Many of the best mobile phone plans are pretty affordable. But if you’re stuck with a phone plan that drains your wallet more than you’re comfortable with, you don’t necessarily have to switch providers just yet. You can instead wait for a better deal and, in the meantime, learn how to make your phone plan work with your budget through a few smart strategies.
Not sure where to start? Try these tips to save a little bit of money on your phone bill each month.
Use Autopay
For starters, you can and should take advantage of auto-pay controls or settings offered by your phone plan provider. Autopay features save you a few bucks (typically $5) just for opting into them. Not only does this save you a bit of money and make your phone plan a little more affordable, but it also prevents you from forgetting to pay your phone bill by accident, which might result in late fees and credit score penalties.
Switch to a Prepaid Plan
Alternatively, you can swap to a prepaid phone data plan. Prepaid phone plans are usually fairly cheap, but they require you to renew your commitment to your phone plan provider every month, every quarter, or every six months depending on the details.
Furthermore, not every phone plan provider offers prepaid plans. Regardless, see whether a given phone plan provider offers prepaid plans if you want to make an excellent plan with great perks work for a limited budget.
Don’t Upgrade Your Phone
When the time comes and you have the opportunity to upgrade, don’t. Your phone plan may be forced to upgrade and become more expensive as well. Say that you upgrade your phone to a modern model; if it works with 5G networks, your phone plan may also upgrade to a higher tier of service that provides 5G connectivity by default.
In this way, you may accidentally increase your cell phone bill rather than make it more manageable!
Take Advantage of Yearly Discounts
Yearly discounts roll around every year around October up until the new year. Yearly discounts can be anywhere from 10% to 30% or more if you sign up for a phone service provider for 12 months. Yearly discounts also kick in if you have a current phone plan provider and are locked out of switching due to potential penalties.
So, if you have to renew with the same phone provider, do so when the yearly discount is available. That way, you’ll pay less for phone service all year round, even if you have to make a higher-than-usual upfront purchase.
By signing up for a new phone plan during a yearly discount offer, you can get cheap phone service for a year or more depending on the terms and conditions of your plan. In fact, this is arguably the best way to switch providers, too – if your current plan isn’t working, try to stick it out until a holiday discount rolls around for a better phone plan provider you can take full advantage of.
Add New Lines to the Plan
Some phone services give you discounts if you add new lines to your account. You’ll pay more in aggregate, of course, but you could pay less per line if everyone in your family uses the same plan. Put this tip into play if you know that you’ll need to pay for the cell service for yourself and your family members, and want to make the arrangement as financially feasible as possible.
Avoid Using Hotspot Data
Hotspot data is convenient, especially when you are roaming or in between Wi-Fi networks. But it’s also quite costly. Some hotspot data usage can run you tens of dollars or even hundreds of dollars per month or per quarter if you aren’t careful.
To make your phone plan work better with your budget, try to avoid using hotspot data entirely. Instead, limit your web surfing and TV show streaming to places where you have access to a Wi-Fi network, like a public coffee shop or your own home. Otherwise, just use your phone for calls and basic text messaging.
Opt-Out of Cell Phone Insurance
Lastly, your cell phone insurance could be unnecessarily increasing your monthly phone bill. Most cell phone carriers have different protection plans, like extended warranties or insurance. If you want to save a bit of cash, open up your account page and see if you can opt-out of cell phone insurance.
All in all, these tips can help you avoid paying too much for your phone plan while you wait for the opportunity to switch. In the future, remember to take advantage of holiday discounts and pick up affordable phone plans for you and your entire family from RedPocket or other phone plan providers!
