Looking to get some savings on your mobile and mobile bills? Most of us these days are looking to save money wherever we can, and there’s no reason that your mobile phone should be exempt from your savings drive. There are plenty of tips and tricks that will help you save money both on your phone and on service, so read on to find out where you can cut costs and save some valuable cash.
Ditch the Mobile Data
Mobile data is expensive; it’s by far the priciest part of your mobile contract and the most expensive drain on your pay as you go plan. The easiest way to cut costs is to get rid of your mobile data plan altogether. You can get contracts without mobile data with most mobile operators, so this shouldn’t be a problem; but what about if you’re reliant on your mobile internet connection?
Okay, not everyone is in a position to get rid of their data plan. However, many of us live in areas that have plenty of WiFi hot spots, and many of us also have WiFi at home. Using the WiFi connection on your mobile phone is not only cheaper than having a data plan, but it’s also faster. If you think that you can get away with using only WiFi, especially if you have networks available to you both at home and at work, getting rid of the mobile data part of your monthly bill is going to get you some serious savings.
Consider Dual SIM Phones
Dual SIM phones used to be clunky, slow and expensive; but not any more. Plenty of manufacturers (including Nokia, Samsung and Sony) are making some great and reasonably priced dual SIM models. But why would investing in a dual SIM phone mean savings for you? Obviously, dual SIM phones mean that you can run two SIM cards on the same phone at the same time, and there are a couple of ways that this can get you savings. Firstly, it does mean that you don’t need to pay for and carry two separate phones for work and pleasure. But it also means that you can use different operators at the same time. Love the mobile data prices with Three, but hate their calling minute rates? Get a data plan and SIM card from Three then, and get your calling minutes and another SIM card from another operator. Yes, you’re going to have to spend a little money on buying the phone itself, but you can also get some solid savings if you shop carefully for the best rates among operators.
Reconsider Your Calling Plan
All mobile contracts come with a calling plan. This is the set of monthly limits for the amount of calling minutes, text messages and mobile data that you can use for your fixed monthly price, and the wrong plan is costing you big time. Take this as an example, your calling plan contains fifty calling minutes. If you call fifty minutes in a month, great, pay your monthly fee; if you call five minutes in a month, not so great, because you’re still going to pay the exact same monthly fee. And if you call for sixty minutes? You end up paying your monthly fee plus huge premium charges on the extra ten minutes that you’ve used.
Take a look at your mobile phone bills and see how close your actual usage is to the limits that are in your calling plan, and then see if your operator offers a calling plan that will suit you better. Most operators will let you change your calling plan, even mid contract, though some may charge a small fee for doing so. But that fee may well be worth paying if you’re going to get big savings by changing your plan.
Change Your Operator
The vast majority of people sign their first mobile contract with an operator and then simply keep signing more contracts with the same operator. This tends to be a bad plan. There’s plenty of competition on the mobile market for customers, which means that operators are constantly offering lower prices and better deals to lure new customers into signing contracts with them rather than another provider. Once signed up though, operators bank on the fact that you’re going to stick with the company, and so reserve many of their best deals for new customers rather than returning ones.
It’s not unusual that your second contract with an operator will cost you more than your first one did. The simplest way around this is to switch operators at the end of your contract and get back your new customer status, along with all the deals and discounts, with another operator. Changing operators is a simple process. You should not be without mobile service for more than a couple of hours, and you can take your phone number with you, so you don’t need to change your digits. And you might get much better rates with someone else.
Buy Refurbished Phones
One of the best ways to get savings on a new mobile phone is by buying a refurbished model. These are phones that have been bought and then returned. They’re generally unused and returned within a few days simply because the customer changed his or her mind. The phone will go back to the factory for a complete technical inspection, cleaning and rebooting. Once this has been done a refurbished model and a brand new model should be identical.
There should be no difference in appearance or function between a new and refurbished phone. In fact, you’ll even get a warranty just in case something should go wrong. You’re essentially buying a new phone, and you’ll get a bargain price. You can find refurbished phones online, through mobile operators or direct from manufacturers. The best bet for a refurbished model is a mid-market phone. Top end devices just don’t get returned often, and budget phones tend not to be worth refurbishing.