TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Three Ways to Lower Your Phone Bill
by
HL Carpenter

While there may not be much you can do about the distressing amount of taxes on your phone bill (a recent one included eight different taxes and surcharges), there are ways to reduce what you pay for other services.

Here are three:

Dumping your long distance carrier. Removing your long distance service won’t remove the interstate access charge, but it will eliminate any standard monthly fees your phone company may be adding to your bill. You can purchase a phone card from a discount store or convenience store to make long distance calls, usually for pennies per call. You’ll have to dial more numbers, but the savings may be worth it.

Taking advantage of special group discounts or rates. If you’re a member of certain clubs or associations, you may be able to sign up for special discounts. For example, Earthlink dial-up subscribers recently received an offer for seven-cent interstate long distance charges through Sprint, with no monthly fees.

Keeping track of your usage. Do you routinely use fewer minutes than your cell phone plan allows? It may be cheaper to switch to a new plan or a family or shared plan so you can spread the time among family members.

If you carry a phone in the car in case of emergencies and find you seldom use it, consider purchasing a disposable phone or a prepaid plan. Web sites to check: [Broken Link Removed] and http://www.tracfone.com.

Other ways to save on your phone bill include Internet phone services and comparison shopping between carriers. Web sites to check include http://www.smartprice.com and http://www.saveonphone.com.

CAUTION: both accept commissions from some phone companies.

Remember too, phone plans are updated constantly. Check with your company on a regular basis to make sure you’re still getting the best rate.

Originally published July 2003.

Last update: January 8, 2011