18 Tips To Cut Phone Bills

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Easy ways to cut phone bills

 

If you’re looking at new phone and internet plans for a new house, getting a new mobile plan, or maybe you’ve already signed up, got the bill, then freaked out when you can’t pay (yep, been there, done that), there are things you can do to cut your phone bills. And they’re not hard to do.

Check out these simple ways to either keep your phone costs lower from the start, or cut phone bills that are too high to handle.

 

Starting a plan from scratch?

 

Low-budget options

 

check The cheapest option with phones is a landline phone (set to local calls only) and/or a pre-paid mobile, so you only spend what you have.

check You can use the free wifi at your local library, place of study, Maccas or other takeaway food store with freebie wifi.

check Or you could just pay as you go at an internet café, so you don’t rack up a massive wifi bill until you figure out how much extra cash you’ll have to spend.

 

Think twice before rushing into a long phone contract.

Paying month-to-month or prepaying your mobile gives you flexibility, plus won’t cost more than you can afford.

 

If you have more to spend

 

More cash means more choices, but you’ll need to know which services you want and the way you plan to use them to find the best plan.

 

check Work out what you can actually afford to spend.

check Write a list of each service you want (like home phone, mobile, broadband or whatever).

check Then think about what you are going to mainly use them for and write that down too.

 

 

List stuff like:

  • Will the home phone be mainly local or calls to mobiles?
  • Will your mobile be mainly calls or texts?
  • What internet connection do you want and what will you mostly use it for?
  • Do you want pay tv or anything else packaged in?

 

check Next, check out some phone and internet comparison websites to compare bundled options.

check Be picky and compare a few sites, as comparison plan sites often work with retailers so mightn’t actually choose the best value plan for you.

 

New sites are springing up all the time, so try searching for phone comparison plans in your area. 

 

Some places to start?

 

For Aussies:

www.youcompare.com.au or www.phonechoice.com.au for help comparing phone and internet plans and packages, or www.ozcompare.com.au or www.phonesandplans.com.au for mobile phones and plans.

US-based site www.whistleout.com (this also has links to sites for other countries).

 

Don’t sign what you don’t understand!

 

check Once you’ve found a plan you’re interested in, ask the company for a Critical Information Summary (CIS), which can help you understand (in fairly simple terms) what you’re actually signing up for.

This is a free document and has to be provided to you on request by service providers.

check Ask someone with more experience to help you read the contract before you sign up. Don’t sign up until you understand it.

check Check the cooling off period in the contract. This is how long you get to change your mind.

 

Beware extra charges!

 

check Watch for extra charges on things like internet download limits or movies-on-demand, and stick to the amounts you’ve signed up for, or you’ll get a nasty shock at bill time.

 

Going overseas? Plan ahead! 

 

check Turn off anything that regularly updates, like game apps.

check Be super careful if you plan to use your phone overseas (you might actually be better to get a cheap pre-paid one when you get there), otherwise your next bill could cost a mint.

 

Taking calls from other people when you’re out of the country, or even listening to other people’s voicemails, can cost you a fortune. 

 

Chop your mobile bill

 

check Go paperless with your bills as it’s sometimes cheaper.

check Check your bill for extra charges – sometimes what you thought was a one-off may recur.

check Text instead of call where possible, and watch any internet charges (try to use free internet available in some public places).

check Delete your voicemails straight away as you usually have to pay to listen to them.

 

Got a complaint?

 

Phone and internet service providers need to provide a minimum level of service, or you don’t have to continue with the contract.

So if you have regular problems, like bad mobile reception, for example, you can ask to terminate your plan.

In most places, you can contact a government official, like your state or territory’s telecommunications industry ombudsman in Australia, for problems with phone and/or internet services.

 

11 Ways To Cut Costs!

cheap stuff you need
Why pay more than you have to??

 

Ways to cut costs

check Use less of things, or, if you can, use them at non-peak times when it’s cheaper (usually 10pm to 6am weekdays, and on weekends).

check Turn the lights off when you leave the room.

check Turn appliances off at the wall. Stand-by power is when something is turned off but still switched on at the power point – it adds up to as much as 10% of your power bill.

check Put a jumper on or use blankets instead of using heaters or air-con. Duh.

check Take shorter showers (or shower with a friend…).

check Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth or wash your face.

check Get dripping taps or running toilets fixed straight away.

check Don’t waste cash on interest. Pay off credit cards on time or cut them up and use a debit card.

