WalletPop

After the cell phone plan I share with my sister and parents went over in both minutes and text messages for the second month in a row, I decided to look into the new plans our carrier has come out with in order to save on overages. After I started looking, I found that I could pay the same base price as I am now, but get unlimited text messaging to any carrier instead of the limited version the family had been on.

Cell phone carriers are constantly revising plans and changing prices in order to stay competitive. The only way for current customers to reap the benefits of these changes is to call and ask for the new price. If you are investigating new plans make sure you read the fine print and check over all of the changes. In our case the new plan charges for the data used to download ringtones, but this additional cost is far outweighed by the savings. You should also check with your carrier to make sure these changes won't extend your contract out past retirement.

If changing your whole plan isn't an option or won't save you any money, then check out the additional features on your account. If you haven't changed your text messaging or data plan since you first signed up, reevaluating the options available from your carrier could save you even more cash. My carrier, Verizon, has changed text messaging plans every few months for the past year. Verizon also dropped the price of their data package for many smart phones by $15, savings you won't get without taking action.