 "Tips to trim your telephone bill")
When Shantanu Sinha, a techie, received a call from his friend's father, he was surprised at the question. The gentleman, a retired engineer, saw his phone bill had more than doubled after he was gifted an Android smartphone by his son. The reason, of course, was the data charges he had incurred, which wasn't the case with his old basic phone.
In recent months, some of the leading telecom players such as Airtel and Vodafone have raised their data rates for specific plans and cities. With inflationary pressure on your budget already, every rupee you can save from your mobile phone bill counts.
The first step is to look closely at your mobile phone plan. Ask yourself if you really need all the add-ons or opted for them in the first place. It makes sense to discontinue any service you don't use, such as itemised billing, jokes, horoscope, etc. This could save you as much as Rs 100 each month.
If you're a new smartphone user, its best to go in for those plans which offer a limited amount of data (for example, 2 GB) on 3G a month, and then unlimited data at 2G speeds, if your telecom service provider offers it. What happens with these plans is after you exhaust your data limit for 3G, you can browse unlimited over a 2G connection. It's not very slow and one doesn't need to pay anything extra. Such plans are on offer from about Rs 400. You can always go in for a higher plan depending on how you use your data.
If accessing emails and a little bit of browsing is all that you do, it makes sense to go for a basic unlimited plan. Once you exhaust your data limit (usually 1-2GB), you can pay as you go. This doesn't work out to be too expensive.
If you are a post-paid customer, look for plans which offer a discount on your 3G data usage. These might involve a higher fixed rental amount per month, but you save a lot on your 3G usage. For example, you might be paying a fixed rental of Rs 799 a month, but all data you access over 3G is free. Go in for this kind of plan if you're a heavy user of data.
If you're a habitual texter, you should go in for an 'unlimited' (read messages in hundreds or thousands) SMS pack. They're available for as less as Rs 100 and make sense especially if you especially if you send text messages to other cities, where SMS charges are higher. Remember, these packs don't work on specific holidays (when it makes sense to send wishes over a social network/instant messenger).
If there's a particular social network/messenger you can't get enough of, you can go in for a special pack promising unlimited usage. Do read the fine print, though. Some of these plans might charge you after you've exhausted your data limit.
Taken together, an SMS pack and a social network pack can shave as much as Rs 300 off your monthly bill if you're a text and social network junkie.
Next, list the numbers you call frequently. Are they on the same network? If so, it makes sense to shift to the same telecom company (if you aren't already), as most offer special rates/free minutes within the same network. If you make more than 500 minutes of phone calls every month (within the same network), these packs are the way to go, starting from as little as Rs 100.
If you're calling abroad, check if there are video calling alternatives such as Skype (which can be downloaded to your phone) and can be made over Wi-Fi as well. , if travelling abroad, opt for a local SIM if you can or a calling card. They are much cheaper than putting your phone on international roaming.
If you're using a smartphone, you can switch off mobile data and GPS whenever you aren't using them. Try and connect to Wi-Fi whenever available. Also, disable downloading of e-mail attachments in your e-mail client. You should also disable automatic updates of your mobile apps, as they eat up a lot of data in the background.
Update them manually over Wi-Fi. Always keep a check on the number of apps running in the background on your smartphone and close any you won't need.
In case you're handing over your phone to a child, make sure in-app purchases or apps with in-app purchases are disabled.
Phone manufacturers often release firmware upgrades/ patches for their handsets. It makes sense to download them over a Wi-Fi connection.
If you browse a lot over your smartphone, use browsers which employ data compression tools - such as Opera. They cut down significantly on your data usage.
If you're on Android, Opera has a product called Opera Max, which routes data for all its apps through its servers, compressing your data usage. It even compresses video, in case you're a YouTube junkie. Another such programme is Onavo Extend but this one doesn't compress video.
If you love streaming videos to your phone, do so only when you can do it over Wi-Fi. Also, restrict installing apps and games only over Wi-Fi. Some game downloads can be more than 1GB!
KEEP THOSE CHARGES LOW
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLAN
In recent months, some of the leading telecom players such as Airtel and Vodafone have raised their data rates for specific plans and cities. With inflationary pressure on your budget already, every rupee you can save from your mobile phone bill counts.
