Save Cash on your Phone Bill

Save Cash on your Phone Bill

Phone plans vary as much as your specific favourite latte. They are customizable to your needs and the cost varies accordingly. You signed up for a specific plan, but there are always additional fees and extra usage charges that quickly add up. Take a moment to look over your specific plan, what you generally use and save cash because a cell phone bill doesn’t just cost what it costs.

Check out your plan and what you’re actually using

Often, we agreed to a plan with specific features like daytime minutes, long distance, caller ID, voicemail, texting etc. Look at your last bill and what you’re actually using. If you are constantly going over your texting limit incurring costs per additional text and not using all your daytime minutes, give your service provider a free call to adjust your plan to what you are actually using. Reduce your daytime minutes and get unlimited texts. Barely use voicemail and getting dinged for long distance? Switch up your plan to work for your life.

Monitor your Usage

Most service providers have created apps to help you track what you are using and gives alerts when you have exceeded your plan. It shows exactly what your plan is, how many minutes you used, how much data you have left and more useful information. It even allows you to pay your bill, add temporary services like long distance when you travel and provides tech support. Knowing when you’re about to go over your plan, you can adjust your behavior to avoid getting charged more (i.e. Make a call rather than sending a text if you’re over your texting limit). Using long distance temporary packs also reduces roaming charges when travelling.

Having usage trackers provides proof if you accidentally get charged for more than you used as well. If your service provider doesn’t have a tracking app, there are generic ones that gather info from your phone directly.

Download the app for your specific service provider:

TELUS

Bell

Rogers

Fido

Get on a retention plan

Plans advertised aren’t always as awesome as they’re marketed to be. Think of advertised plans as a starting point for new users. Most service providers want to retain their existing customers and reward those who are loyal with perks. If you are already on a plan, get on a retention plan to save! All you need to do is call in and speak to someone in the “retention” or “loyalty” department. The first respondent will always be a customer service representative that will try to satisfy your needs with short-term quick fixes like a Visa gift certificate or a credit to your next bill.

These are great gifts, but ask to be transferred to retention staff for long-term perks like free caller ID and voicemail or more daytime minutes and data. Reducing your costs on EVERY bill and getting additional services so you won’t go over your plan will save you exponentially more than the one-time gift certificate.  For more info on what others have received through retention plans, check out Red Flag Deals’ forum.

Save cash on your next phone bill and talk and text away!

Looking for more ways to save money? Read this article to cut costs this year.