After years of faithful service, my iPhone 6s is finally being replaced. This phone got me through the latter half of undergrad and through grad school. Four+ years is pretty good for a smart phone that’s actively made to slow down over time. For the past 6 months or so, the phone has been randomly dying and the battery lasted as long as an Atlanta Falcons’ 4th quarter lead. So when I found out that I need to be on a conference call all day for my new job’s orientation, I knew that I needed a new phone. I’m going to come clean and admit that I got a new iPhone. But I got the cheap one! For $450, the new iPhone SE was only marginally more expensive than the Google phone I was looking at. Here’s how I looked at getting the new phone and how I avoid paying too much for cell service.
No Bells, Maybe a Whistle
Some people like to have all the latest in cell phone technology. I am not one of them. The camera can take pretty decent pictures, it can make calls, play podcasts, and access the internet. That’s all I need it for. Although I did get the red one because it’s my favorite color. The phone is far from the cheapest one on the market, but it is the cheapest iPhone. It will be worth the money if I can make it last as long as my current phone. The phone is just enough for me. It isn’t a $1000 phone with all the bells and whistles. It’s a more reasonably priced phone with one whistle (it’s red).
Get Rid of the Expensive Phone Plan
Way back in the year 2018, I had Verizon for cell service. I always had Verizon, even back when I had the Samsung Intensity 2. By the time 2018 rolled around, I was paying $50 a month. For a college student, $600 a year is a lot to be paying for phone service. In fact, it’s a lot to be paying for cell phone service period. I figured out that I was getting ripped off. Back then, I switched to Twigby and started paying $25 a month for 2 GB. With my new phone, I did some looking to see if I could get a better deal. With the plethora of options for cell phone plans now, I found an even better option.
The Frugal Cell Phone Plan
I found that I could get 4 GB per month for $15 through Mint mobile. With their service, you prepay for the entire plan length that you choose. I went with the three month trial offer, but I’ll have the option to get the same rate for a year after the three months are over. I want to have the option to switch to a different carrier if I don’t like their service. The only reason I’m paying for 4 GBs is because that’s their smallest plan. I don’t use anywhere close to 4 GB in a month, even before Covid and working from home I used less than 2. I noticed in my searching that every carrier is pushing their unlimited plans, but why pay for what you don’t use? Here’s how I originally settled on 2 GB and how you can ensure that you’re not paying for more data than you need.
Keep Track of Your Cell Phone Data!
It’s quite easy to do this. Your carrier tracks exactly how much data you use monthly. When I was on a family plan back in the day, my mom used to check how much data everyone used. If we used up all our data and got charged extra, whoever used the most data had to foot the bill. You can just as easily check how much data you use per month. There’s no need to pay for unlimited data if you only use 3 GB per month. Using Mint Mobile as an example, their unlimited plan is $30 per month. If you only need 3 GB, you’d save yourself $180 per year. For me, it became an exercise in discipline too. I was motivated to use my phone less out in public because my data was limited. Having that extra accountability helped me to be more present. Using my phone less was an added benefit on top of saving extra money every month.
Some Final Plan Math
I’m a math guy, and it always helps me to see all the numbers written out. Let’s look at my old carrier, Verizon, and see how their unlimited plan compares. Theirs will set you back $70 per month for a single line. If you switched to Mint’s unlimited plan ($30/month), you would save $480 per year. Mint isn’t the only lower cost carrier out there. If you have Xfinity internet, you can get their phone plan. They use Verizon’s cell network and offer an unlimited plan for $45/month. My most recent carrier, Twigby, offers 10 GB for $35/month. There are so many options out there for phone services now. There’s no need to overpay. Plus, reducing a monthly bill is a great way to fight the current of lifestyle inflation! As a final shameless plug, if you decide to switch to Mint based on this post, use my referral code and you’ll get a $15 credit. That’s one whole month of the 4 GB plan that I’m using!
http://fbuy.me/q7F5r
Disclaimer: I am not being paid by any wireless carrier mentioned above. Nor do I have any special vendetta against Verizon. They offer very good service, they’re just very expensive! What kind of experiences have you had with your wireless carrier, and would you consider switching based on the info in this post? Leave a comment and let me know!