Mobile phones are a necessity and come in handy in our day-to-day life. But, unfortunately, they come with a cost – and a heavy one. Have you ever looked at your monthly phone bill and wondered? If so, this is a must-read for you.
Below are the five best tips that you can use to save money on your phone bill.
1. Buy Your Phone In Cash
Purchasing your phone through payment plans from the network providers increases your monthly phone bills. For example, if you are offered an iPhone Xat a reasonably low monthly payment of 20 pounds for three years. At no point in the next three years will your monthly bill be less than 20 pounds.
If you cannot afford to buy the phone in cash, you can consider other forms of loans instead of a payment plan from your service provider. For example, opt for a long-term loans no guarantor. The approval process is fast, very little documentation is needed, and the repayment terms are flexible.
These companies make a lot of money from such contracts. Unfortunately, you are tied to their network as long as the contract is active. You don’t have the liberty to shop around for cheaper options.
If you opt to switch to others networks, it becomes costly for you as it will attract heavy fines due to breach of contract, which significantly increases your phone bills.
Imagine losing or breaking such a phone? You still have to pay for it and budget for a new one. Instead, buy older phone models that are slightly cheaper and are open to any network.
2. Compare the Service Providers
Shop around and find that service provider that will give you what you want within your budget. Do not stick to your previous supplier trying to be a brand loyalist. You might be missing out on better deals from other network suppliers.
If you were in a contract that is coming to an end, use that to your advantage. Call the network operator and inquire with them about the offers they have. Negotiate for better offers and discounts, threaten to leave if need be to get the offer. They will want to retain you, and the chances are high that you will clinch the deals negotiated.
We have comparison sites such as the ‘Bill Monitor, Handsetexpert and Mobile-phones’ that you can use to land on best deals among the network providers.
3. Choose The Right Payment Plan
You can choose two options: the pay as you go and the monthly contract. Both the payment plans are viable depending on your needs. Choose on a payment plan that you will end up paying less, achieving your goal of saving.
Pay as you go is a payment plan where you pay for every text, phone call, and data you use. If you regularly don’t use your phone, this is the best option for you as a bit of credit will last longer.
Under the monthly contract, the network provider allocates you credit that you can freely use for phone calls, messages, and data within the month. It is the best option for regular phone users. Exceeding your monthly allocations will, however, lead to expensive bills. You can trade down or up depending on your needs. For example, you can trade down from 15GB at 15 pounds to a program of 2GB at 8 pounds if you never exhaust your data. You can also do the reverse if you always finish the monthly allocation and spend more when you exceed your allowances.
Analyze your payment plan and change to what works best for you.
4. Consider If Insurance is a Priority
Losing or breaking that phone can bring tears, especially if it was expensive and contains much of your data. So, it would seem worth then to ensure your phone. Still, insurance is equally costly and significantly increases yours. Fortunately, phone insurance is not compulsory. The choice to insure or not insure is a gamble that you will have to make on your own after considering several factors.
If you go the insurance way, you need to shop for the best deals, remember it is not compulsory to get cover from your provider.
Ensure that insurance covers your actual needs. Insurance companies do not pay for the data stored in the phones in case the handset is lost. If this was your main reason for insurance, then you should consider not to. Consider the cost of insurance and the excess that you will be required to pay. That is the amount you must pay before your insurer pays for the balance in case of any eventuality. If you are not careless or your phone is pretty old, there is no need for insurance. Check your home cover and confirm if your phone is covered there; if so, that will save you from insuring it again.
5. Be Careful of In-App Purchases
These are additional contents or subscriptions within an app that you buy optionally. It would be best if you were very careful with such. Some of these apps appear free but, in the real sense, have hidden charges. Such In-App purchases can bring a big bill in a short time.
Your child enjoys playing a game on your phone and comes across this push button that unlocks more features. So subconsciously, he pushes the button, and the features open. Unfortunately, that is a bill on you. Imagine a case where he had access to your phone and plays with it for the whole day.
Keep track and manage all your monthly expenses, phone bills included. You should be able to account for all your income. Cutting on costs is a sure way of saving money and, savings invested is undoubtedly a way to riches.
Comments are closed.