 

#thinkrich #makethebigbucks #saveyourpennies
Save your pennies & they soon add up to something…hopefully something fun!

 

Credit card debt. Yuk. You don’t need it.

Transfer your balance to a zero-interest account if you can pay it off, or keep transferring it to other zero interest accounts until it’s paid off.

 

Can’t control your spending?

I hear you! Try freezing your card in a ziplock bag in water – by the time it defrosts you can work out if you really need to spend the cash (but that won’t help you with PayPal…uh oh.)

 

Even more ways to cut costs

check Bulk-buy for public transport and other costs, like discount movie passes. Same with non-perishable household stuff, like laundry powder, rice, oil etc. If you can splash out more you can usually save in the long run (but work it out to make sure you ARE getting a discount).

check Get deals online or from newspapers or coupons for things like meals and entertainment, but don’t buy stuff just because it’s cheap – it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it (note to self…).

check Search “coupon” or “promo code” and the website before you hit the checkout online.

Checklist: Make A Budget (Easy & Free)

#getrichquick #makethebigbucks #cutcosts
Where does the money go? A budget shows you.

 

Counting costs & budgeting

You need a budget to keep track of how much money you have coming in versus how much your expenses are (or are likely to be).

A budget helps you work out what you can actually afford to spend, plus how much you need to save to avoid nasty surprises when the bills arrive. This helps you plan ahead so you don’t end up in debt.

So, ok, you’ll need  to make a budget, and some good financial habits like saving and paying things on time wouldn’t hurt.

To be honest, this would kinda be a case of do as I say, not as I do, though…but I’m trying…

 

Don’t forget to factor in fun stuff in your budget (within reason), or you probably won’t stick to it.

 

How to make a budget

check First, make a list of what you spend money on.

check Add in any new costs, such as rent, and don’t forget to factor in something for bills (look at a friend’s bills or your parents’ to get a rough estimate or just put aside an amount each week, until you figure your costs out).

check Most bills, such as rent, utilities and credit cards are paid pretty often, but other bills, like insurance, get paid less often – don’t forget to put an amount in for them.

check Subtract the total amount of expenses from how much money you’ll have coming in from work and anything else.

 

Easy, printable budget checklist.

Check out the printable Basic budget checklist for a simple way to work out what your budget needs to cover.

 

#save #makeabudget #easyfinancialplanning

 

Do you have enough money? If you don’t have enough to cover your basic expenses and you can’t reduce them, you might have to try and get some extra work to make up the difference.

Remember, some things are not actually essential…like Saturday ciggies, that Thai place on Thursday, Sunday arvo beers (oh, ok, it’s happy hour) or new red shoes, but budget for them and it’s all good.

 

alcohol, wine, spirits, hangover, overdose, #leavingthenest
Nope, not essential, even if it IS fruit…

 

Don’t pay too much!

Get the best plans available for you. See Get connected & manage your bills for how to do this with utilities.

 

Look out for the upcoming LtN post on keeping your phone bills down. Also watch out for our upcoming post with 12 ways to cut your costs that everyone can do to start saving dollars straight away!

Sign up on the homepage or Like us on social media to stay informed.

 

Get Connected & Manage Your Bills

Feathering your nest

Paying bills. Yuk.

No-one likes paying bills—they’re not fun, but they’re a fact of life. But what’s the alternative? Cold showers in the dark? Eviction? Credit-card debt and a crap credit rating? Not exactly a crack up.

So, ok, you’ll have to pay them, ideally on time.

First, you have to work out what you’ll need to connect

  • You’ll probably need to arrange electricity connection, and possibly gas if your residence has gas hot water or appliances.
  • Water is usually organised by your landlord (but you may need to pay excess – check with your agent or landlord).
  • Home phone needs to be connected unless you plan to only use mobiles, and you may want to bundle this with other stuff like internet – you can either split bills between house members or ask your phone company about getting a PIN number for each housemate to keep track of phone bills individually.
  • Luxury-lovers who want cable TV or other extras should probably wait to see if they cope with the essentials first.
Ideally, organise your connections well in advance to be done the day before you move in, or you might be gagging for a cuppa before the power’s turned on (not to mention missing your favourite show!).

Next you need to decide which company to go with

This can actually make quite a difference to the amount you have to pay, so if you have a choice of utility provider it’s worthwhile to do a bit of research into plans (I know, you feel like switching off at the thought).

The good thing is there’s plenty of help available with choosing the best plans for you if you know where to look, and how to avoid the pitfalls. See which company, below for how to choose a good provider and plan.

