Five Easy Ways to Save on Your Mobile Service

1) At the conclusion of your contract term, re-evaluate your wireless service needs.

If your contract commitment has ended and you're still paying for 1200 minutes per month but only using around half that amount, now is a great time to consider changing your service plan to one that more closely reflects your needs. Many wireless carries do not require customers to sign a new contract to change the terms of their service once the prior contract has ended. So, if you're satisfied with the service provided by your current carrier, this is a great way to continue your service through your preferred provider while still changing your individual plan to better suit your needs and budget. Most of the time, this change can be accomplished fairly quickly by simply calling your current service provider and speaking with a representative.

2) Even if you've been satisfied with current cellular carrier, shop around and compare plans from competing providers.

Depending on the time of year, new advances and releases in mobile device technology, and other market factors, wireless service providers frequently change the terms and prices of contract offers in order to stay competitive and retain their current account holders. If you've been satisfied but not wowed by your current provider's rates and service, start browsing what other companies have to offer. You may find that one carrier offers a better rate on a comparable service plan or device upgrade. Additionally, some companies will run promotions that feature deeply discounted mobile devices for new customers, these discounts may dip even deeper for first-time customers signing long-term contracts.

If you're satisfied with your current service and not interested in switching, consider taking the time to renegotiate your plan for a better rate or additional perks. Wireless providers are usually eager to retain accounts, particularly if they can convince account holders to sign on for another long-term contract. If your provider is willing to negotiate, all it usually takes is a phone call to speak with a representative. One cannot expect miracles of course, but it costs nothing to ask if it's possible to add voicemail to your plan for free in exchange for signing up for an additional 2 years of service.

3) Consider switching to a rolling service provider

If you don't want to be locked into a contract for 12 to 24 months, and you live with-in a service provider's coverage map area and don't mind paying a little more up-front for your wireless device, then switching to one of the Super-regional or Virtual mobile network operators may be a better option than renewing your contract with one of the national carriers. Additionally, many of the smaller, regional companies offer unbeatable rates on unlimited data, email, and mobile web. If you've been considering purchasing a data plan for your service but found the rates from your current provider cost prohibitive, then you may want to consider switching your service. However, if you want a free phone with your service, live in a rural area, or travel widely and frequently within the US, then a rolling contract with a smaller carrier may not suit your needs.

Pros: no long-term contracts, cheaper rates, and plans offering unlimited talk and text that start as low as $35 per month.
Cons: varying customer service between providers, devices must be bought out-right* or "flashed over" to the providers network for a fee, and most service providers usage of the CDMA channel access method making it more inconvenient to change devices over to a new carrier.
*Though buying a device out-right can seem more expensive as it increases the up-front cost of initializing a mobile service plan, it can often cost less in the long run. See item 5 for more information

Here is a brief comparison of three of the most popular Super-regional and Virtual mobile network operators:

MetroPCS
Pros: Great rates (Unlimited talk and text plans start at $40 per month), highly customizable plans, no activation fee for new service and no credit checks.
Cons: Reputation for poor customer service, device selection can be limited at certain times, and limited coverage in certain areas**.

**While MetroPCS is limited to providing service within major metropolitan areas, their current coverage is available to approximately 90% of the U.S. thanks to the fact that populations tend to cluster around big cities (see this map to see if you live within their current coverage area).

VS

CricKet
Pros: No credit checks, service covers 95% of the US***, and Muve Music plans.
Cons: Data and broadband are not available in all coverage areas, most of the smart phones available are lower-end models and the activation fee of $15.

***This includes regions where coverage is available, but may be considered to be in a roaming area. If you have a plan that includes roaming rates, it is possible to make or receive a call on the cricKet network nearly anywhere in the US. While some plans come with a certain number of roaming minutes per month, customers can also add roaming minutes as a pay-as-you-go feature through Flex Bucket or by purchasing an add-on to their monthly service. Check their website for coverage maps and plan specific details.

VS

Virgin Mobile
Pros: No activation fee for service, no credit check, unlimited text, email, data and web plans starting at $25 per month, and the kickbacks referrals program.
Cons: Service does not work outside of coverage area, device selection is currently limited compared to competitors, the only plans featuring unlimited minutes start at $60 per month.


4) If you use your mobile device infrequently, consider changing to prepaid provider.

While some may need a plan with unlimited everything in order to avoid substantial overage charges each month, a person using less than 100 minutes per month or sending SMS about as infrequently, could save by switching to a prepaid wireless service. Though the cost of prepaid minutes still remain higher than those purchased in a month to month plan, the cost minute-to-minute has come down. Additionally, many prepaid providers now allow customers to roll over their balance to the next month, so long as their service remains active. Other benefits of a prepaid service include: no early termination fees, no credit checks, the ability to change providers at will and the fact that they may be obtained and used easily by those who are unable to sign a service contract (users under 18, users without credit cards, users with no permanent address etc.).

Finding the prepaid service that best suits your usage needs does take a little bit of research. For example, TracFone offers 60 minutes for $19.99 (roughly 33¢/minute) that remain active for 90 days even if no other credit is added. Net10 sells 200 minutes for $20.00 (10¢/minute), but these minutes only remain active for 30 days if no additional credit is purchased. Though in this example the TracFone minutes cost more per minute, their service is more cost effective if you use less than one minute per day.

5) Buy a mobile device outright to save money in the long run.

Depending on the next make and model of mobile device you hope to acquire, purchasing the device outright may save you money in the long run. Especially if you outright purchase a device that is factory unlocked, as an unlocked device prevents you from being locked into a service contract, allowing you to change your provider at will to meet your needs. Well, theoretically speaking.

Unfortunately, as most of the large networks in the US use a CDMA channel access, changing networks while retaining the same cellular phone can be more of a challenge. Many providers will "flash over" a mobile device to their network for a fee, but the added cost and time required can render network hopping impractical. However, if you frequently travel to countries that offer more networks that utilize GSM (such as Canada or Great Britain), then a factory unlocked, outright purchased device becomes more practical****.

****Assuming the device is Quad-Band.

Later: You don't have to spend a fortune to avoid sacrificing your cell phone abroad!