Is Your Cell Phone Getting Too Expensive?
Nowadays it is very challenging to find someone who doesn’t own a cell phone. Almost everyone owns a cell phone; we can’t imagine our lives without it. We need the latest technology, the newest apps, and the fastest working network. These things tend to cost a little more. As the demand for the best cell phones increases, so does the price. Yet this is something that is necessary in our lives so we feel the obligation to pay extra for the special features that we want. So how do we cut down the cost of our cell phone bill but still get what we need? Well the truth is that what many people think they need and can’t live without is something that in fact they can live without. Of course new apps and features make our lives more convenient but that doesn’t mean they are necessary. Most of us now own smart phones that come with a gps, internet connection, and a plethora of applications to pick from. All this stuff builds on to our cell phone bills. Here are three ways we can decrease the cost of our cell phone bills:
2. When you go on vacation turn your phone off! Being in a roaming network is very costly. Turn your cell phone off as soon as you are in a roaming network. Many roaming rates are $2.49 per minute. You will be charged for receiving calls even if you don’t answer. For example, T-Mobile will charge $4.99 just for receiving a call. Sending a video message can cost about $7. Also, text messaging is very costly; it can cost about a dollar to receive a text and another dollar to send a text. Downloading pictures or watching YouTube videos are not worth what they cost in a roaming network. If you want to show your friends the experiences you went through while you were on vacation then bring a camera and show them when you go back home.
3. Not all unlimited plans are as awesome as you think. They only encourage you to buy more minutes than you actually need. BillShrink found that the average person is paying $325 more than they need on their cell phone. In some cases, people do need unlimited plans but if you are a teenager who doesn’t talk on the phone as much, then why not cut down that cost?
4. Don’t check your voicemail as often! Many customers don’t know this but companies charge you to listen to your voicemail. BillShrink looked at over 15,000 bills from AT&T and Verizon. They found that the average AT&T customer pays $2.44 every bill to listen to their voicemails. The average Verizon customer pays $3.61 per bill to retrieve their messages. This may not sound like a large amount but it all adds up.
Although is seems that everything you get charged for on your cell phone bill is necessary, there are many ways in which you can cut down certain costs. Some costs may be necessary but aren’t used to the extent in which you pay for and other costs just aren’t necessary at all. The next cell phone bill that you receive, closely look at the costs and ask yourself, “Do I really need to pay for this?”
