Hey smart phone users: Remember when your cell phone bill was around $40 a month and you thought that was high? But now that you’re a smart phone user and your bill comes in around $100 a month. That’s right, you pay $1,200 a year – for phone service. (Don’t worry, I pay that much, too.)
The problem is, once you make the switch to a smart phone, it’s pretty hard to convince yourself to switch back to a regular old cell phone in order to save money. That’s why you won’t see “get rid of your smart phone” in the following list of ways to cut phone bill costs.
DITCH THE CONTRACT – Signing a two-year service contract might mean you’ll get a $600 phone for just $200, but you’ll pay for that savings with $100-per-month bills. Instead, opt for a pre-paid cell phone plan, which can cost only $50 per month. The catch? You’ll have to pay full price for the phone, but the monthly savings mean you’ll be out of the hole after only eight months.
FREE APPS = LOWER BILLS – Honestly, I haven’t bought an app in about two years. With the number of free apps available, you really don’t need to. Even apps that cost money often offer a free version in exchange for dealing with a few ads.
BECOME A WI-FI HOUND – Overage charges on your data plan are one of the easiest ways to make an already high phone bill even higher. To get around this, connect to wi-fi whenever you can – at home, in train stations, at coffee shops. On wi-fi, you won’t be using your cell phone network’s data plan, which means you can watch all the YouTube videos you want!
CUT YOUR DATA PLAN – After you learn to take advantage of the unlimited data plan known as wi-fi, consider downgrading your phone’s current data plan to a more affordable option.
GET INSURANCE – Or not. The choice is yours. AT&T and Verizon both cost between $7 and $10 a month, which covers the replacement cost of your phone (minus a $200 or so deductible) if your phone is lost, stolen or damaged. You might also consider services like Protect Your Bubble, which costs $7.99 a month and has a deductible of only $120.
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