundle package
Most service providers offer family-oriented packages with 1,000 or more minutes a month for as little as $49.95 a month. They even throw in free additional phones if you add a family member for a small monthly fee. In addition, some providers offer value-for-money deals on mobile, landline and internet service. These bundle deals will help you save some money on phone bills each month. That’s paying less for more.
4. Use Skype to call overseas
You can save a lot of money on overseas calls by switching to Skype, a free software download. In order to be able to make contact with other Skype users, you need to open an account, have a computer, high speed internet connection, a headset and a phone. You can talk as long as you want through this service as it is free of charge.
5. Prepay for talk time
If you talk on your mobile phone fewer than 200 minutes per month, switching to prepay may be more cost-effective. There is a wide selection of prepay plans that offer value for money privileges that give you not only additional talk time, but also competitive text rates and opportunities to access the internet. Unlike subscribing to a plan, prepaid cards only charge you for the calls you make. Once the credit has been used, you simply top recharge again by crediting the account. Using a prepaid card may give you the discipline you need to call or text when necessary, thus preventing you from racking up a hefty bill.
6. Be aware of flag falls
Most providers charge hidden cost in the form of flag falls as a connection fee on any timed call. Ensure that you have low flag falls, especially if you use the phone frequently.
7. Watch out for capped plans
Most mobile phone subscribers provide capped plans that give you a certain amount of talk time and text per month. This means you don’t have to pay for each individual call and text at a given rate. Such a privilege is worth taking advantage of provided your usage doesn’t exceed the maximum value or you’d be charged at the regular rate.
8. Match your habits to the right plan
Track your communication habits and seek out a plan that suits your call patterns. For example, you may call your folks on Sunday mornings and friends on Thursday evenings to plan for a Friday night meet-up session. At other times, you may just resort to texting. Based on this communication pattern example, you should seek out a plan that offers more off-peak talk time minutes and more free text privileges.
9. Don’t commit in a hurry
Take time to decide on which service provider and plan best suits your needs. Take note that plans offered by providers necessitate a contract for 12 or 24 months, thus preventing you to switch to a lower-cost or more appropriate provider. If you are uncertain about your financial situation for the next 12 months, you can do one of the following:
- use a prepaid card or
- take out a monthly plan
You don’t have to commit yourself to one plan if you find that it doesn’t suit your communication patterns and habits. Take your time to do your research and compare prices and features to find a valuable deal once you have decided on whether to go for a plan, a prepaid card or monthly plan. Whatever your decision is, remember to read the fine print to avoid any pitfalls. Take advantage of the competitive array of packages offered by various phone service providers in the market to clinch an offer that suits your budget.
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Category: Frugal Living
