Housing ReliefIf you primarily use your phone at home when on Wi-Fi:
Many people find themselves at home a lot more lately, which means they’ll likely use Wi-Fi instead of costly data to stream video and FaceTime. If you’re one of them, and you’re incredibly disciplined about not streaming or video chatting on data when out and about, you may want a prepaid, limited data plan.
By switching to a prepaid plan with little data, you could shave as much as $50 off your monthly bill. Examples include AT&T and Verizon, which offer 7GB data plans that won’t cost a pretty penny.
If your data usage varies each month:
Since data can be so costly, you don’t want to waste it. Some carriers lead to such waste, however, by not giving you back unused data.
Opt for a plan that lets you roll over any unused data to the next month to avoid this problem.
One example is Verizon’s Shared Data Plan, which costs $30 monthly for 5GB of data.
If you can’t go without insurance:
Did you buy the priciest phone and are worried you’ll drop it? Even worse, are you known to misplace your phones from time to time? If so, cell phone insurance coverage can come in handy, but it can also be costly.
Getting insurance from your carrier can add as much as $36 to your monthly bill. To avoid this expense, see if your credit card company covers insurance if you use their card to pay for your bill. If not, you can go with a company like SquareTrade, which can offer protection and warranties for just $5 monthly.
If you have a family:
One of the easiest ways to overpay for your cell phone is to have multiple lines that are separate. Not only is this costly, but it’s also a hassle to ensure all of those lines get paid on time each month.
Instead of taking the separate route, get a family plan. For example, you can get four lines from the T-Mobile Magenta Family Plan for only $140 per month. By making such a switch, you can shed $10 off the cost of each line and keep that money in your pocket.
If you barely use data:
Although cell phones work wonders for video chatting, watching movies, listening to music, and more, some people only use them to text. If this sounds like you, know that texting hardly uses data, which is why you may want to switch to a cheaper plan.
Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Ting, Google Fi, and Consumer Cellular offer cheap plans for non-data users, so give them a look.
If you frequently use data:
On the opposite side of the spectrum are people who like to video chat or stream on the go. Such usage is best matched to an unlimited data plan to avoid costly overage charges. Mint Mobile offers such a plan for only $30 per month.
