Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Frugal Living Tip #43 - Prepaid Phone Cards

Prepaid Phone Cards

I have not had a cell phone contract for almost 6 years. I have had a cell phone, I just don't have a contract with a carrier.

You may be curious as to how this works. I realized at the time that I was not maximizing my plan and it was costing over $60 per month. My husband gets his cell phone from his employeer, so we weren't eligible for a multiphone discount. I was able to look at my usage and I figured out how many minutes I was using a month and purchased phone cards from T-mobile that would allow me to use all of the minutes at my own pace. At that time I was able to have a 1000 minute card that cost a little under $100 last me close to 3 months. It was a huge savings!

In the last year I have had to change my plan slightly. Because of rates per minute changing, the increasing costs of sending and receiving texts, and wanting a data plan to go with my iPhone, my husband found another prepaid plan that works out better. We stayed with T-Mobile and were able to take advantage of an unlimited text, talk, and data plan for $50 per month. Also, because this is not a contract, the plan is not subject to all the additional taxes of a traditional cellphone plan. We have found it to be a great fit for me. We are also able to buy the refill cards at a discount by purchasing them on-line from Callingmart.com. The plan has worked out great for me and I am saving money. I am able to change phones at anytime if I need to, or even plans if I discover a better one.

Do you have a cell phone contract or do you use prepaid mobile phone cards? Have any of you looked into these types of prepaid plans for your teenagers? I would love to hear if that has been helpful.

 

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