Get power savvy to save

Ask your retailer for a discount. They often offer discounts of up to 15% if customers ask. So why pay more?

If you are able to use most of your power at off-peak times (that is, at night and weekends), ask your chosen retailer about going on a ‘time of use’ plan.

You usually pay a bit more for your service charge and a little more for your daytime power, but around half price for any power you use between 10pm and 6am and on weekends.

Finally, whose name will each bill be in?

NOTE: This person is responsible for paying.

  • If the bills are in your name, see if your retailer has pay-in-advance options, or get each housemate to pay you a weekly amount (you’ll be better covered if things go awry plus it’ll minimise the stress when bills arrive).
  • It’s usually a good idea to work out a regular day to collect money (e.g. payday).
  • Keep records of what each person pays and, if possible, give and/or get receipts – it’s best to have evidence of what everyone has paid (even good friends forget things).
  • Grab a receipt book form the newsagents or just write one up.
Uh oh! Emergency! Who should I call?

Electricity and gas distributors maintain infrastructure  (power poles, lines, meters, the gas pipeline network and gas supply) – if there is a problem, like a broken pipe or interrupted service, for example, they have to fix it.

You can find out who your distributor is, plus get their phone number, from one of your bills or from your energy retailer (the company you buy your power, gas etc. from).

You should call them straight away, day or night, if you have an emergency or notice a problem.

 

Which company should you choose?

Depending where you live, you probably have a choice of energy. Obviously, you’ll want the best deal possible so do your research before you hand over your cash.

You’ll need a rough idea what your electricity and gas usage will be (what kind of hot water do you have, for example? Whether it’s electric, gas or solar will make a big difference to your usage pattern); plus when you’ll mostly use it and what retailers are available in your area.

If you don’t know, you can use energy supplier comparison websites and put in info like your postal or zip code, how many people live in your house and whether it is a house or apartment, to get an estimate of your usage and bring up a ranked list of plans available in your area.

 

Energy supplier comparison websites

While comparison websites are a useful tool in finding deals, it is best to use government-provided sites if possible, as commercial sites often work with retailers and mightn’t get you the cheapest rate (some will organise all your connections for you, but they’ll probably cost more overall).

Keep an eye out for the up-coming post useful websites: bills for links to useful comparison websites. Sign up on the homepage or like LtN on social media for the latest site info.

Read the boring fine print before you sign

Or it could cost you

  • Lots of plans look great at first, with big discounts if you pay on time, but many of these have high fees if you pay your bills late. If you ARE late with bills (and it happens more than you think), these discount plans can actually cost a lot more.
  • Check what happens if you break the contract early. This is especially important for renters, as you can’t always control whether you can finish your contract (e.g. if your landlord decides to sell up or terminate your lease).
  • Also check the cooling off period – this is the time you are given to look over your contract, check any fees, charges and conditions, and make sure you’re happy with it all.
  • Ask about the connection fees. Most energy retailers charge them, so check what they are before choosing a plan.
  • Also ask about any bonds due — some retailers charge one then refund it at the end of your contract, although they might not charge one if you pay by direct debit. Ask for these details so you know exactly what you’re up for.
  • Find out if you can pay in advance. It’s easier to stay on top of things, especially if someone moves out.

 

Renters beware!

Dweezil was part-way through an internet contract when his landlord decided to sell and end the lease early. Dweezil’s next rental was outside the network coverage area, so he had to pay a large early leavers’ fee.

If there’s a high fee for ending a contract early you might need to consider another plan, or go with another supplier.

 

What if I can’t pay?

If you’re struggling to pay the bills, first ask your retailer what help they can give you.  Always start with your retailer, as they often have schemes to help people pay their bills, from ways to help you reduce your usage, to helping you check the best available rate for you, as well as payment plans and/or payment in advance.

If you need extra help, you can try local charities or some government departments in your area to find out what other assistance might be available to you.

One-off assistance is available in some places. For example, in Australia, you can get a voucher from some charities in NSW to help pay utility bills (not that it’ll go far…), Victoria has a Utility Relief Grant Scheme and Qld and SA have assistance schemes administered by retailers.

Keep your eye out for details in the upcoming post useful websites: bills 

 

Got a complaint?

If you have a problem with services like electricity or gas, contact your retailer first; if you need to take it further, contact the energy ombudsman in your state or territory – you can sometimes be compensated for things like wrongful disconnection, frequent power outages or if your appliances get damaged due to voltage variation.