Slash your cell phone bill by going pre-paid
If I say, "Cell phone bills," you'd probably say, "Too expensive."
But your wireless phone doesn't have to be a budget buster.
Switch to a pre-paid plan and the savings can be dramatic. With pay-as-you-go wireless plans, there's no credit check, no long-term contract and no surprise charges at the end of the month.
Security guard Jennifer Allison, who spends all day inside the Verizon store in downtown Seattle, knows all about prices and service plans. So when she had to cut her cell phone costs, she went pre-paid.
"And now that I have it, I love it," she said. "I can get by on $15 a month for cell phones costs if needed, or nothing for a couple of weeks if I'm really broke."
When she's about to run out of minutes, Allison gets a text message reminder. The big wireless companies have a number of pre-paid plans. It's not the one-size-fits-all service it used to be.
Here's something else you should know know. You don't have to go with one of the big wireless carriers. You'll find a wide variety of prepaid phones at discount stores, such as Target.
Keep in mind, with most pre-paid plans, you'd buy the phone and pay for the minutes. But there are plans that charge a daily access fee. Consumer advocate Sam Simon warn you need to watch out for that.
"You can get a plan that has a daily charge that if you use it on most days, you will end up being worse off than if you have a contract plan with one of these carriers," said Simon, who is the chairman of the Telecommunications Research and Action Center.
Because of the economy, pre-paid plans are hot right now. Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint, recently introduced a $50 unlimited plan. You get unlimited voice, text and Internet access.
Russel Peeder says the plan cut his monthly phone bill in half.
"It's just incredible," he said. "I mean $50 a month, that's great."
These Boost phones don't download music, but it's an option Peeder and many others are willing to give up for the extra cash.
Clearly, pre-paid phones aren't for everyone. For instance, it wouldn't work for many business people. But if you don't use your cell phone very often or if you want to control how much you or your kids spend each month, this might be the way to go.
With a pre-paid plan, you can get a basic phone for as little as $20 or so. If you already have a phone from that carrier and your contract term has ended, you may be able to switch the phone to pay-as-you-go, or save the cost of the phone.
More information:
Pre-paid cell phones can offer savings
Five cost-slashing steps for cell phone customers
Consumer advocate Sam Simon is chairman of the Telecommunications Research and Action Center
But your wireless phone doesn't have to be a budget buster.
Switch to a pre-paid plan and the savings can be dramatic. With pay-as-you-go wireless plans, there's no credit check, no long-term contract and no surprise charges at the end of the month.
Security guard Jennifer Allison, who spends all day inside the Verizon store in downtown Seattle, knows all about prices and service plans. So when she had to cut her cell phone costs, she went pre-paid.
"And now that I have it, I love it," she said. "I can get by on $15 a month for cell phones costs if needed, or nothing for a couple of weeks if I'm really broke."
When she's about to run out of minutes, Allison gets a text message reminder. The big wireless companies have a number of pre-paid plans. It's not the one-size-fits-all service it used to be.
Here's something else you should know know. You don't have to go with one of the big wireless carriers. You'll find a wide variety of prepaid phones at discount stores, such as Target.
Keep in mind, with most pre-paid plans, you'd buy the phone and pay for the minutes. But there are plans that charge a daily access fee. Consumer advocate Sam Simon warn you need to watch out for that.
"You can get a plan that has a daily charge that if you use it on most days, you will end up being worse off than if you have a contract plan with one of these carriers," said Simon, who is the chairman of the Telecommunications Research and Action Center.
Because of the economy, pre-paid plans are hot right now. Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint, recently introduced a $50 unlimited plan. You get unlimited voice, text and Internet access.
Russel Peeder says the plan cut his monthly phone bill in half.
"It's just incredible," he said. "I mean $50 a month, that's great."
These Boost phones don't download music, but it's an option Peeder and many others are willing to give up for the extra cash.
Clearly, pre-paid phones aren't for everyone. For instance, it wouldn't work for many business people. But if you don't use your cell phone very often or if you want to control how much you or your kids spend each month, this might be the way to go.
With a pre-paid plan, you can get a basic phone for as little as $20 or so. If you already have a phone from that carrier and your contract term has ended, you may be able to switch the phone to pay-as-you-go, or save the cost of the phone.
More information:
Pre-paid cell phones can offer savings
Five cost-slashing steps for cell phone customers
Consumer advocate Sam Simon is chairman of the Telecommunications Research and Action Center
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