Driving Park Civic Association

5 Ways to Reduce Your Cell Phone Bill
by Gina Jennings
Reducing the cost of your monthly phone bill
 
According to NBCNews.com, the average American family spends
$188 per month on their cell phone bill. Some families spend
as much as $300 a month, each member of the family owning a
smartphone in addition to a hotspot and a wireless connection.
As a result, unfortunately, a lot of people have to skip out
on other purchases in order to pay their bill.
 
If you're in a position to get a new mobile phone service,
here are five ways to cut down on your cell phone bill:
 
1. Choose a plan that best suits your phone activity - Do you
really need the internet, GPS, You Tube app, email, and
everything else on your phone? If you're primarily a talker
who does occasional texting or the other way around, pay for
the plan that you're more likely to use and save money by
giving up the extras.
 
2. No contract - These days mid-level cell phone carriers like
Net10, Tracfone, and even Walmart are offering competitively-
priced cell phone plans without binding you to a two-year
contract. Some of these carriers even offer older model
smartphones, unlimited talk, unlimited texting, and internet.
Shop around for the best deals.
 
3. Pre-paid - Maybe you're the type who barely uses the phone.
You prefer to talk face to face with your friends and
neighbors. However, you do realize people need to get in touch
with you and vice versa in case of emergencies or even just to
talk a few times a month. Plus, you don't feel like spending
monthly fees with your local phone company, either. This is
where a pre-paid cell phone plan comes in. You only top off
whenever you need to. You are in complete control of your
phone costs.
 
4. Tell friends you don't have unlimited text - Originally,
texting was designed for sending quick messages to a colleague
who didn't want his phone going off in the middle of a
meeting. Of course, one thing leads to another. Texting has
become extremely lucrative for cell phone carriers and more
expensive for you, especially when it's integrated with social
media. If you're not an avid texter but your friends are, it
still costs you money, sometimes as much as 20 cents per text.
Controlling costs becomes much tougher. You may have to
reconsider your phone plan.
 
5. Government lifeline cell phone program - The US
government's Lifeline program has been around since 1985 and
provides affordable phone service to eligible low-income
consumers. If you qualify, you could get a free phone with no
activation fee and pay as little as $5 a month for unlimited
talk and text service.
 
You don't have to sacrifice other purchases and other parts of
your life by becoming a slave to your cell phone bill. Find a
carrier and a plan that best suits your needs and save the
extra dollars for something else you really want to enjoy.
__________________________
 
Gina Jennings writes on behalf of Yourtel Wireless and
Terracom Wireless. These authorized lifeline cell phone
carriers provide free government Lifeline cell phones
<https://www.yourtelwireless.com/index.php> in Illinois, Oklahoma
<https://www.terracomwireless.com/oklahoma-free-lifeline-cell-phone.php>,
Missouri and other states to qualifying low-income consumers
who need access to affordable mobile service.