The first step is to look closely at your mobile phone plan. Ask yourself if you really need all the add-ons or opted for them in the first place. It makes sense to discontinue any service you don't use, such as itemised billing, jokes, horoscope, etc. This could save you as much as Rs 100 each month.
If you're a new smartphone user, its best to go in for those plans which offer a limited amount of data (for example, 2 GB) on 3G a month, and then unlimited data at 2G speeds, if your telecom service provider offers it. What happens with these plans is after you exhaust your data limit for 3G, you can browse unlimited over a 2G connection. It's not very slow and one doesn't need to pay anything extra. Such plans are on offer from about Rs 400. You can always go in for a higher plan depending on how you use your data.
If accessing emails and a little bit of browsing is all that you do, it makes sense to go for a basic unlimited plan. Once you exhaust your data limit (usually 1-2GB), you can pay as you go. This doesn't work out to be too expensive.
If you are a post-paid customer, look for plans which offer a discount on your 3G data usage. These might involve a higher fixed rental amount per month, but you save a lot on your 3G usage. For example, you might be paying a fixed rental of Rs 799 a month, but all data you access over 3G is free. Go in for this kind of plan if you're a heavy user of data.
If you're a habitual texter, you should go in for an 'unlimited' (read messages in hundreds or thousands) SMS pack. They're available for as less as Rs 100 and make sense especially if you especially if you send text messages to other cities, where SMS charges are higher. Remember, these packs don't work on specific holidays (when it makes sense to send wishes over a social network/instant messenger).
If there's a particular social network/messenger you can't get enough of, you can go in for a special pack promising unlimited usage. Do read the fine print, though. Some of these plans might charge you after you've exhausted your data limit.
Taken together, an SMS pack and a social network pack can shave as much as Rs 300 off your monthly bill if you're a text and social network junkie.
Next, list the numbers you call frequently. Are they on the same network? If so, it makes sense to shift to the same telecom company (if you aren't already), as most offer special rates/free minutes within the same network. If you make more than 500 minutes of phone calls every month (within the same network), these packs are the way to go, starting from as little as Rs 100.
If you're calling abroad, check if there are video calling alternatives such as Skype (which can be downloaded to your phone) and can be made over Wi-Fi as well. , if travelling abroad, opt for a local SIM if you can or a calling card. They are much cheaper than putting your phone on international roaming.
If you're using a smartphone, you can switch off mobile data and GPS whenever you aren't using them. Try and connect to Wi-Fi whenever available. Also, disable downloading of e-mail attachments in your e-mail client. You should also disable automatic updates of your mobile apps, as they eat up a lot of data in the background.
Update them manually over Wi-Fi. Always keep a check on the number of apps running in the background on your smartphone and close any you won't need.
In case you're handing over your phone to a child, make sure in-app purchases or apps with in-app purchases are disabled.
Phone manufacturers often release firmware upgrades/ patches for their handsets. It makes sense to download them over a Wi-Fi connection.
If you browse a lot over your smartphone, use browsers which employ data compression tools - such as Opera. They cut down significantly on your data usage.
If you're on Android, Opera has a product called Opera Max, which routes data for all its apps through its servers, compressing your data usage. It even compresses video, in case you're a YouTube junkie. Another such programme is Onavo Extend but this one doesn't compress video.
If you love streaming videos to your phone, do so only when you can do it over Wi-Fi. Also, restrict installing apps and games only over Wi-Fi. Some game downloads can be more than 1GB!
(All figures mentioned are ballpark figures)
KEEP THOSE CHARGES LOW
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLAN
- Opt out of services you don't need
- Subscribe to unlimited data packs, if possible
- Opt for social media and text packs if you're so inclined
- Pick a plan with free minutes
- Choose the telecom company which gives you the best rates
- Use Wi-Fi to access data, wherever available
- Set up your email client so it doesn't download attachments
- Update apps/software only on Wi-Fi
- Use browsers which use data compression
- Don't watch streaming videos using your mobile connection
- Use local SIM cards when travelling abroad or use alternative means of communication such as Skype