Reduce Phone Expense

Following are five ways to save on your cell phone plan: 1) Review your usage. Are you chatting at night? During the day? On the weekend? Track when and whom you’re calling and find a plan to suit those habits. 2) Bundle your options. If you’re big on texting (20% of us average 10+ texts per day), don’t pay for each message. Make sure texts are included in your rate. 3) Consider a prepaid plan. This is a worthwhile option if you use fewer than 200 minutes per month. 4) Skip the insurance. It’s just not worth it: Insurance can run you $8 per month and you’ll still be responsible for a deductible (usually $50). 5) Track your international calls. If you often call overseas, investigate carriers that specialize in international plans. You’ll save tons over domestic carriers.

Some long distance companies will offer you lower rates if you are in a lifeline program for low-income consumers. A lifeline program is discounted phone service that is available for customers with disabilities who can not work or customers that are receiving public assistance. Check with your local telephone company for details about qualifying for this, or a similar program.

One of the keys to keeping your cell phone bill in check is monitoring your usage of minutes and, if you have one, a data plan. Save your minutes and call during the free nights, which usually begin between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., or save your calls for the "free" weekends. Staying within your data plan can also save a lot of money on overage charges for individuals with Smartphones.

Determine which cell phone features are most important to you and carefully compare offers before committing to a lengthy cell phone contract. In order to get and keep your business, some carriers offer perks that make it easier to keep up with the kids, or roll over minutes. Figure out what works best for you and go with the carrier that offers the best advantages.

Why buy a cell phone with video capability if you're only going to use it twice? Buy the phone that does what you need it to do. Save money by not purchasing a phone with all of the bells and whistles you may not truly need.

Check your phone bill to see if you have optional calling features or additional services, such as inside wire maintenance, that you don't need. If you decide to "opt-out" from these unnecessary features, you can save $40 or more annually on EACH feature that you discontinue.

Pre-paid calling cards give you better control over your long distance spending AND save you money. The per-minute calling card rates offered by long distance companies are usually higher than the per-minute rates you can get from prepaid calling cards. Plus, long distance companies routinely "tack on" services fees on top of their per-minute rates. Pre-paid cards are easy to use and easy to find at grocery stores, chain stores, gas stations, etc.

If you don't use your cell phone for business or international calls, and are really trying to watch every penny, a prepaid cell phone is a perfect solution. A large selection of phones are available, including camera phones. There's no credit check, no monthly rental fee, no service fee, and no termination fee if you decide not to use your phone again.

Review your cell phone bill and decide whether you are paying for features you can live without like text messaging and picture delivery. If you don't need them, get rid of them.

Going with the same carrier as your friends and relatives can save you money on your cell phone expense. More carriers are offering unlimited in-network minutes, which means you can talk for free with other subscribers for as long as you want.

When you sign up for a cell phone plan, getting a low-priced plan with the fewest number of minutes may seem like the best deal, but it may not be, especially if you frequently go over your monthly minute allotment. Many companies charge 40-cents per minute when you go over, and just a few extra minutes here and there can really add up. Instead of staying with what you have, check with your carrier every few months to see if there are any newer, cheaper plans.

The competition for your phone account is fierce and lots of companies are sending out direct mail offerings with lots of bonuses and benefits (including checks for up to $40) to convince you to switch over to their services. If you're happy with your company and don't want to switch, but DO want better rates -- just ask! To hold your business, your current phone company may even match other company offers!

When most people sign up for phone service, they also sign up for long-distance "subscription services." But, if you don't use long distance very much, you're paying a monthly fee for a service you're not even using! Instead of getting nothing for something, just call your local phone carrier and tell your representative that you no longer wish to have a pre-subscribed long distance carrier.

There's a huge marketing push to convince consumers to download the "latest" games and ringer tones from the Internet. Fun? Maybe. Expensive? Definitely! Downloading ringers and screen savers cost $2-4 each. Stick to the games and ringer tones that come with your phone instead of downloading a file online and put the money you save in the bank.

It's easy to get lured into thinking you need the full menu of "extra services" provided by the phone companies. But do you really need extra services like call waiting and call forwarding? Instead of paying for what you don't need, go back to basics. It could save you more than $150 a year!