Your phone bill is a monthly expense that can really add up over time if you are overpaying for it. There are ways to cut back on this cost, though, especially if you are looking to start a new phone plan with another carrier or are just getting a new phone. Follow these tips to save money.

8
Do Not Pay for a Phone Insurance Plan

When you are buying a new phone, chances are that your provider will try to sell you insurance for it at the same time, presenting it as valuable protection for your device. Admittedly, there are times when insurance might be helpful, but at around $10-$15 a month, this cost can really build up over time and maybe even exceed the price you’d pay to fix your phone without insurance.

Instead of paying for insurance, consider investing in a good phone case and screen protector. While these may be somewhat costly upfront, if you plan on keeping your new phone for several years, they have a very high chance of paying for themselves and then some. You can protect your phone with these options for around $50-$80, which is much less than you’d be paying for phone insurance over the course of several years.

That said, if you often have your phone in dangerous environments, such as construction sites or factories, phone insurance may be valuable to you. I’m not saying it’s worthless, only that it’s something you can cut out of your bill if you’re really desperate to save money.

7
Select a Plan That Only Has What You Need

There may be plenty of features of a phone plan that sound good to have, but you rarely use them. Or, perhaps you have an unlimited plan but rarely use more than a few GB of data every month. The point is, that you may be paying for things you aren’t actually getting any benefit from. Why pay for unlimited data if you only need 5 GB a month? Why pay for more text or talk minutes if you don’t need them?

Most carriers have a way for you to get detailed usage reports on your talk, text, and data. Take a look and see how much you really use over the course of a few months. If you find that you consistently use less than your current plan provides, check with your provider and see if there is a cheaper plan that still fits your needs. By doing this, you may be able to save yourself around $10-$20 a month, or even more if you can afford a significant downgrade.

6
Set Up AutoPay

AutoPay is a feature offered by most major carriers, which you can set up to ensure automatic payments for your phone plan come out of your account on the day you schedule each month. First of all, this is a good idea in general, as it will ensure you don’t miss payments, which could cost you money in late fees. But on top of that, many carriers offer a discount on your monthly bill if you set up AutoPay. They don’t want you missing payments either!

This discount is usually small, about $5-$10 per month. But hey, any money you can save is money that can go toward something else, and some carriers may even offer some other perks if you set up AutoPay.

5
Switch to an MVNO

An MVNO, or Mobile Virtual Network Operator, is a carrier that rents network infrastructure from major providers and then leases it to customers like you. This means MVNOs have lower overhead costs, and they can usually offer significantly cheaper plans. You may be able to get a plan comparable to one at a major carrier like Verizon or T-Mobile for just half the price.

Popular MVNOs include Mint Mobile, Visible, Cricket Wireless, and Boost Mobile. Unfortunately, you may not be able to switch to an MVNO if you are currently under contract with a major carrier, but if you aren’t under contract, switching to an MVNO is one of the most effective ways to reduce your monthly phone bill massively. That said, there are some downsides to an MVNO compared to a major carrier, so you have to weigh the pros and cons.

4
Choose a Bundled Plan to Cut Costs

Many carriers and internet service providers offer discounts when you bundle multiple services, such as phone, internet, and TV. By applying for one of these bundles, you may be able to save money as opposed to paying for all of it individually. Bundling can also simplify the billing process since you can pay for all of those services at the same place.

That said, you’ll need to do some math to make sure you are actually saving. Consider the price of the bundle and weigh it against how much it would cost for you to pay for all of those services individually, especially if the bundle includes some services you wouldn’t care to get otherwise. Bundles can often include promotional rates as well, which can expire after a set amount of time, so be sure to read the fine print very carefully.

3
Switch to a Family Plan if Possible

If you need to pay for multiple phone lines, it can often be a good idea to bundle them all together into a single-family plan. Carriers want you to have as many lines with them as possible, meaning they often discount the overall price of lines if they are bundled into a family plan. A family plan with four lines at Verizon will cost less than four separate plans for each of those four people, for instance.

It’s not like such plans are restricted solely to real families, either. You can take advantage of these types of plans with friends, roommates, and extended family as well. Just make sure that you trust the people who are going to be on your family plan since you will be responsible for the bill in most cases. Some carriers may allow you to split the bill of a family plan.

2
Cancel Unused Subscriptions or Add-Ons

You should review your bill for any add-ons or subscriptions that you aren’t actually using. Some examples include cloud storage or premium voicemail. While these charges tend to be small, there’s no point in paying for them if you aren’t actually using them, even if you were using them at some point in the past. It’s possible to have started paying for these without realizing it, too, if you activated a feature temporarily on your phone one day.

1
Consider a Pay-As-You-Go Plan

These plans are usually a form of post-paid plan that only charges you for what you use. Instead of paying for a set amount of data, talk, and text at the beginning of the month, you get a bill at the end of the month, charging you for the exact amount of all of those things that you used. This means such plans can be incredibly cost-effective if you aren’t a heavy user of data, talk, or text.

In other words, if you are usually at home, using Wi-Fi with your phone instead of data, a pay-as-you-go plan could save you a ton of money. It all depends on your usage habits, but if you review those and find out that you really don’t need that much, look around carriers offering these types of plans.

If you still want to save money on your phone plan even after trying out all of these tips, there are still some other things you can do. Buying an older or refurbished phone, avoiding international roaming data charges, and searching for special discounts, like student or military discounts, can all help you save money as well. By doing everything possible, you may be able to save much more money than you think.