I got my cell phone bill this week. Between my husband and I, we talked for only 353 minutes on our $70 per month plan. It truly seems wasteful, especially when you figure that we have a land line that I’m perfectly happy with. I’d drop my cell phone all together, but it really does come in handy every so often. For example I was in a car accident a month or so ago and thanked my lucky stars that my cell phone was in my purse and charged at the time. I also use it now and then to call H when I forget the grocery list, or to call any long distance (that way we don’t pay out the wazoo for the land line). I’m weighing my options, though, to see if we can save a few dollars since I don’t use it frequently. Here are the pros and cons of the options I’ve thought up.
Option 1: Keep our Current Plan
Summary
Family shared plan, $70 per month after all taxes, fees, and discounts. 700 anytime minutes per month, unlimited weekends and nights after 7 pm, unlimited mobile to mobile.
Pros
- Don’t have to mess with contracts, service people, and general hassle
- No worry of going over minutes – don’t need to keep track of minutes
- Already have all equipment (phone, home chargers, car chargers)
- Same brand of phone as husband, so can share chargers on trips
- One bill to pay
Cons
- Expensive, especially since so many minutes go unused (used about 60 of 700 anytime minutes last month)
Option 2: Change Plans, Keep Cell Phone Company
Summary
Two individual basic plans, about $60 after fees/taxes/discounts, 200 minutes per phone per month, free weekends and nights after 9 pm.
Pros
- About $10 savings per month ($120/year) over the other plan
- Already have all equipment (phone, home chargers, car chargers)
- Same brand of phone as husband, so can share chargers on trips
- One bill to pay
Cons
- Hassle to deal with phone company again
- Worry/hassle of checking minutes used
- If we go over, 45 cents per minute charged – if we use 20 minutes more on either plan, it will be more expensive than keeping our current plan
Option #3: One Tracfone, One Individual Plan
Summary
H keeps individual plan for $25 or $35 per month, depending on plan; I use tracfone – $40 for 400 minutes/90 days
Pros
- Least expensive option – savings of $15/month ($180/year)
Cons
- Must track minutes
- Minutes expire
- Cancel current plan – worry about contracts, service people, and general hassle
- Must buy new phone and chargers ($10-50)
- Different brand of phone than husband, so can’t share chargers on trips
**Update: After all of that, we decided to stick with what we have. If either of us go 20 minutes over on plan #2 (switching to the minimal plan), all savings for the month are negated. And #3 (Trac Fone)…. to many cons to justify it. It would be a big money saver, but the hassle isn’t worth it – for now.
Kate
