Five Ways to Slash Your Phone Bill
Has your phone bill gotten to the point
where you hate to open it? It's easy for that to happen
these days. It can be even worse if you have a cell
phone because then, there are two bills to worry about.
Hare are five ways you can reduce that
bill.
Tip #1: Check out your phone bill the
next time it arrives. You may have one of these packages
with a lot of features that you either don't need
or don't use. For example, your package might include
features such as three-way calling, call forwarding,
unlimited long distance or continuous dialing. Ask
yourself the question, am I really using these features
on a regular basis? If the answer is no, I suggest
you contact your phone company and ask what other
plans they have that offer fewer features, and cost
less. For that matter, you might consider switching
to your phone company's most basic plan. It won't
have any features outside of a dial tone but could
save you a bunch. For example, our local phone service
provider has a basic plant that costs just $21.95
a month, plus all applicable taxes and surcharges.
Tip #2: Shop for your service. Depending
on where you live, there might be as many as three
or four different phone service providers competing
for your business. Do a little research. Find out
if there are competing service providers in your area.
If so, contact each and ask about its various plans.
You might find you can get as many or even more features
for $10 to $20 a month less than what you're currently
paying.
Tip #3: Consider dropping that conventional
service entirely. Most of the cellular service providers
offer family-oriented packages with 1,000 or more
minutes a month for as little as $49.95 a month. Many
of them will even let you add family members for around
$6.00 a month. They may even give you the additional
phones free. Suppose you're now paying $34.00 a month
for your conventional service and $39.95 for your
cellular service. That's a total of $73.95 a month.
Drop that conventional service and switch to a family
plan at, say, $49.95 a month, plus $12 for two additional
phones and viola! You've just cut your total phone
bill by at least $12.00 a month.
Tip #4: Dial a few extra numbers and
save big. Are you familiar with the 10-10 services,
also known as dial-around plans? They are simple to
use and requires no advance payment, no contract and
no calling card. A 10-10 number works by routing your
call around your existing phone company. You just
dial 10-10 and then usually a three-digit number followed
by the phone number of the person you're calling.
This coding dials around your existing long distance
carrier to give you cheaper rates. For more information
on these rates, go to www. 10-10phonerates.com.
Tip #5: VoIP. If you want to save money
and aren't afraid to try a new technology, check out
VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. Now available
from more than a dozen different companies, VoIP requires
a computer, a high-speed Internet connection (DSL
or cable), a special adapter and an ordinary telephone.
VoIP is cheaper than than conventional phone service,
plus it is not subject to all it taxes and surcharges
which can almost double the cost of your service.
VoIP service can cost as little as $19.95 a month
(including calls to Western Europe) and often includes
features like call forwarding and voice mail that
the conventional phone companies charge extra for.
Be aware that all is not perfect with VoIP as voice
quality may not be as good as a traditional landline.
Also, since the service is computer dependent, when
your power goes out, so does your phone service.
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