Don't Let Phone Networks Rip You Off

Smartphones. Most people in the United States has one. Once, we all thought that smartphones would help us save on our monthly phone bills. There was a time where smartphone use was certainly more expensive than landline use, but the gap seems to narrow quite a lot eventually. A few years ago, it seemed that smartphones were a wise investment for communication. But now they seem to be a lot more expensive again; the gap was widened back up!

There are a lot of ways in which you can save loads of money on your smartphone bills. However, it seems that most people are in the dark about most of them. We’re going to take a quick look at the things you can do to reduce the amount of money you’re spending on your smartphone use!

Be careful who you sign up with

There are a bunch of service providers, or networks, that smartphone owners can sign up with these days. What is the easiest network to get a contract phone on? Well, simplicity is certainly something you should be researching, but the overall cost you’re going to deal with every month is still something you need to consider carefully. Some networks will offer family plans that will make phone use more affordable for your family as a whole. Some networks put a focus on data usage, providing you great deals on data - until you go even slightly above their limit, prompting them to bill you heavily. There are a lot of aspects to consider, so take your time before settling on a network.

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Use WiFi instead of mobile data

One might argue that part of the point of getting a smartphone is so that you have access to mobile data such as 3G or 4G. The argument is that you can browse the Internet and communicate online even without having to be connected to WiFi. But this comes with a cost, of course. Charging you tremendous amounts of money for data use is what makes up the bulk of network profits, so it’s in their best interest to overcharge you whenever possible. If the option is there, connect to a safe WiFi network and switch off your mobile data completely. This will provide you with free data usage, which can potentially save you a lot every month.

Get free communication apps

Connecting to WiFi doesn’t just make browsing the Internet cheaper; it can also mean that you can make calls, video calls, and send messages for free. This isn’t something networks are particularly fond of, but there isn’t much they can do to prevent people from using smartphones as WiFi devices. (This is why base prices for contracts have gone up - because so many people aren’t using the network to communicate with others.) WhatsApp is perhaps the most famous example of an app that allows people to communicate for free as long as they’re hooked up to WiFi. (You’ll even save money if you’re using mobile data.) There’s also Skype, which now has a mobile app that allows for free calling, and the lesser-known but powerful Viber.