13 ways to lower your cell phone bill

Most cell phone service providers provide insurance programs that offer extended warranties for damaged or stolen phones or round-the-clock technical help for your gadget.

According to Investopedia, you can pay a monthly or annual fee for the premiums, ranging between $5 and $20 per month, depending on the device and coverage.

That can add up to an extra $360 per year.

Rather than pay for phone insurance, a better option might be to put some of that money aside each month to cover the cost of a new phone should you ever need one.

Although many mobile data plans are promoted as “unlimited,” they contain a data cap, after which your data speeds will be significantly slower.

You can change the data usage settings on your phone to establish data limits and get alerts when you approach or pass a certain data threshold.

Limits and alerts will enable you to track your data usage more closely and ensure you don’t pay extra charges for exceeding your data allotment.

To set a data limit on your Android phone:

• Go to Settings > Network & internet
• Tap SIMs, and scroll to Data warning & limit
• Next, select Mobile data usage cycle, toggle the Set data warning icon, and tap on Set data limit.

When your phone exceeds the specified limit, it switches off mobile data.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a built-in feature on iOS to provide a data limit alert. Instead, you can install a third-party app on your iPhone to set data limits.

Before you think about upgrading your phone, make sure you evaluate the advantages and disadvantages.

Buying a phone through your carrier as part of a phone plan can lock you into additional $20 to $40 monthly installments for the new phone on your bill.

To lower your phone bill, avoid upgrading your phone until necessary. If you need to buy a new phone, pay for it upfront or buy a used one to save money.

Many cellular service providers have family or group plans that allow you to add additional lines to a single account, with each line priced at a discount.

You can save a lot by splitting the plan’s cost among family members or friends.

Adding lines to your cell phone plan allows you to take advantage of discounted rates, bundled services and financing incentives, which can help lower your overall cell phone bill.

The taxes and fees charged to your monthly payment are determined by your location. So if you’ve moved or someone on your shared plan has relocated to a different area with lower fees and taxes, updating your service address could result in significant savings.

This can be done on your carrier’s website or mobile app.

Cellular carriers usually run promotions and discounts with specific businesses they have partnerships with.

These discounts include lowered rates and tailored features targeting particular audiences including students, seniors, low-income earners and service members.

Your employer also may have discounts with certain cell providers.

Review what discounts and promotions your existing provider has and compare it to other providers to determine what best meets your needs and budget.

Many cashback credit cards provide significant incentives, either in cash back or travel rewards when you use the card to pay for your cell phone bills.

Cashback credit cards offer a great way to save while you pay for a necessary expense.

Investigate various cell phone carriers, compare their plans, prices, and features, and choose the one that provides the most competitive rate and package that meets your demands and is within your budget.

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are cheaper, smaller, and lesser-known carriers that use larger cellular carriers’ network towers to transmit your phone signal. They offer excellent coverage at a fraction of the cost you would pay for larger carriers.

Astound Mobile is an MNVO, so we can pass our savings on to you. Sign up now to see how much you can save.