So, you are getting ready to start University and will be away from home for the first time. How can you keep in touch with the folks back home, as well as all your new friends but without breaking the bank? Here’s our advice for keeping your phone bill down but without missing out and feeling distant – after all, we are a 24/7 connected generation!
- Use a calculator tool to track your spending costs.
- Connect to WiFi where possible and use internet calling such as Whatsapp, Facetime or Skype. The majority of UK University and HE institutions offer free wi-fi in some if not all locations on their campuses.
- Set a call cost cap with your network provider. It means that you can set a budget for calls each month and you physically cannot go over it.
- You can often save money on your bills by receiving them electronically rather than in print, and then paying it by direct debit each month.
- Some mobile phone providers will offer student discounts, so make sure to check them out as well.
- Check in your device settings to make sure that you aren’t using your data out and about.
- Checking your background app refresh settings can help keep costs down too.
- Haggle with your current provider – you’d be surprised how effective this can be. It’s best to try this at the end of your contract or as it’s coming to an end, but you’ve got nothing to lose by contacting them anytime. I usually do this by online chat via the provider’s website so I can get on with other things at the same time.
- If you need a new phone, buy a second hand device. No-one really needs to have the brand spanking new latest device. You can usually get a really good second hand device from places such as CEX or Music Magpie.
- If you don’t need to upgrade at the end of your minimum term, you can save a lot of money by switching to a SIM only deal. You aren’t paying the additional cost of an amount towards a new phone per month and so this can drastically reduce your payments.
- People of any age (myself included) love playing games on their smart phones and devices. One way of easily racking up bills is by not disabling in-app purchases. Disabling these means that you cannot accidentally buy credits or other expenses within apps and games. This is particularly important if other people (especially children) will be using your device
- Make sure you are on the best tariff for your usage. If you are only going to use about 20 minutes of calls and 2 Gb of data a month, there’s no point in being on an unlimited usage package and wasting the money.
- If you are travelling, ensure you turn off your roaming data off. Even a small amount of data usage in another country can massively increase your bill if you are in a country where it is not free to use it. It’s useful to leave that setting on all the time so that when you do travel you don’t forget.
