How to Minimize a Cell Phone Bill

It's easy to run up your cell phone bill until it's nearly the size of our national debt. You have so many people to call and they're all accessible since they own cell phones, too. However, you can keep your monthly bill to a manageable number by following these steps.

Instructions

1. Use your cell phone as a pager. This only works if your cell phone has caller ID. When you receive a call on your cell phone and you have access to a landline nearby, do not take the call. Return the calling number by using the landline rather than your cell phone.

2. Manage your minutes better by regularly checking the feature that tells you how many minutes you've accrued in the current billing period. Each phone typically has this feature, but the process of accessing it is different. Consult for phone's manual, or ask your cellular service provider how to use the feature. Being more aware of the minutes you're racking up will make you more sensitive to cutting back for the sake of a smaller bill.

3. Take advantage of your calling plan. Do you receive free nights and weekends? Postpone as many calls to these times if possible. Do you make more local calls, or do you frequently call across the country? Know your plans restrictions regarding types of calls and call distances.

4. Stay on a plan that is right for your needs. If you're going over on minutes, and being charged a premium per-minute rate for each minute you go over, it may be more cost-effective to upgrade your phone plan to the next level. If you have too many unused minutes each month, you may be able to downgrade to a less-expensive plan.

5. Maximize benefits such as bundling for text messages and picture messages. Bundling allows you to pay a flat fee each month to utilize these types of messages without being charged premium, per-message charges.

6. Choose the right network for your phone plan. Discuss with your salesperson or customer service rep to make sure your network is the best one for the services you need and the calls you make.

7. Make calls only when you need to, not just to fill up time.

8. Join a shared plan to share minutes and expenses with a friend or family member.