that time of the month or that cycle — I’m talking about the time of the month when your cell phone billing cycle is ready to reset. On one hand, this is a joyful time. You get a whole new set of minutes to spend any way your heart desires. On the other hand, it also means crunch time. You’re running low on minutes and need to get through three days before the recharge. You don’t want to incur an overage, but it seems inevitable.
Pay-as-you-go user? You probably go through similar times, though the dilemma changes from a monthly cycle to a paycheck cycle. You need to refill your minutes, but pay day is in two days — and then you have to wait for the money to clear your account (unless you’re lucky and have direct deposit). Either way, it’s a hardship that affects us all, and it seems sometimes that we’re powerless to prevent it.
There is a clear solution to this dilemma: buy more minutes. However, there are two drawbacks to this. First is that the more minutes you buy, the more minutes you will use. There’s no guarantee that the end-of-the-month (or end-of-the-pay-cycle) blues will disappear if you just lump more minutes on your account. You’ll likely spend these minutes freely in the first few weeks of the month, only to encounter the same deficit later on.
The second drawback is that minutes are freakin’ expensive! It would be nice if we all could afford 1,000 anytime minutes a month, but for most of us working Americans, that’s just not feasible. Most of the time, we already pay for as many minutes as we can reasonably afford. So buying more minutes simply isn’t in the budget.
What can we do, then, to end this mindless cycle of minute deficits? Honestly — and this is going to sound like it belongs on a self-improvement website — it’s going to take a lifestyle change. Yes, we’re going to suggest that you cut down on your minutes earlier in the month in order to have an even spread. However, we won’t be doling out advice like “stop calling everyone, stupid.”
Some may seem obvious, but hey, we all need a reminder sometimes. But if you follow these 11 tips, you’ll be well on your way to better minute conservation. Hell, maybe you’ll even be able to reduce your plan.
1. Use your friends’ phones as much as possible
This is very tricky, mainly because we presume that your friends go through the same thing every month. The key here is to target your friends who are on family plans. Yeah, those deals where they share minutes with their parents and siblings. They’re more likely to be reckless with their minutes, because they don’t see or pay a bill. Of course, that well could always dry up — but it will work at times. The alternative is to find a really rich friend that cares not about his cell phone bill.
2. Leave it at home unless necessary
This is a bit of advice we doled out in an older, more whimsical article. When you’re out, you’re likely out with a friend or a few friends who have cell phones. So why bring yours if you’re low on minutes? If someone needs to contact you, have them contact your friend.
Of course, you can’t go leaving your phone at home all the time. Nor can you continually route your calls though a friend’s phone. That would probably end up with you incurring some bodily harm. But if you use this strategy sparingly, it can save you a few minutes here and there.
3. Send a text
This is conditional upon your text messaging plan, but you can certainly make it work to your advantage. How long does it take to call someone and tell them something? Three, four minutes? And that could be extended ad infinitum if the person on the other end wants to keep talking. At 10 cents a minute (and that’s really the low end of the spectrum), you’re probably looking at 50 cents. That might not seem like a lot, but as you probably know, it adds up quicker than you think.
On the other hand, text messages are just 10 cents — and that’s the high end. More likely, you either get five cents a message, a flat-rate text messaging plan, or if you’re really lucky, free texts. So the conversation that cost 50 cents now costs 20 cents — 10 cents if you can get your message doesn’t need a reply. Or cheaper.
Note: Don’t use this to communicate with your significant other. Only bad things can happen.
4. Develop a code
Boy, you’re going to think we’re nerds after this one. But if you must make voice calls, it’s best to keep them short. Obviously. So what better way to keep things concise than developing a shorthand code to convey your message? Of course, this could cause massive confusion, but once you get the hang of it, your call time is sure to lessen.
This also works for text messages, though you don’t get billed by length. Call us what you will, but we think developing a shorthand, verbal code can be very beneficial in lowering your cell bill.
