How to Shrink Your Phone Bill
By: Brad Dudley
Most people don’t think it makes a difference
which long distance provider they choose anymore. But, fact of the matter
is, if you are still using one of the big three, you could save up to 60%
on your monthly phone bill. If you know what you are spending, you have already
made the first step toward saving. The long distance rate is only part of
the whole picture when it comes to choosing a long distance company. The
fees from one company to the next make a bigger difference than the actual
rate in many cases. For example, a lot of long distance plans with very low
rates have higher monthly fees. This is alright if you spend enough every
month to make up for the fees. But, usually those who only spend $30 or less
per month are better off with a long distance provider that offers low fees
or no fees and a slightly higher rate. Those who spend more than $30 a month
may wish to look into an unlimited long distance calling plan. Recently,
these plans have become more popular, and for good reason. Some of them offer
unlimited long distance for less than $30 per month. Along the same lines
as the unlimited long distance plans, you may want to use a bundled service.
These plans combine your local phone calls and long distance phone calls
on one bill. Some plans are available for as little as $50 per month with
unlimited local calls, unlimited long distance, and the most popular features
such as call waiting, caller id, speed dial, and three way calling. Another
way to save is with a dial-around service. These services bypass your long
distance provider and can save you money if used properly. In states where
in-state long distance rates are very high, your rate with a dial around
will be much better. The biggest fallback with a dial around is that they
require you to dial more numbers. We’ve all seen the commercials for
10-10-987 and so on. Many dial around services, however, use ANI recognition
to recognize your account. This alleviates the need to dial a pin number.
Dial around services are also great for international long distance calls.
Hopefully, you no longer feel like you have to pay outrageous phone bills
just because there are no better options out there. Explore your options
and you will be amazed by what you discover.
About the author: The author is Brad Dudley, an independent communications
consultant who offers information and comparison services for business and
residential communications consumers. This article is available for reprint
only with the express written consent of it’s author, and is the sole
property of the author and Best Rate Discount Long Distance.
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