Wean Yourself Off Costly Mobile Contracts
For the last several years, I've been using my smartphone a dozen or more times every day to make calls, check email and various other mobile communication tasks. But despite the consistent usage, I began to notice that I was no longer taking full advantage of my expensive cellular voice and data plan that I was locked in to. In fact, I wasn't using it much at all.
That revelation let me to take a deep dive into the world of prepaid wireless services. And when I reemerged, I came out a changed man. No longer will I get suckered into multi-year contracts with cellular minutes and gigabytes of data access that I let go to waste along with my hard earned dollars. For me, prepaid is the best option. Here's why:
A Reduction in Cellular Usage
Around mid-2011, I realized that I was dramatically underutilizing my cellular plan when I took a look at my monthly bill and noticed the small number of calls listed on my statement. On average, my call usage was well under 100 minutes. The same goes for my sub-200 MB data usage. This left me to wonder why was I shelling out big bucks for 500 voice minutes and multiple gigabytes of data use?
Causes of Reduced Cellular Usage
Some of you might think that I simply overestimated my smartphone service requirements and foolishly chose a cellular plan that exceeded my needs. Or perhaps I was becoming a recluse? But neither were true. When I first signed the contract two years earlier, I regularly came close to exceeding the limitations of my plan. But over time, I began taking advantage of free WiFi hotspots at various locations during the day as opposed to using the cellular network itself. It was only when there is no WiFi option that I would resort to using the wireless network I was paying for. My voice communication habits also changed over the past two years. I began making fewer cellular calls and leveraging email, Skype and social networks as an alternative. I've also observed others going through the same shift in communication modes.
Saving By Going Prepaid
Almost without notice, I found myself no longer relying on a cellular network that once was so critical. Therefore, since I was nearing the end of my contract, I opted to try the prepaid method instead. Now I only pay for the times that I actually need to use the cellular network as opposed to always having it but never taking advantage. While the per-minute costs for prepaid voice/data usage is higher, my monthly cellular costs dropped significantly because I use them so infrequently.
How About You?
Everyone's voice and data usage is going to vary widely due to their particular circumstances. But I suggest that you take a long look how much your actually using your carriers cellular network. If you see that you've weaned yourself off cellular like I did, it might be time to seek out a cheaper prepaid alternative.
