5 Cell Phone Tips That Will Save You Money On Your Bill
Almost everyone has a cell phone these days, and pretty much everyone wishes they could reduce their cell phone bill. Luckily, there are some easy tips you can do that will drop your bill significantly.
Switch Carriers
This is by far the most important factor in saving you money on your cell phone bill. For instance, you can upwards of $40 per month on a T-Mobile plan versus a Verizon Wireless plan, which equates to $500 per year. Switch your mobile carrier as soon as your contract is up. Here is a list of the cheapest providers:
T-Mobile: Cheapest
Sprint: 2nd Cheapest
AT&T: 3rd Cheapest
Verizon Wireless: Most Expensive
While you may factor in 3G speeds, and the phones available, T-Mobile really is the best bet for users that don’t always need 3G speeds, and you have one of the best selections of phones (Sprint has the worst selection of phones).
Stop Paying For Text Messages
You can send text messages for free by using your email client, and better yet, if you buy a phone with WiFi (like the iPhone), you can stop paying for data too. To send a text message by email, use the following codes:
Alltel
[10-digit phone number]@message.alltel.com
Example: 2125551212@message.alltel.com
AT&T (formerly Cingular)
[10-digit phone number]@txt.att.net
Example: 2125551212@txt.att.net
Boost Mobile
[10-digit phone number]@myboostmobile.com
Example: 2125551212@myboostmobile.com
Nextel (now part of Sprint Nextel)
[10-digit telephone number]@messaging.nextel.com
Example: 7035551234@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint PCS (now Sprint Nextel)
[10-digit phone number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Example: 2125551234@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile
[10-digit phone number]@tmomail.net
Example: 4251234567@tmomail.net
Verizon
[10-digit phone number]@vtext.com
Example: 5552223333@vtext.com
Virgin Mobile USA
[10-digit phone number]@vmobl.com
Example: 5551234567@vmobl.com
Use T-Mobile’s MyFaves
As soon as you can, switch to T-Mobile and sign up for the MyFaves plan. Right now I have my work colleagues, my girlriend, and my parents on my Fave 5. Almost 90% of all my calls go to these people, and I’m saving myself a ton of money by not using the more expensive plan. The Fave 5 plans are much cheaper than larger plans, but make sure you select the right 5 people. You can only change them once a month.
Don’t Renew Your Plan
Cell phone providers love when current customers renew their plans. When you renew your plan, you miss out on all of the discounts used to lure in new customers. If you are coming to the end of your contract, let it elapse. You will still have the same service, and just need to wait ~6 months until you are considered a new customer again.
Then, when you go to sign up, you will be eligible for much deeper discounts and offers. Amazon has the best offers on cheap cell phones, check them out.
Threaten To Leave Your Carrier
This goes to the above point. If you are out of contract, your provider will do everything they can to keep you with them. So say you have a T-Mobile account that has expired the contract, you should call up 611, and tell them you want to cancel your contract.
This will transfer you to Retentions whose job is to keep you happy, and staying with T-Mobile. Tell them why you want to leave (need more minutes, need more text messages, want a new phone, etc.) and see what they offer you. They have a lot of power, and can give you pro-rated plans that offer you a huge amount of minutes and text messages for free.
Just be patient with them, and don’t get angry, and they can give you a really good deal on a plan. Don’t worry about going to far, you can always hang up if you get nervous, and you can call up another representative (you could even blame dropped calls for the reason you want to switch).
Add New Comment
Viewing 4 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment
Trackbacks
(Trackback URL)