It’s Called Currency

The cost of communication can be remarkably high these days. Many US households have both landline and wireless phones, often duplicating services and the charges for them. It’s time to take a long hard look at what you’re paying for, decide if you really need it, and determine who is the best provider for what you need.

Landline phones are often sold with a package of services such a voicemail, call waiting, automated redialing of missed calls, three way calling, automated redialing of busy numbers, call forwarding, call blocking, call tracing, etc. The telemarketer will act like these are all services you will need and use daily, but in reality, many people don’t use them nearly enough to warrant the monthly expense. Take a thorough look at your monthly phone bill and think about which services you  don’t need. Would it be cheaper to only pay for the ones you do, even with their special bundle pricing? If voicemail is the only service you use consistently, consider picking up an inexpensive answering maching and drop your landline to the phone company’s cheapest offering. Thirty dollars spent once versus twenty dollars a month? It’s a pretty easy choice.

A quick note about getting the cheapest offeriing: you may have to get someone on the phone to find out what it is. Eighteen dollars a month may sound pretty good, but what if they have an eight dollar plan instead? Get someone on the phone and ask if they have something cheaper. Some companies offer a plan with unlimited incoming calls, a certain number of outgoing local calls (like 25 or 30) and then each outgoing call after that will cost around twenty-five cents. If you don’t call locally, then this is quite the bargain, but they never advertise this option. You’ll have to ask for it.

If long distance calls are the primary use for your landline phone, consider an unlimited long-distance plan. If your last three phone bills have had more in long distance charges than the unlimited plan price, switch plans. Shop the carriers available in your area, and look online for specialty long-distance providers. There are more options out there than you may realize so be thorough and seek out the deal that works best for you.

You may also want to consider joining the ranks of those who have dropped their landline phones completely in favor of the versatility of their wireless mobile phone. If you rarely make or receive calls at or from home, you’re a good candidate. An exception would be if you need a dedicated fax line, but that might also fall under the limited-local-calling and/or unlimited-long-distance category.

As for wireless phones, you should definitely compare the plans for each carrier. You may even want to do this annually, as their offerings change frequently. As your contract renewal date approaches, look at the competition. Even if you don’t want to change carriers, you can often use the other guy’s promotion to get the best deal with your current company. After all, it’s easier—and cheaper—for them to keep you than to get a new customer to replace you. Perhaps you can talk them down by 10% as a loyalty incentive. It never hurts to try.

Speaking of wireless carriers, are most of your calls to customers on the same carrier’s network? If so, your phone should be on that network. Ask your friends and family: what phone company do you use? We asked and found that most everyone we talk to was on a single network. We switched carriers based on this question and our billable minutes dropped dramatically.

Don’t forget the texts! If you’re a frequent texter with your mobile phone, pay for the unlimited texting option. Fifteen cents per message seems cheap, but add up a few twenty or thirty message text conversations a week and your monthly bill can be a shock.

Communication can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be. Take the time to evaluate your needs and investigate your options. You could save $10, $20 or more a month.

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