Is it time to renew your phone contract? Have a feeling you’re overpaying for features you don’t use? No matter what the case, saving money on a service you use daily is a high priority. Knowing the basics of phone plans and planning ahead before picking one are simple ways to start saving money, and we’re here to give you a quick rundown of what to consider when picking the best cell phone plan for you.
Split The Bill
Got family or friends that you’re constantly chatting with? Joining together to share a phone plan can save you a pretty penny, and this is especially true if the members of your group tend to call or text each other frequently. Many providers offer plans that let you and those in your network contact each other for free. When it comes to the people you rely on day and night, opting for unlimited calling and texting within your group shouldn’t be underestimated and could lower costs while providing you with peace of mind at the same time.
Data Deals
Do you really need all that data? Maybe, but you also could be paying a premium for data that you’ll never take full advantage of. Finding out if you’re overpaying is simple. Discover how much data you really use on a weekly or monthly basis by keeping track of it in your phone settings. Sometimes this is a service already provided to you within your phone Settings, and a quick web search will tell you how to use it. Otherwise, there are a variety of free apps that help you track and summarize your data usage. Check your activity to see which apps are sucking up the most data and see exactly how much data you’ve used overall in your current billing cycle. You can also use some of these free services to keep tabs on your minutes. If you’re not willing to give up the safety net of extra data and minutes, make sure your next plan at least allows you to roll-over whatever you have left at the end of each month. The most important place to start is knowing how much of the service you're taking advantage of since you’re spending the cash either way. The more you know, the more you can save.
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Prepaid Plans
Avoiding overage fees is as easy as choosing the right prepaid plan. It can sometimes feel daunting to choose from prepaid plan options but now that you’ve gotten a handle on how much of each service you use a month, it should be fairly simple. Even if you find yourself using more data than you purchased here and there, you have the choice of paying for a particular amount of extra data for that period, rather than being charged the sometimes-steep data overage fees.
Remember the Wifi
Speaking of overage fees, it’s easy to use up your data or reach your limit on a pre-paid plan without realizing it. To avoid this unpleasant surprise, only turn on data when you really need it. Becoming familiar with the ins and outs of the cellular data settings on your phone will pay off, literally. Luckily, it’s 2018 and free wifi connections are everywhere. Just remember to take advantage of free messaging apps that you can use to text your friends and take note of any other easy ways you can channel your communication through wifi.