In recent years, consumers have become aware of the fact that some cell phone plans just charge way too much money for the services they are getting. There are actually ways in which almost everyone in the United States can have a cell phone and there is no longer a reason to undergo credit checks and pay enormous deposits with the major carriers that cost an arm and a leg. Did you know that even the smaller, lesser known carriers use the towers of the big cell phone companies? Because of this, you can choose almost any company you want and still find other ways to save on your cell phone plan. Here are the top four ways to do just that.
1. Check Eligibility for Free Cell Phones
Instituted way back in the 1980s under the Reagan administration, Lifeline is a government sponsored program to provide free telephone access to those within the poverty bracket. Where once that access was reserved for landlines, the program is now open to cell phones. It is possible to get a free cell phone with up to 250 minutes per month and text messaging absolutely free. If you feel you may qualify based on your income (or lack thereof) you can get more info here.
2. Compare Rates between Carriers
No matter what type of plan you are looking at, there will be varying rates from carrier to carrier. Before signing a contract, usually 12 to 24 months, make sure to do a bit of comparison shopping. You will be amazed at just how different the rates are for comparable plans between carriers.
3. Reduce the Amount of Data Used
It is no secret that data is the biggest reason for those extremely high cell phone bills. If you have a smartphone and access a great number of audio or video sites, you may be spending literally hundreds of dollars a month on data! Don’t fall for the ‘unlimited’ ruse because there are usually conditions attached. The biggest condition is that the data is unlimited up to a ceiling. It is a wonder why there hasn’t been a successful class action lawsuit up to this point in time because unlimited is really false advertising if there is a ceiling clause in the fine print.
Additional Tip: Turn off automatic updates to conserve data usage.
4. Check out No-Contract Prepaid Plans
There are a number of relatively big non-contract carriers out there so make sure to check out what they have to offer. Some prepaid phone plans from the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile etc.) are comparable to those from ‘prepaid only’ companies and if the truth be told, those prepaid cell phones transmit data over the same towers as those more expensive companies. Due to deregulation laws to break up monopolies, smaller companies buy bandwidth from the larger companies that own the towers. In this way, they can provide the same coverage and generally at much less the cost.
In this day and age, everyone needs a cell phone from time to time, so don’t believe even for one minute that having a cell phone is beyond your means. From cheap prepaid cell phone plans to free phones from the government, there is no reason to go without a mobile phone. Someday your life or the life of a loved one could depend on having a way to communicate when no other means are at hand.
