6 Ways To Cut Your Phone Bill
There are so many expenses to pay for every month and a phone bill is one of them. The majority of people now have smartphones, which means we usually pay a premium on top of our standard monthly charge. There are now so many other ways you can have the phone of your choice for less. Here are some tricks to help you save money on your phone now and in the future.
Get A Prepaid Phone
A pay-as-you-go phone can help to save you a lot of money, and the best part is you aren’t locked into a contract. If you’re someone that never uses all your minutes, texts and or data then this option may work best for you. The pay-as-you-go option does mean that you buy your phone outright however it’s a one off cost. After the one-off cost and a sim-only deal, no one will be texting you to let you know your payment is due. Some providers such as O2, 3 & Vodafone give options of unlimited data plans at cheaper rates than contract ones. If you’re due an upgrade in the next few months, it’s worth thinking about whether you want to be tied into a long term contract again.
Comparison Tariffs
There are so many mobile phone shops local that it is easy to walk into one of them and get the first good deal you find. The first offer is never usually the best offer so don’t sell yourself short. It’s worth shopping around to compare different tariff plans and pricing, MoneySuperMarket is a great comparison website to see what offers are available. Input how many minutes and texts you want along with any network preferences you may have and you can even sort out your options from cheapest first. The site will give you a list of suggestions and the breakdown of each plan.
Use WiFi
Data goes so fast these days, especially with the rise of watching videos and using apps like Snapchat. Use WiFi whenever you can to conserve data on your smartphone so you don’t end up receiving a text from your network letting you know that you’ve used 80% of your data. WiFi is available almost everywhere (even on the tube!), so be sure to check to see if you can access it. If you’ve been given a time limit on free wifi then try to sign up again with a different email address.
Call Your Network And Cancel
Even if you have no intention of cancelling, call up your network and let them know you’re thinking of cancelling. It’s amazing what discounts they can create when they realise they are about to lose a customer (especially a loyal one who pays their phone bill on time). Call them and give them a good reason as to why you want to leave such as you’ve seen a better deal with a different network or you keep being overcharged each month. The chances are usually in your favour because the customer is always right.
Network problems? Great news for you
If you constantly have network problems or any other problems caused by your network and not your phone then it’s worth calling them up and letting them know this isn’t acceptable. It also works in your favour if you see information about network problems on the news because now you have proof! It’s time to call them and get that discount you’ve been waiting for!
Any Extras?
If all else fails and you aren’t happy with the offer they have given you, ask them to throw in some extra benefits. Ensure that you list what you want so you don’t get something you don’t need such as 2000 extra texts. If it’s data you usually run low on ask them to give you more data for the same price. After all, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
This post has been written by me from my personal finance website, Refined Currency.
