I have to admit. My cell phone is probably one of my most prized possessions! I’m pretty sure a lot more people can say the same thing about their cell phones. Although technology has put a cell phone in most people’s pockets if you’re not careful it can come with a pretty hefty monthly bill. If yours does, you probably wondering how you can lower your cell phone bill.
Statistically, the average family’s monthly Wireless plan was $149.07. If you look at the median household income in the United States of $61,937, that’s almost 3% of a family’s income going to just a cell phone bill.
If you could more than half that monthly wireless bill, imagine what the extra money can do for you. So if you’re sick of shelling out hundreds of dollars every single month or your cell phone bill, here are easy ways that you can lower your cell phone bill ASAP!
1. Switch Cell Phone Carriers
It’s one thing to be brand loyal, but it’s also another thing to be financially wise! A lot of people stick with their cell phone carriers just because they have been using them for years and years. That is absolutely no reason to stick with a particular carrier.
Instead, shop around and switch to a different cell phone carrier. The thing is, as years go by, your carrier costs and fees might have been increasing year-over-year. That initial offer your carrier gave you when you first joined them is probably long gone.
So if you want the best and most effective way to lower your cell phone bill, then make sure you shop around and switch carriers. I personally use Cricket Wireless as my cell phone carrier and they are absolutely super reliable and very affordable. If you don’t know where to start then start there!
2. Switch to a different plan
If you are not interested and completely switching carriers and would rather stick with your current carrier, you still have options.
Do you currently have unlimited data? Or maybe you have a wireless hotspot. These are things that you don’t necessarily need to have but also depends on your lifestyle. In this day and age, wherever you go, you probably have access to free Wi-Fi. If that’s the case, then you might not even be using that much data on your phone plan.
To check this, log into your carrier’s customer portal and check your data usage. Average out how much data you’ve been using over the last couple of months. If for example, you have only been using 5GB of data per month, then see if your carrier offers a plan with 5GB (or close to that).
Maybe you don’t use that wireless hotspot feature as much as you thought. Typically, carriers also charge an extra monthly fee to have this ability. So if you don’t use this feature, then you might as well drop it and save yourself some cash.
3. Don’t pay for insurance
I get it, this one might make you cringe a little. If you are about to drop $1,000+ on a cell phone, you might be worried that you might break it! But there’s a much cheaper alternative that could lower your cell phone bill.
How about, instead of you paying 10 to $15 a month on some insurance that also has a 50 to $100 deductible, you instead invest in a very secure and protective case! Now hear me out.
Maybe you’re the type that likes carrying their phone without a case. Or maybe you feel that protective cases look ugly. I’m not going to lie, I totally agree. But then again, that’s a super expensive phone and you don’t want to pay for some insurance when you can instead just buy a phone case.
Another thing you could look into is if you have a premium credit card, they might also offer some kind of extended warranty and damage protection. Depending on your credit card, if you pay your monthly cellphone bill with it oh, you might be eligible for this. So make sure you look into it.
4. Get a family plan
If you’re in a household and have more than one or two lines, then definitely consider looking into getting a family plan.
Most, if not all cell phone providers, offer some kind of family plan. Instead of getting three or more individual plans, you can actually save money by getting a family plan. This is because they offer discounts for each additional line after the primary line.
If you are not in a household, you can instead split the phone bill with your close friends and family. Only do this with people that you completely trust. By splitting a family plan, you all end up saving money in the end!
5. Negotiate your cell phone bill
I’ve personally done this one! Don’t know if you knew this, but you can pick up the phone and negotiate your cell phone bill! Kinda cool right? Here’s the thing.
Since there are so many cell phone providers out there, there is super stiff competition between the different networks. Because of this, they don’t want to lose customers and are willing to go over your phone plan and see where they can lower your bill! This gives you awesome negotiating power!
If you’re a long time customer that’s always paid their bill on time, then you have an upper hand. Depending on the carrier, your credit score might also play a part in their decision. So make sure you check your credit first before negotiating.
And remember, you lose Nothing by asking!
6. Don’t go over your data limit
This one is a big one! If you don’t have unlimited data, then make sure you don’t exceed your data limits. Cell phone carriers typically charge huge fees for exceeding your data limit!
To check this, log into your cell phone carrier portal and check your data usage or give them a call. If you are regularly hitting the limit, then it definitely might be cheaper to increase your data limit or switch to you an unlimited plan.
7. Sign up for auto-pay
Since I use Cricket Wireless, I will use them as an example. With Cricket you get a $5 discount for enabling autopay. This isn’t true for all cell phone carriers but might be true for yours. Check on their website or give them a call to see if they offer this discount.
8. Don’t finance your phone
Financing your cell phone is one thing that I strongly discourage. A cell phone, similar to a car, is a depreciating item. This means that if you buy a $1,000 iPhone, it will be worth $500 the next year. That’s over 50% in depreciation the first year alone! Basically money down the drain.
Instead of a brand new phone, consider getting a cheaper or used phone. The technology advancing at the rate it is now, the perks of that shiny new iPhone don’t justify its price. It’s outdated within a year or so. Crazy! A one or two-year model works just as well for a fraction of the cost.
I have bought a brand new phone once in my lifetime. Buying a brand new phone in cash is one thing, but financing it into your cell phone plan is another. If you start buying cheaper phones for cash, you can save a lot of money.
Final thoughts
If you look at this list there are a bunch of ways you can lower your cell phone bill. You can also combine all the items listed here and end up saving a big chunk of your monthly bill!
I get it, cell phones are now an integral part of life. Chances are every single person reading this has one. So instead of trying to completely eliminate having a cell phone, there are ways to drastically lower your monthly bill.
I personally use Cricket Wireless as my cell phone carrier. We have a family plan with auto-pay, don’t have insurance, have unlimited data, and buy our iPhones for cash on eBay. At the time of writing this, our cell phone bill is $35 per line! Yea, that’s really cheap! They use AT&T Towers so coverage is fantastic! Definitely check them out!
Hope this helps you, take care!
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