5. Time yourself
Most phones have built-in call timers that let you know how long your conversation is/was. It’s just that most of us don’t pay attention to that number until after the call is over — or at all. That’s because the timer is on the screen, which is pressed up against your cheek. So while you’re talking, you’re completely unaware of how much time you’re spending on the call.
The solution: use an external timer. If you keep it in front of you, you’ll always know when to cut off a call. At four minutes and have a limit of five? Start wrapping up the conversation. It’s so simple, yet so effective.
6. Use VoIP when at home
The best way to conserve minutes is to not use your phone at all. This is a tough ordeal for certain, but there are certain ways around it. We’ll assume that you’re not signed up for T-Mobile’s Hotspot @Home service, so you can’t use your home WiFi network to place calls with your mobile. However, you can utilize other Voice Over Internet Protocol services to your advantage.
Signing up for a service like Skype might cost you a small fee, but it should all be worth it in the end. Don’t believe us? For the next month, write down all the cell minutes you use while at home. Tally them up and multiply them by your per-minute rate for overages (since overages is all we’re really concerned with right now). Then compare that to how much you’ll pay with VoIP. We think you’ll make the switch immediately.
7. Avoid 3-way calls and call waiting
Did you know that you phone company deducts double minutes when you have a call on call waiting? Yeah, it makes sense, but until someone points it out, most people don’t even think about that. The second you pick up the second line, you’re being billed for both calls, which can really run up cell bills.
Three-way calling works the same way, but has the potential to be even more costly. You’re billed X times your minutes, where X is the total number of callers, no matter who they’re connected through. For example, if you’re on 3-way with Shelley and Steve, and Shelley’s on 3-way with Bob, who is on 3-way with Diana, you’re being billed for all four calls. Even if this networked connection calls you, you’re still being billed for all participants.
Needless to say at this point, but 3-way calling and call waiting simply aren’t worth it most of the time.
8. Don’t answer calls from people not in your phone book
Even though it is illegal for telemarketers to call your cell, there are still rogue operations out there that choose to ignore the rules in the name of the almighty dollar. You can register for the National Do Not Call Registry, but it won’t do any good. They’ll find your number and call you if they can.
This, of course, drains your minutes. Even if you hang up immediately, that’s still one minute gone from your account. The solution is to not pick up calls from numbers you don’t recognize. It’s tough if you’re the curious type, but in the end it will save you minutes. If the call is important, you’ll get a voicemail — though it does cost you money to retrieve voice mails. You can always return the calls via VoIP, though.
9. Cut short anyone who is calling “just to talk”
For some of us, our cell phone is our only phone. As such, we’re constantly monitoring minutes. There is always a friend or two, though, that simply loves talking on the phone. He (or, more likely, she) will call “just to talk” about whatever is on his or her mind. Yeah, those kinds of conversations are good time killers, but they’re also phone bill killers.
Some restraint and discipline is needed here. You need to be able to explain to your friend that you’re watching your minutes, and spending more time on the phone is only going to further hurt your phone bill. If you’re home, you can always — guess what — call him or her back via VoIP. See how good an idea this is yet?
10. Make sure your outgoing VM tells people to keep it short
What people leave in their outgoing voicemail message is a topic that could fill an entire column in itself. But we’re going to keep it focused here. It is imperative that you make mention in your outgoing message that callers are to leave their voicemails short and to the point.
Why is this important? Because many phone companies bill your voicemail retrieval as airtime. That drunk voicemail Bob left you last night? Yeah, that just cost you four minutes. This is another charge that many people aren’t aware of, and as such can destroy their cell bill.
This is very simple to implement. Just make sure to mention that any messages beyond “call me back” is routed to e-mail or text message. “Hi, this is Joe. Leave your name and number if you want me to call you back. If you want to tell me something, e-mail me or send a text.” You’d be amazed at how many minute you can shave with something as simple as changing your outgoing message.
11. Talk like Mr. Testaverde (the Micro Machines guy)
C’mon. You remember this guy from Saved by the Bell, right? Terrible Testaverde. If not from there, then certainly the Micro Machines commercials, right? If not, just check him out below. Talk like him, and cut your cell bill in half.
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Posted in Consumer Issues