In an economic downturn, when people’s pockets and purses are being punished with inflation, everything from groceries, utility bills, housing prices, and transportation starts to feel like burdens.
In order to pay for clothing, education costs, and unexpected emergencies requires the ability to cut corners to free up extra income.
One set of charges that most of us couldn’t do without is our monthly cell phone bill.
Our cell phones aren’t really optional, with their abilities to keep us in contact with loved ones, find instant GPS directions when we are lost and have the whole information archive of the internet in our pocket.
Even though phones are a necessity, make no mistake, who couldn’t use some ways to make that expensive bill become more affordable?
It can be overwhelming when factoring in all the major cellular providers and all the smaller subsidiaries and independent outfits that resell the service of the main companies.
If you are ready to put some of that small fortune that you kick out every month back into your own pocket, here are some vital tips to reduce your try these 12 tips to have a lower cell phone bill.
Break Free Of Cellular Contracts
One of the simplest ways to decrease your cell phone bill is to steer clear of continually paying for the cost of a brand-new phone as a part of your contracted wireless bill.
All it is doing is making your cell phone bill higher. When the day comes that you want to purchase a new phone, there are plenty of older versions of your current phone that you can buy for less.
In fact, in a year or more, the current version of your phone will probably be considerably cheaper. If you lose or break your phone, not only will you have to buy a new one anyway, but you will still have to pay off the remaining balance left over if you are stuck in a contract.
By purchasing cheap cell phone services you will be able to pay for only the cell phone service that you need without having to deal with contracts, all while keeping your phone, your number, and even your coverage if you so choose.
Use Wi-Fi When Possible
Stay on a separate Wi-Fi connection whenever one is available to you, particularly when you are at work or at home, instead of running down your cell phone’s data if it is limited.
Some providers charge you unwanted fees the second that you go over your data, so sign up for alerts to warn you when you’re getting close to your data limit.
Keep Your Current Phone
Are you one of those folks that just can’t help yourself and have to be each new iteration of your cell phone as soon as they come out because you somehow have been conditioned to feel like you are missing out on something for some reason?
If you are experiencing zero problems with your current cell phone, exhibit some discipline and hold onto the one you already have, and get your money’s worth out of a perfectly operational phone.
Limit Background Data Use
Are you aware that even if you don’t use the internet all day long, your apps might still be using it in the background anyway? Jump into your cell phone settings right this instant and take a glance at your Cellular Data Usage and Background App Refresh and turn off the apps that you don’t really use.
You can always turn them on when you actually need them. With this minor adjustment, you can put a pause on major data and battery drainage.
Remove What You Don’t Use
If you really believe that your phone bill has gotten too out of control, it may be time to take a hard look at the breakdown of your cell phone bill and figure out if there are things that you have just been paying for on autopilot that you don’t actually have a real use for.
Why continue paying for talking minutes and data that you seldom use. Are you in no need of enhanced voicemail or emergency roadside assistance?
If the answer seems to be repeatedly “no,” is there a more affordable service plan? Some carriers offer prepaid plans in order to just pay for what you use.
Change Carriers
Finally, if you have tried everything else and you still don’t have total satisfaction, your last resort is to change service providers. Compare prices to see which companies can fit your budget.
If you end up choosing a lesser-known carrier, most of them use the cellular towers of the larger companies for their phone signals anyway.
Therefore, even if you are unfamiliar with the brand, you should get fairly good phone coverage at a fraction of what you would have had to pay at a bigger company.
