4 ways to cut your phone bill |
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Other toll-free offerings are linked to "dial around" or "10-10" plans (an online search will yield several providers).
With these services, callers bypass their traditional phone company's long-distance services to make the calls.
Toll-free services, while inexpensive, are not necessarily cheaper than calling cards. Some might advertise teaser rates,
but check the fine print. The low rates may not kick in until several minutes into the call. Make sure you're familiar with terms and
conditions before using these services.
2. Use a prepaid cell phone instead of a monthly plan
Another way to save money on your phone bill is to use a prepaid cell phone to reduce your expenses. Prepaid wireless carriers, such as
Net10 and TracFone, can offer no-contract options and predictable monthly phone bills.
They can also offer decent long-distance rates -- although not as low as the rates offered by calling cards and toll-free
services.
"If you have a cell phone and you use it for long distance, there's really no need to have traditional long-distance at
your house," Brixey says.
Traditional cell phone plans can charge you big bucks if you go over the monthly allotment of minutes. Prepaid phones,
however, don't let you fall into that trap. You can only use up to the amount for which you've already paid.
Rates on prepaid plans range from about 10 cents to 20 cents per minute, and many providers offer promotional rates.
Although the rates for prepaid cell phones can be cheaper than traditional phone charges, you do have to consider the
possibility of the cell phone dropping phone calls and having bad sound reception.
You should also be aware of what you're paying for. It may seem simple to pay a lump sum for a set number of minutes,
but many prepaid plans subtract daily usage fees and even roaming charges from your balance. You may find that if you make more calls
during the day, you use up your prepaid time faster than if you talk mostly at nights or on weekends.
Also, if you don't use the minutes you buy for your prepaid phone within a set time frame, you might lose them. You could
also lose the right to your cell phone number if you don't renew the service when it expires, which could be as often as monthly. Be sure
to read the terms and conditions of any offer before agreeing to the service.
3. Eliminate pricey extras, such as caller ID and call waiting
If you have a traditional phone line, do you really need pricey options such as caller ID, call waiting and call forwarding?
"Don't forget that making fewer calls and using fewer services is probably the quickest and easiest way to reduce your
phone bill," Jordan says.
Although your phone company may make these services available on a per-use basis, the charge typically will be much higher
per use than if you carried these charges as part of your monthly plan.
Also, you could be charged a penalty to adjust your plan if you're already locked into a contract. If that's the case, make
an appeal to change the features without penalty.
"It's worth a try to get a rate reduced," Jordan says. "You just have to use patience and perseverance. When someone in
customer service says they can't help you, my favorite phrase is, 'That is unacceptable. Who do I need to talk to who can help me?'"
Not all basic plans or minimum-service plans (where you only use phone service for a set number of hours) are available in
all regions. In many cases, you have to choose a bundled plan, even if it offers fewer features than a typical telephone package.
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