We all have them, we all depend on them (probably more than we should), and we all pay for them. And sometimes, we pay way too much. If you’re tired of breaking the bank every month to pay for the mini computer in your pocket, check out these 8 tips to help save you money on your phone bill.
Use Wi-Fi whenever you can
Whenever you’re home or at the office, make sure you’re connected to wifi. It’s obviously not possible to always be on wifi, but the more you are, the less data you eat up. Whenever you do have to use data, don’t download or stream. Use the minimum amount!
Some carriers can charge you a ridiculous amount per GB you go over on your data plan. It’s not worth it!
Pay for your phone in full
Don’t fall into that whole 2-year contract scheme. That’s how they will lock you in. You’ll pay for one of their phones for 2 years and won’t be able to leave without a hefty fee if you wish to switch carriers. Go online and buy a refurbished or gently used phone and pay for it in full. If you’re fine with not having the most up to date technology – this is the best route to take.
Say bye-bye to insurance
Listen, in most cases in life you need insurance – when it comes to your cell phone, ditch it. All you have to do is save some money during the month to put toward a new phone in case something happens to your current one. Paying anywhere from $12-20 for insurance to your cell company is a little excessive.
If you need insurance for your phone, you probably have a phone you can’t afford, anyway. Ask yourself if it’s worth paying that money per month – then say bye-bye to it.
Cut the extra stuff
Break down your cell phone bill. What do you need, what can you get rid of on your plan? A lot of the time, people have a lot of “extras” that they aren’t even utilizing. Things you can cut are might be:
- Unlimited Data: If you’re staying connected to wifi as much as you can, you really don’t need unlimited. Unless you work from your phone, you probably aren’t going over a certain amount of GB per month. Check your usage and then only buy that much.
- Emergency roadside assistance
- 411
- Enhanced voicemail
Whatever is not a necessity – cut it out. This actually applies to most things in life, too.
Limit background data use
You may not even realize it, but your apps could be running in the background, charging you more in data AND draining your battery. Go to your settings and turn off your background app refresh on each app you don’t use regularly. Doing this will ensure those sneaky apps are draining your data without you even realizing it.
Other methods
- Sign up for automatic payments and billing
- Employer discount
- Negotiate
- Switch carriers
When money is tight – any way you can cut down extra costs will help. Consider these 5 tips to try and save on your monthly phone bill.