5 Tips to Save on your Mobile and Internet Bills

Written by Vidya Kumar

September 13, 2013

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Summary: 
Mobile bills and internet bills are essential, but expensive parts of the household budget. With a little effort, you may be able to save on these two heads, which can result in sizeable increase in annual savings. Some ways to save on your mobile and internet bills are –

  • Check if you need the plan you are currently using
  • Check the fine print of your bill – are you paying for something you do not use?
  • Check if the plan you are using has become cheaper
  • Check if there are discounts and freebies you can avail
  • Do you still need it?

Personal Finance, financial planning, mobile bills, internet bills, saving on mobile and internet, savings on utility bills, smitha hari

Complete Article: 
Have you ever considered adding up your mobile and internet bills for the whole year to find out how much you spend on these two heads? Not many of us do that, but if you do add them up, you will realize that what you spend on your mobile and internet bills is a sizeable amount. In today’s world, these two expense heads have become expensive, yet critical inclusions in the household budget.

Telecom companies are like any other service provider – badgering you with new schemes, but not getting anywhere near you when there is a scheme which will help you reduce your expenses. As most of us are too busy in our own right to be bothered of small savings, we do not make an attempt to look for such deals either. Here are some ways you can reduce your outgo on mobile and internet bills, which in the long run can make a sizeable difference to your savings:

Check if you need the plan you are currently using: Alright, so you opted for a plan on your datacard which gave you usage of 10GB at Rs. 1400 every month. But that was before you got a datacard from your office, more than 2 years back. Check your usage today and you may find out that you do not use more than 3GB or 4GB on a monthly basis. Further, if you do not have the need to access the internet while on the move, you can even opt for a broadband connection for your house, which will work out much cheaper. As times change, so will your needs. A little evaluation will make you realize that you do not need to continue using the plan you initially opted for, as your need is not that high. This holds good for mobile phone plans as well – be it for calls or for GPRS on your mobile.

Check the fine print of your bill – are you paying for some service you do not use: Last month, my friend was browsing through his mobile bill and I happened to be there. He realized that there were many costs heads in the bill which he did not even use. Be it caller tune charges of Rs. 50 every month or itemized billing charges of Rs. 100 every month, he was not using services to the extent of Rs. 250 in a month. This is what happens to most of us. We either erroneously opt for some service we do not need, or the telecom company gives it to us – all for a charge! And we do not take the effort to cancel out these extras!

Check if the plan you are using has become cheaper: You may have taken a plan four or five years back and stuck on to it, being a loyal customer. But telecom companies are constantly bringing out new schemes, and on enquiring, you may find out that the same plan you are using has become cheaper. This could apply to both your mobile plans as well as your internet plans. Do a quick check on the latest tariffs atleast once in 6 months, to make sure you are not paying more. If this is the case, you can walk to your mobile store and ask for a change. With Mobile Number Portability being possible now, mobile companies will be only too willing to listen to you. They may not give you a similar deal, but will atleast look at some kind of adjustment in your favour.

Check if there are discounts and freebies you can avail: Again, there may be a case when the plan you are on gives some discounts as per the latest scheme in the market. This can be either free talktime or a basic internet plan. Look out for such freebies, and if they are applicable to your plan, you can again try asking for it. Opting for some services, like an E-Bill or payment through the internet can also get you small discounts on your bill. Make sure you use these.

Do you still need it: See if you should change the way you use the phone. As an example with so many messaging platforms like Whatsapp, check if you can avoid sending SMS and use such free services. Another decent saving is on BlackBerry Plan. All leading smart phones now have robust platforms for Emailing and Messaging. When you use a BlackBerry handset, you pay higher monthly rental for Data services. If your BlackBerry handset is anyway old, it may make sense to move to a handset of other Brands and save on Monthly Rentals.

The savings you make on your monthly bills may not seem to be very high. But if you add up these savings for all the members in your family, you will notice that this is a substantial amount. A small amount saved of Rs. 1000 every month can grow to Rs. 10 lakhs at the end of 20 years at a rate of 12% per annum. So start today!
#gettingyourich

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