Over the last few years, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has shown how cell phone (wireless) customers prefer the service of smaller providers, which are up 1% to a combined score of 80. TracFone Wireless is the best among individual companies, stepping up 1% to 78 in their 2018 report. Most of the largest wireless carriers posted some gains, but still lag the little guys by a few points.
Tweet This: Spend some time this weekend looking at ways to #savemoney on that cray cray #cellphone bill!
Surprising? Maybe not when you consider that the plans and costs for those major carrier cell phone plans are not always in the customers’ best interest, wallet-wise. If you are using one of the big guys, consider some of these tips and tools to help you save big on your monthly cell phone bill.
- Most people know this one, but just in case: Use autopay and paperless billing.
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Track and monitor how you use your phone. Double-check your settings and study how you use data.
- Use Wi-Fi whenever possible.
- Limit background data. Instagram updates can kill your data plan.
- Set up an Overage Alert, if you do not have unlimited data
- If you make international calls, either use wifi (Skype, Google Voice) or have the right plan.
- Family share plans can save you a ton.
- Keep your phone longer. You don’t have to upgrade every year or two. I have had phones for 4-6 years and they work fine. Sure, they are slightly slower, a little less hip, but they work.
Okay, to the big idea I’ve written about before, but is always a great option: Switch to a no-contract plan. Most of the major carriers are sub-leasing space to others, called MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators). These are your “prepaid” carriers that charge you for a set amount of voice, text, and data.
Tweet This: Use Wi-Fi and web-based phone options to save money on cellphone expenses.
I’ve heard good things about both Straight Talk mobile and Virgin Mobile as prepaid plans with good data options. I’m using Cricket now, and really like it, after years of using Ting. The challenge with most of the prepaid is you have to purchase your plan upfront. But the majors basically subsidize that slightly and wrap it into a monthly payment plan. If you have good credit, you can just do that with your own credit card or bank. If you can live with a phone for a longer period of time, as in keep your phone and don’t trade up every two years, it makes prepaid services even better.
Ting is one of my old favorites and even though I don’t use them now I still rate them as a top option for those who want to manage at a granular level. Base rate for one line is $6. Their transparent a la carte menu lets you strip down to the parts you use — from voice to text to data. I had one of my phones down to $12 per month. Ting has some great calculators to help you check options, including a comparison service where you upload your monthly bill from other providers. For a long time, I had a Ting number at the base rate of $6/line and tied it to Google Voice. The lack of data when I needed to use Google Maps got me, eventually, though.
New entrant, Twigby, looks very similar to Ting and worth a look.
Check out the Google Fi project as another option to save money on your monthly mobile phone bill. The base $20 per month for unlimited domestic talk and text, $10/month for a Gig of data.
Ditch the cell phone insurance
If you must have insurance, keep tabs on it as your phone ages. Or, check out after-market player like SquareTrade. AppleCare+ is known to be pretty good. Insurance adds up quickly, especially compared to getting the occasional repair done out of pocket. Do the math on deductibles versus a more expensive case like an OtterBox. After your first year, just like with a new car, your phone value drops and the insurance monthly premium and deductibles may no longer be worth it. If you tend to drop your phone, disregard this advice…
Get a Virtual Phone Number
There are a host of web options, too, that are worth exploring. If you are around a laptop or desktop or in wifi most of the time, you could get Google Voice (free phone and text, but you have to register with a traditional cell phone number or SIM in order to qualify now). I have survived for long periods of time using only a web-based phone. You could look into similar service TextNow.
I have looked at or tested many of the major prepaid cell phone plans, including: AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cricket, Google Project Fi, Sprint, Straight Talk, Ting, T-Mobile, TracFone, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile.
If you are a small business owner, this post from Samsung Business is worth a read: The Five Secrets to Mobile Phone Cost Savings for SMB.
I’ll update this post if you share any terrific plans you have tried and loved (and that I can verify through various tests and checks of my own). Get in touch.
