Save On Phone Bills
With these Telephone Bill Busting tips.

Save on phone bills all year round with my frugal tips to save money.

It has become easier and easier over the years to reduce your telephone bills as there are now so many more service providers and ways to make calls.

So I thought I would put together a little selection of my favourite ways to reduce those phone bills.

Land Line Calls

• Avoid using coin-operated phones as they cost a lot more than a fixed home line on a contract.
  
  
• Obviously reducing the amount of time you are talking will also help to reduce the cost of your bills, so keep those calls short.

However if you like a good natter there are several things you can do to save on phone bills:

• Always try to call during the low rate discounted periods; these are generally during the evenings and at weekends. Check with your phone company when your discounted times are.
  
  
• Make sure you are on the best calling plan with your company. If you know who you make the most calls too and how long you spend on the phone a month, it is often possible to arrange with your phone company special rates for those numbers and they will also be able to advise based on your monthly usage which call plan is right for you.
  
  
• If you work from home on a regular basis it is worth noting that some if not all of your business calls can be deducted from your yearly tax return.
  
  It is therefore important to arrange with your service provider to have itemised bill sent to you so that you can use it as proof. Check with your revenue service what sort of calls can be deducted from your telephone bill and make sure you make a note of the calls you make.
  
  
• If you are going to be away from home for an extended length of time, it is always advisable to check with your telephone company to see if they can suspend your service for this period of time. This way you will not have to pay the monthly standing charge or at the very least you may be able to pay a reduce rate.
  
  
• When you take out a contract with a service provider make sure you are not paying for any services you don't use. Often services are bundled together, thee can include, call barring, ex directory services and answer phone services. It is always worth checking with your provider what is actually included in your plan and if services can be removed to reduce your bill.

Long Distance calls - Save On Phone Bills

Long distance rates vary all the time, not only from place to place but also from time to time. In fact they can change all the time.

So if you regularly need to phone long distance it is bets to try and make some savings by following these tips.

• Find out the cheapest time of day or day of the week to call your destination.
  
  
• Look into dial-around numbers (10-10 numbers) to find long distance service providers with cheaper rates than your existing telephone company offer.
  
  
• If you are calling a family member who is a long way away, see if you can put there number on your friends and family list to get cheaper rates. This may require both parties to sign up to the same plan but hey then you will both be saving.
  
  
• Find out if your long distance call to a business has a 0800 number available.
  
  
• Look for international pre paid cards to your destination. There are hundreds now available, so shop around to find the best rates.

Free Calls

You don't actually need to have a landline any more to make calls. As more and more people are becoming connected to the Internet and have home computers, it is now possible to make calls via your computer using a microphone. Making calls this way is very cheap indeed and are advertised as free but of course you are using your broadband connection, so there is a cost involved there.

• You need to find out who of your friends and colleagues are able to use this pc to pc calling. You can even introduce them to a service to help them save on phone bills too.
  
  
• There are several services available who will enable this kind of calling to be made, such as:
  • Voip
  • Skype
  • Google
  • Yahoo

Choose the best service for you and your circle of friends to save on phone bills.

Cell Phone Savings

Cell phone calls and price plans are generally far more expensive than landlines, but it is easy to save on phone bills with these tips:

• If you use your mobile phone a lot than shop around for the best plan that gives you free texts or minutes or both.
  
  
• If you are on a budget opt for pay as you go, that way you will not be tied into a lengthy contract
  
  
• Make sure you are with a service provider who offers the best price per minute. The prices can vary quite a lot. Don't be fooled by those cheap monthly contracts if the cost per minute is high.
  
  
• Avoid the temptations of downloading ring tones or wallpapers to your phone all the time. They are costly and will soon eat up your monthly allowance.
  
  
• Avoid using the mobile phone on holiday abroad as these calls can be amazing expensive.
  
  
• Make use of your cell phone timer if you have one, most do. This is a little bleep every minute or so and keeps you in mind of just how long you are talking for, this will help limit your call time.