Reducing Phone Bills

When we are determined in reducing phone bills within the household does this sound familiar? You see the postman walking down your path; you think ‘oh, no the phone bill is due’. When the mail hits your mat your heart sinks as the reality of the potential size of the bill hits home. In trepidation you reach down, pick up your mail and start to scan it for the dreaded phone bill, there it is in all its glory, you start to open it in fear of its contents; and when you do you discover your fears are well founded.

If this scenario is a constant occurrence within your household, then the following hints and tips will help you reduce your household phone bill.

Shop around Since the privatization of the national phone network prices have gotten a lot more competitive. This new competitive age is great news for you, the consumer. It means you can shop around for a better deal, a deal which will best suit your needs, and even better for you, because the phone companies know this, prices have dropped considerably in the process.

Have a look at the deals which each of the companies are offering, such as “friend and family” or free weekend calls. It may take you a couple of hours to find the right deal for you, but when you do you’ll benefit hugely from lower phone bills.

Limit calls to mobiles This tip in reducing household phone bills has become increasingly difficult to adhere to in modern times, especially amongst youngsters. You often hear them dialing a number and then saying “alright? Where are ya? When these immortal words are uttered you know they are phoning a mobile phone. If this happens all the time the phone bill is likely to be astronomical, so you’ll have to put your foot down after all you’re the one who’ll be footing the bill.

Summon everybody who uses the house phone for a house meeting and make a pact about the calling pf mobile phones. Text messaging instead of phoning will help reduce the phone bill by a hefty margin.

Just try and limit calls to mobiles to urgent or emergency situations only, time to time it’s all to convenient to pick up the phone and dial that mobile number, don’t do it, think about the consequences it’ll have on your bank account.

Adhere to the outlines set out for reduced or free calls More and more phone companies are offering deals where you’ll get the first hour of the phone call for free but if you go over the allotted time period you’ll be charged double. To stop this from happening end the phone call before the hour and phone the person – who you were chatting to – back.

Pester your phone call provider As bizarre as this may sound, pester power can be an extremely affective way of getting a better deal out of your phone call provider. They’ll be keen to listen to what you have to say and be willing to discuss how best they can service your needs and desires. In this situation you need to be assertive, after all because of the competitiveness in the market they need you just as much as you need them.

Look for packages Look for phone companies which offer phone bundles or packages. In packages I mean phone calls, internet access and connection and cable services. Usually the aggregate monthly price for all these services will be lower than if you were to purchase them individually from different providers.

Cut down on the length of calls If you normally chat for hours on the phone, just try cutting down on the length, even cutting down by a third will considerably reduce the final amount on the final bill when it comes through the door.

Don’t use directory enquiries If you need to find a phone number, don’t automatically reach for the phone and call directory enquiries you’ll be charged for this service meaning your phone bill will be higher than it needs to be. However, on the other hand if you need this number urgently, phone directory enquiries but when they ask you if you want to be connected say no, take the number instead. If you allow them to connect you, you’ll be charged an additional fee for this service.

No peak time calls Usually, phone calls between 6am and 6pm on weekday are considered peak hours; during this period phone companies will usually charge a premium for calls, so try to save non-urgent calls for the weekend or after 6pm on the weekdays.