Here’s How I Save $50 Every Month On My Cell Phone Bill
Wondering how can I save money on my cell phone bill? Here’s where to start!
Who likes lower cell phone bills?! 🙋♀️
Depending on your carrier, your cell phone bill could be costing you a pretty penny. And while everyone’s baseline cost is different, there are some super easy ways that you can shave some dollars off of even the priciest phone plans. 🙌
Here’s how you can save money on your cell phone bill:
1. Check if you’re being charged for insurance.
While phone protection plans are sometimes a good idea, they also typically tack on $10-$15 per month onto your phone bill. If you aren’t accident-prone, consider just protecting your phone with a case and screen protector, which you can usually find for under $30.
Speaking of phone cases, Collin loves her new, cheap phone case from Amazon AND this magnetic PopSocket wallet (pictured above). She rarely ever carries a purse anymore.
2. Determine whether or not you’re using all the data you pay for.
While I currently need unlimited data because I definitely use it, in the past, I’ve reduced my bill anywhere from $10-$20 per month by simply opting for plans with fewer GB of data. If you use WiFi 90% of the time, chances are you can get away with plans that offer 2-5 GB per month!
3. Look into group payment plans or discounts for adding a line.
Adding a new line will make your overall monthly payment increase, but you’ll actually score savings in the long run. This is especially useful if you have a family & want to avoid paying for everyone’s individual plan.
4. Try out a month-to-month service plan instead of a contract.
A lot of phone companies rope people into contracts (normally 2 years) by setting them up with a monthly phone payment plan alongside their data/talk/text plans. Avoid this by paying for the phone upfront and getting a month-to-month plan with no contract and no added interest fees. 🙌
5. Check out a lower-budget carrier.
Not to call anyone out, but I used to use Verizon and paid about $80 per month–and I didn’t even have unlimited data. Yikes.
I’ve since made the switch to Visible (which also uses the Verizon network), and now pay $25 per month for unlimited talk, text, data, and hotspot usage. The only downside is that some of these budget carriers don’t have the best coverage, so definitely shop around and see which one will work for you.
6. Going paperless is the easiest way to save on your cell phone bill!
Most carriers offer $5-$10 per month off of your bill if you agree to receive paperless statements.
It’s an effort-free way to lower your plan’s cost, and if you’re the type who likes to keep physical copies of your bills, you can always print them at home.
7. Set up automatic payments for another easy way to save.
Just like paperless statements, authorizing automatic payments is a super easy way to save on your cell phone bill by $5-$10 per month!
8. See if your carrier (or your job!) has cell phone payment discounts for students, veterans, government employees, etc.
Some carriers have discounts for certain groups of people, such as teachers, students, military, or senior citizens, so it’s worth a shot to try and negotiate something with them! And if your carrier isn’t offering up any deals, you can check and see if your employer offers any discounts on cell coverage for employees.
9. Try bundling your phone and internet packages together.
Some carriers, like Verizon, offer some pretty sweet discounts when you bundle your phone plan and home internet together. You can usually save at least $10 per month by bundling, but some carriers will even offer as much as $20 in savings. 🙌
10. Pay your cell phone bill via your credit card for cash back bonuses and other perks.
This is one of my favorite ways to save money on my phone bill–or actually, any expense at all!
I have all my bills set up to automatically be deducted from my credit card which I just pay off each month. This way, I can score some easy cash back points to apply to the next billing cycle.
Note: Each credit card carrier has different policies, so check yours to make sure this will work for you!
If you’re able to switch cell phone plans right now (and have xfinity internet), xfinity mobile has a good deal right now: $200 prepaid card when you bring your own phone and keep mobile for at least 90 days. Xfinity plans range from $15 for 1gb data/mo, to $45/mo unlimited ($30 each for 4 lines). Deal expires Nov. 17. If you switch to xfinity internet and get a xfinity mobile line, the deal is good for $300 (that offer expires Nov. 22). Also use a cashback site to get an extra $15-$30.
Thanks for taking the time to share this, John! Good to know!
Please be careful with the sockpocket wallet I am a clumsy person and since I do drop my phone often the popsocket ended up cracking the back of my phone ofcourse I didn’t notice until I had to take off the case to clean it. Also when making transactions keep phone away from swiped especially if it has the chip reader happened 2x where it read the wrong card before I was even able to swipe. Jist 2 things to be aware of. Or maybe I just have the worse luck with them
SO sorry to hear about that. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
Wow! If I saved $50 Cricket would have to pay me. I only pay $30 a month and that includes unlimited everything and unlimited calls to Europe. Love it.
What’s your plan? I also have Cricket ( and love it) but mine is $40 per month.
Desiree – if you have a Target Red Card you can purchase Cricket refill cards at 5% off everyday. Target also runs a promo approximately every 2 months with an additional $5 off the $50 refill cards (a savings of $7.25 for every $50 spent). I buy 2 months worth to carry me until the next promotion (you can purchase multiple refill cards for the promo but in separate transactions). I also do this with Netflix gift cards.
I am not a heavy cellphone user. Several years ago, I started buying Tracfones through HSN. They have special values throughout the year. Right now, I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tracfone (smartphone) that costs me $129 for one year, including 1500 minutes of talk, 1500 texts, and 1.5 GB data. Yes, the features aren’t as good as an iPhone, but I don’t need those features. My son, who uses his cellphone even less, gets by with a Samsung Galaxy Tracfone that costs him $59/year. Again, I realize that these phones won’t work for everyone, but it’s something to consider.
