6 handy money saving tips
Are you paying too much for your mobile? Do you dread the thought of looking at your bill each month? Then you're reading the right article. Take a look at our six tips below to save money on your mobile bill. You can thank us when your next slimmed down bill arrives.
1. Choose the right plan
Sounds obvious, right? But if you’re on a plan that gives you way more allowances than you really need, you’re basically paying your mobile network for stuff you don’t use.
Check your usage over the last few months, and if you’re only using a fraction of your minutes, texts and data, consider downgrading to a plan with less allowances. It could make a huge difference to your phone bill.
2. Don’t stray out-of-plan
Be warned - the quickest way of racking up huge charges on your mobile bill is to keep using your phone when you run out of an allowance.
For example, if you’ve got no data left but can’t stop watching your favourite YouTube videos when you’re out and about, you could be hit hard. Your mobile network will let you use more data than you’ve got, but they’ll charge you for the privilege.
The answer is, of course, to stick to your original allowances. To help you do this, most networks have free apps that let you keep a close eye on your usage.
If you know you’re going to run out of an allowance, think about buying an add-on from your network. Doing this almost always works out cheaper than simply going out-of-plan.
3. Use an app for your calls and texts
Okay, so we’ve told you how to save data. But what about your minutes and texts? If these are the allowances that you’re regularly running out of, then why not use an app for calling and texting instead?
If you use Whatsapp to send messages or make phone calls to family and friends, you won’t use any minutes or texts. And if you’re on Wi-Fi, you won’t use any data either – so it’s good news all round.
4. Don’t use mobile data needlessly
If you regularly go over your monthly data allowance, it’s going to cost you. So why not make an effort to cut down your usage, and stick to your standard allowance?
The best way of doing this is to take advantage of free and secure Wi-Fi where it’s available. Take a seat in your favourite coffee shop or fast food establishment, and the chances are they’ll have Wi-Fi on the menu.
For more data-saving tips, check out this Lowdown article: How much data do I need?
5. Roam carefully
Using your mobile phone abroad used to be an expensive business. But recently, things have changed. EU roaming charges bit the dust last year, meaning that you can use your minutes, texts and data throughout Europe. Different networks have different rules for roaming, so make sure you know exactly what you’re entitled to before you head off on your travels.
6. Put a cap on it
A great way of avoiding unexpectedly large bills is to put a cap on your monthly spend.
Some networks offer this service for free. For example, iD Mobile has a bill capping feature on all its pay monthly plans. So, if you run out of an allowance and go out-of-plan, you’re prevented from spending more than your cap (which you can set between £5 and your credit limit). If you’re interested, ask your mobile network if you can cap your plan.
If you’ve got any other tips for reducing your mobile bill that we haven’t mentioned, let’s hear them. Drop us a comment below.