Want to spend less on your mobile phone bill? Use these tips and shave money off your mobile phone cost! Using your mobile phone should be cheaper.
Spend less on your mobile phone bill: Easy, practical tips
Spend less on your mobile phone bill: Easy, practical tips
The convenience of using a mobile phone as your tool for banking, entertainment, shopping and communicating with loved ones cannot be ignored. With over 90% of all Irish residents owning at least one mobile phone, our phone bill is a fixed part of our monthly spending. According to Comreg the average phone bill of one person takes a €25 a month chunk out of our budget per phone.
Need to pay less for your mobile phone?
If you value owning the latest model of your favourite phone – and like to keep upgrading your phone through your contract – your monthly phone cost may be even higher. Fortunately there are ways to pay less. Let’s explore how you can lower the cost of your mobile phone bill.
Check your mobile data usage
Check your data usage per month and your phone contract data allowance. Analyse your phone bills from the past three months and check how many data you used from your ‘budget’. Have you used less data than you pay for every month? It’s time to switch to a cheaper plan with a lower data allowance.
Do you go over your monthly data allowance on a regular basis, resulting in paying more? It’s time to look for a cheaper deal in your data allowance range. Alternatively it never hurts to check in with the customer care team from your network operator. Ask what the best deal is that they can currently offer you, based on your data usage!
Be smart with your data
Making a lot of use of social media, watching videos on Youtube, or listening to music on your phone can quickly exceed your data allowance. Be smart with your phone and download videos and music before you leave your home (or any other WiFi access point). Access to WiFi enables you to go online on your phone without using any costly data. Send your messages and holiday photos to friends when you are back at your hotel room, for example.
Hidden data usage
Make sure to limit your hidden data usage. Change the settings on your phone to a mode with which your phone is not constantly checking and updating your e-mails. Make sure that apps such as Facebook are not refreshing constantly in the background. Check your phone data fair usage cap with your operator. Any data used exceeding this cap may result in data cost at a higher rate.
Cut cost on calling and texting
Communicate through Whatsapp (for example) instead of sending text messages and avoid calling costly phone numbers. Premium rate numbers, company help-desk lines and direct enquiries are often quite costly to call. Need to talk to a company that charges for your call? Check on their website if there is an online live chat or mail them!
Using your mobile phone abroad, the cheap way
Roaming charges (for using your phone abroad) were ended by the European Union in 2017. Phone companies were not allowed to charge you extra money for using your phone outside of the UK, within the EU. After the introduction of Brexit in 2021 roaming charges returned for UK citizens. This means that it’s important to be aware of borders within Ireland and locations where your phone may roam onto another network. This could result in an unexpected roaming bill.
Be aware of the roaming fees that your phone provider may be charging when using your phone abroad. Some operators are not charging roaming fees, until you reach the limit of their ‘fair use cap’.
Use a prepaid phone abroad or at home
With a prepaid pay-as-you-go phone, you don’t pay for the new phone that you bought with your contract. You pay for the minutes and the data that you use. By making smart use of free WiFi and using your prepaid SIM in the phone of your choice you can really stay in control of your spending.
Using prepaid credit is great for those who do not spend a lot of time on their phone outside of WiFi areas and helps you to set yourself a strict budget when it comes to spending money on your phone bill.
Spending less with prepaid phone credit
Use a phone that you already have, or buy a phone you want without a contract. Buy a prepaid SIM-card from a carrier such as Virgin Mobile, Three, Lycamobile or Vodafone (for example). Simply top-up your phone with prepaid phone credit from anywhere in the world, at any time. Buying a digital mobile top-up code here is quick, safe and easy, even when abroad. You are ready to start using your phone credit in seconds!
Saving on your mobile phone bills
By going for a prepaid phone you could possibly shave €10 or more off your monthly bill – per phone! With about €10-€15 in mobile phone credit per month most people with average phone use can manage on that budget.
Top tip: bring a prepaid phone when travelling abroad. This way you won’t end your holiday or business trip with a nasty surprise after you’ve returned home – a huge mobile phone bill. Top up your prepaid phone before you set off, or simply top up online as you go!
Written by
Ravian Ruys