Same here. And if I need to add Data ($10 for 1.5 gb with code) or texts (I think it is 2000 txts for $5 with code). They also offer a deal of unlimited talk/text plus 12gb data for $199 for one year and the data can carry over if you don’t use it all. They HSN phones are a fantastic deal. If I like the phone I will often order a 2nd as a back up, that way I don’t have to buy new screen protectors or cases, too.
Just bought another TracFone from HSN for next year. I’ve been doing this for about three years now.
I have Verizon prepay 2 lines $70 a month combined. I purchase my phones on eBay. Love this!
I am a senior. And some cell phone companies have deals for seniors. I had sprint which change the T-Mobile and I pay $30 a month for unlimited data and tax on my cell phone which is charged automatically each month to my credit card. I found out about the deal by accident when I was in Costco in a sprint dealer who had a set up and costco told me about this 55 age plus deal of $30 a month. And that is including the taxes. I’ve had it for about two or three years and the rate has not gone up. You have to ask for it
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know about the deals you’ve found!
I was going to suggest the T-Mobile 55+ plan as well. My entire family (20+members) all were with Verizon for years. They always had the best cell tower coverage in our area and seemed to be fairly reasonable. Then….they began charging more and more for their basic service and would never offer any specials to their loyal long standing customers. But they would advertise special deals for new customers only. That’s when we decided it was time to move on. Cell phone companies have a lot more competition these days so rates are coming down. Everyone in my family has moved on from Verizon Wireless. Check around in your area and make sure you ask about their different specials they offer. The world of expensive cell phone service is becoming a thing of the past. Thank goodness!! It’s about time! Thanks for the awesome post Hip2Save.👏👏
We were loyal to Verizon as well, had them for over 20 years, my husband thought it was worth it for their great service but finally we got tired of their rising prices. We moved onto att and were able to get 4 new iPhone 12 and unlimited everything for a fraction of the price of what was paid to Verizon.
Good for you! It seems like “loyalty” is so one-sided these days. Finally we as consumers are saying cest la vie’! Loyalty needs to be on both sides for a good partnership😊
You may save money on your bill going paperless, but you then have to spend money on paper, ink/toner, and electricity to print the bills.
I bought my unlocked Galaxy S8 directly from Samsung during their seemingly annual July sale. They usuaIly have good prices on older models during that sale. I bought my mother’s LG Exalt LTE new from eBay. By doing this, I didn’t have to pay an upgrade fee or activation fee to Verizon. I called and they mailed me new SIM cards for free. I unfortunately sacrificed wifi calling and texting in the process. Verizon blocks those features when you don’t buy the phone from them. Oddly enough, wifi texting works when using Message+ on my unlocked S7 that was also purchased directly from Samsung.
I am on the single smartphone plan. I have unlimited calls and texts and 5GB of data shared between me and my mother. She doesn’t use any data, and I mostly use wifi. I pay $89.80 after taxes and fees for two people for the best network in my area during hurricanes. I saved $12 a month by dropping Tech Coach and switching to the single smartphone plan from the 2GB MORE Everything plan. My traditional two year contract ended in July 2017. The only charges that have changed since switching to this plan in May 2019 are the taxes and fees. My bill is currently less than when I first switched.
I got a tip that a ‘prepay’ Verizon account is cheaper than the regular (aka post pay). I switched, tripled my data amount, and pay way less per month than I did before. You have to be out of contract to do this, but it seems worth it so far!
Switched to prepaid (Verizon) several years ago and haven’t looked back! We buy our phones third party or Black Friday deals, etc. and pay a fraction of the monthly costs for same services as before but with no contract🤗
Please make a post about “Visible” pros cons etc…
We switched to Visible a month ago and so far we are happy with it. We have enough people in our party, that we each pay $25/month for unlimited text, talk, data. The only downside is that you have to make sure your phone is compatible. My husband and I both had to get new phones, but we hadn’t upgraded in years so it was not a deterrent.
Here you go! https://hip2save.com/tips/verizon-visible-wireless-phone-plan/
I switched to T-Mobile from Verizon Monday. Verizon prices were becoming ridiculous. I was paying $98 after taxes for one line with a government discount. I took advantage of the promotion at Costco promotion bring your own and get a $300 shop card (limit 2 through November 11). Now I pay $90 for two unlimited lines, free Netflix, 1 free year of paramount plus, plus other perks like T-Mobile Tuesdays for each line…Verizon was only offering $3 once a month). Now I can cancel my paid Netflix subscription. The bonus is I have great reception in the building at work…This is huge knowing I can answer my daughter’s school in real time instead of discovering I have a voicemail hours later.
I switched to Consumer Cellular and pay $35 for 3G. $55 a month will get you unlimited data. It’s not quite as good as Verizon’s coverage but SO much cheaper. I looked at Consumer Reports to get a sense of what companies they recommend.
They’re having a great deal right now — get $100 to switch. https://www.consumercellular.com/100
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up!
Several of my family members switched to Consumer Cellular from Verizon and love it! My husband and I left Verizon and went with T mobile. Our coverage is great! It seems like the only way to get a deal through Verizon is if you prepay. Seriously?? I don’t think so!
It seems like consumers have finally had enough of Verizon and their expensive service.