The Rest of the Cell Phone Bill Story …
In November, this column discussed the basics of cell phones and how to lower your bill. As promised, here is part two of that column.
Data
Dumb phones don’t use it, but your smart phone requires data so there is an extra line item on the bill. How much are you paying for a limited or unlimited data plan? I know that most companies don’t have unlimited data any longer, but if you are grandfathered into such a plan, are you really benefiting from the “unlimited” data plan? I logged into our account online and discovered, surprisingly, that we don’t use as much as we thought. Two phones have unlimited data plans; the other two have limited data plans. The limited plans have been sufficient over the last year. One has never come close to going over, and one did last summer for one billing month. We discovered it was due to limited availability of Wi-Fi where that phone was used over a period of 4 days. The phone was at basketball camp with our oldest child.
When we looked at the unlimited data phones, we discovered that neither phone has exceeded 2 GB in any given month. Two GB is the higher limit on one of the other two phones. Curious, we dug a little deeper and compared the options to what we are doing now. We did discover that we could save $5/line ($10 total) per month on our unlimited plans if we give up our grandfathered unlimited data status and restrict our data to 2GB going forward. After deliberating about this over the better part of an hour, we decided that it was not worth changing the plan to save $120 per year. We thought it was better to keep what we had since we travel and may need the extra wiggle room. However, in the future should we need an extra $10 a month, we know where we can trim. Besides, we just saved a lot in our budget by cutting cable. (See October’s article on 4wallsfinancial.com.)
Discounts
Does your employer provide you with a cell phone? Did you know that you could ask your workplace about discounts based on where you work? Some companies get substantial discounts on cell phones and may even pass along those savings to their employees on phones for personal use. Does your company do this? It doesn’t hurt to ask. I know the discount can range from 10-23 as a percentage. Every little bit helps.
Are you someone who upgrades his or her phone regularly? Do you realize that with every upgrade you also get charged an upgrade fee? These charges vary but are usually a one-time charge of about $30 to $40. If you’ve been with your cell phone carrier for a number of years and have been a good customer (paying on time, upgrading phones regularly), you might want to ask your carrier about refunding the upgrade charge next time you get the latest and greatest cell phone.
Don’t be nervous or intimidated when talking to your carrier. After all, it is you, their longtime customer that has stayed with them without any major problems or complaints, whom they hit with the fee. You’ve been nothing but a loyal customer, so it’s okay to ask the carrier to waive the upgrade charge. If you ask, you may be surprised. There is no guarantee that they will waive the fee, but it can be done. Don’t expect it every time you get a new phone; but when the fee IS waived, it makes the new phone seem even sweeter. Just ask my husband who recently upgraded and received a credit for the upgrade fee.
It’s important to review the plan, even if you’re still under a contract. Changes can be made. Know your options. For additional tips regarding cell phone options, please visit http://bit.ly/WvssYG.
Kate is a financial expert of what to do and not do with money as well as owner of 4 Walls Financial, A Coaching Focused Company. She has attended and completed Dave Ramsey’s Counselor Training. Follow Kate on Twitter 4WFCoach, reach out to her via email at kate@4wallsfinancial.com or visit www.4wallsfinancial.com. Feel free to share ideas or questions for future articles.
