Cell phone bills are one place many Americans are over spending, according to the website, WhistleOut. For some, cell phones are a necessary and hefty expense but they don't have to be.
"Mine's great. I get pretty low costs because I use Google Fi. I usually only spend about 30 bucks a month," says consumer Heath Malmstrom.
So how much is too much for a cell phone bill?
"I personally would say if you're spending over $80 per month on a cell phone plan, for one plan, that's way too much," says Malmstrom.
Sherri Riggs is a telecom expert at WhistleOut, a search engine that works with wireless companies to help consumers find the right plan for the right price. Riggs says two places people overspend on cell phone bills are paying for unlimited data they don't use and overlooking Mobile Virtual Network Operators, also known as MVNOs.
"I like to look at it like a generic brand of cereal. You can pay full price for the name-brand cereal, or you can switch to an off-brand and save some money," says Riggs. MVNOs like Mint Mobile and Visible rent space on major carrier networks. That means coverage maps and speeds are often the exact same as their major carrier counterparts-- in this case T-Mobile and Verizon.
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"MVNOs are cheaper because they have different operating costs-- few to no stores and data speed deals," says Riggs.
Riggs says MVNOs are good for:
- couples or individuals
- people okay interacting with customer service online
Riggs explains, major carriers are best for:
- customers that want in-person customer service
- high-data users
- family plans
"If you want to stay on a major carrier, find some friends, get some family members, pump up your multi-line discounts and save a lot of money," Riggs advises.
It is important to know, when demand on a network is high, the name-brand customers get full speed priority over their MVNO counterparts who are more likely to experience occasional data throttling.
Even without switching carriers, many consumers can likely save money by checking how much data they actually use and picking a plan that best fits that need.
