It’s the time of year when we start to huddle indoors more often, and as a result, we end up using our phones differently. We use it to call more people because they’re more likely to be home, too. We also use them as an entertainment device to occupy us during the long winter evenings. Adding to this, there are regional variations in calling patterns based on weather conditions. Therefore, setting and sticking to a budget for your phone plan can help as you balance other expenses.
After all, even though fewer calls are made in the winter, bill amounts go up because of the expensive data roaming charges you might experience during holiday travels. That is why it is essential for consumers to understand how much data they need to stay connected at all times and how much roaming data they can get away with for cheaper rates. Here are some useful tips on how you can budget for cheap phone service this winter.
One of the best ways to plan and budget your phone plan costs is to check your data usage before the month ends. This way, you can adjust your data usage based on the amount available on your plan. Thus, helping you to avoid overage charges. In some areas, it may be less expensive to add an extra data package for a few months than it would be to pay for your usual amount of data along with high roaming charges.
In other areas, however, it may be less expensive to stick to your usual amount of data or even to downgrade to a less expensive plan while paying the higher roaming rates than it would be to add an extra data package. Before the end of the month, check your data usage with your cell phone provider. Be honest with yourself about how much you’ve used so far and will use by the end of your billing period. This way, you’ll avoid charges for going over your data limits, which can add up to big fees.
While roaming rates for data connections are higher than what you’d pay at home, you can still find ways to lower your bill. First, check your phone plan to see if you have an option for lower roaming rates. These are often the “saver” rates that some carriers offer and are great when you budget for your phone plan as you travel.
If not, you can look up the rates for different countries. Then, call your cell phone provider to negotiate a reduced roaming rate for the amount of time you’ll be in that country. Another option for lowering your roaming charges is to use free WiFi whenever you can. This way, you’re not using your cellular data. Thus, you won’t be charged any roaming fees. This can help you avoid paying hundreds of dollars in roaming charges if traveling abroad.
To lower your roaming charges, it may make sense to avoid using any data while you’re abroad. If that’s not possible, at least use WiFi whenever you can. This way, you avoid incurring roaming charges. If you’re staying at a hotel, ask if they offer WiFi and get the password to log into their network. You can also ask if they have a business center or computer you can use to access the Internet.
If you’re staying with friends or relatives, ask if they have WiFi and if you can log into it. If you’re traveling, you can check in advance to see if the places you’re going have WiFi.
When traveling to areas outside of your cell provider's service, you might incur roaming charges. To get around this, you can use apps that offer free service using data instead. Then couple this with using WiFi.
To make sure you’re always connected at the best rate, you can use phone apps that make free calls using data. These apps include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Google Meet, and many others. Some options include video calling as well, all free when using data through WiFi.
There are many ways you can save money on your phone bill this winter. The most important things are to plan ahead, check your data usage, and avoid overage charges. Do this by sticking to WiFi as much as possible. It’s also important to check for apps that offer free calls and data. These allow you to stay connected at all times at the best rate.
Between gift-giving, traveling, and costly winter preparations such as snow tires, winter costs bills can add up fast. Your phone bill doesn’t have to be among those costs. Just follow these tips to budget for your phone plan. You’ll be on the right track to holiday savings rather than holiday headaches no matter where you’re headed this season.
