How to Lower Your Cell Phone Bill

How do you lower your cell phone bill?

It could all come down to switching cell phone providers, subtracting features, or negotiating with your current cell phone company.

But lowering your current cell phone bill might be harder than you expect. Cell phone contracts can make it almost impossible to lower you cell phone bill.

So finding the best deal possible from the very beginning is the best way to lower your cell phone bill.

Cell phone companies operate on a contractual basis. Until that changes, most consumers who try to lower their cell phone bill will either have to start a new contract or subtract features from their current phone.

Here are several ideas for lowering your cell phone bill:

How to Lower Your Cell Phone Bill by Switching Cell Phone Providers

How to Lower Your Cell Phone Bill Switching cell phone providers can lower your phone bill, but it can come at a cost too. Most cell phone contracts include a buy out or pay off amount if the consumer decides to opt out before the contract is up. This amount is usually in the $150 to $200 range.

If you have a Verizon cell phone, but Sprint is offering a new plan that saves a consumer money, this might be an option. Weigh the savings versus the buyout amount to see if it will save you money.

The $10 a month savings on Sprint may seem like a better deal, but it will only save you $120 dollars a year. If the buyout on your existing Verison service is $150, you'll net a $30 loss.

If you are closer to the end of your contract then some cell phone companies may buy out your previous contract to get you on board. Ask about this.

How to Lower Your Cell Phone Bill by Subtracting Features from Your Current Service

Subtracting features is another option. Texting, for example, might cost a consumer $5 dollars a month extra. Getting rid of texting could save you that money and lower your cell phone bill on a monthly basis.

The Internet is also one of the more expensive items on a cell phone. Internet packages can cost as much as $15-$25 dollars a month on a cell phone. Consumers are often charged for the bit rate and amount of information they have viewed on their individual cell phone.

Eliminating the Internet usage can save an extra $25-$35 a month annually on a cell phone.

And if a competitor has a cheaper Internet usage plan, it might be worth the hassle to make the switch and pay the buy out of your current contract.

How to Lower Your Cellular Telephone Bill by Switching to a Family Plan

Family plans are a great way to lower your cell phone bill. If you and your spouse are using separate cell phone companies, try combining your accounts into a family plan to lower your cell phone bill.

Most cell phone companies offer a family plan that adds an additional cell phone for $15-30 dollars a month. This can often result in a $15 to $20 a month savings.

How to Lower Your Mobile Phone Bill by Negotiating with the Cellular Provider

Negotiating with a cell phone company to lower a cost is not easy. Calling and explaining to the cell phone company that you need to lower your costs might not work. Cell phone company representatives might say that you signed a contract and you should stick to it.

Some cell phone providers will empathize, but they can't always provide a resolution since you signed the contract to begin with. If you take away certain features and change the bulk of your plan, the cell phone providers might also want you to sign a new one or two year contract.

Explain your situation if you need to lower your cell phone bill. Explain that the lower cost might be the difference between you making payments and not making payments.

It's always worth a shot and negotiating with a cell phone company could end up with positive results. Just be prepared to talk about a potential new contract that would extend your current term.

Other Options

Other options include checking for corporate discounts or trying a Mobile To Mobile plan. Some cell phone providers offer discounts depending on where you work. Some companies and corporations have pre-existing deals with cell phone companies for a 10% or 15% discount.

Mobile to Mobile plans cost an average $5 a month. This can save you significant money over the long run.

Having extra minutes might also be a wise purchase decision, especially if you top your quota month after month. Knowing and keeping track of your minute usage is a big advantage to not running over your allotment of minutes to begin with. Most cell phone providers off a number to call or an online track of minutes used per month.

Does going over your minutes impact your cell phone cost? Monitoring cell phone minutes could save you money and help lower your cell phone bill on a monthly basis.

Keep in mind though that the most important decision about lowering a cell phone bill usually takes place at the time of the contract. Make absolute sure these are payments you can live with for the next year or two years depending on contract length.

Lowering a cell phone payment gets a lot harder after you sign on the dotted line..