4 Ways to Save on Your Cellphone Plan During Retirement

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This post comes from WhistleOut.com.

After decades of working hard, retirement could very well be the best time of your life. But leaving work behind means it’s especially important that you stay on top of things and make sure you aren’t spending money on things you don’t want or need.

Here are some tips that can help you save on your cellphone plan during your retirement.

Get in on senior plans and discounts

This, of course, is assuming that you qualify. If you’re fortunate enough to have retired early and haven’t quite reached senior status, you can skip ahead.

All of the major cellphone carriers offer plans and/or discounts for senior citizens. T-Mobile’s Magenta Unlimited 55+ is a feature-packed plan starting at just $50 per month (compared with $70 per month for the standard Magenta plan). Sprint’s Unlimited 55+, also starting at $50 per month, comes with unlimited talk, text and data along with perks like DVD-quality video streaming and unlimited mobile hotspot usage. AARP members can save $10 per month on AT&T’s Unlimited Elite plan, its highest-tier cellphone plan. Verizon customers in Florida can sign up for the Go Unlimited for Seniors plan, starting at $60 per month (compared with the standard $75 per month).

Several of the smaller MVNO carriers (lesser-known brands that piggyback on the major carriers’ networks) also offer discounted senior plans. Here are just a few of the available senior plans available from several carriers, big and small.

Don’t get a senior plan

This may seem like a total contradiction to the tip above, but in the real world, senior cellphone plans are not right for all retirees. Senior plans and discounts tend to apply to expensive high-tiered plans, and once the savings are applied, you might still be paying a lot.

If you really want to save — and don’t need all those bells and whistles — you might be better off just buying a cheaper plan, like the ones offered by the many MVNOs. There are several low-cost plans under $40 per month that can get you everything you need from your cellphone plan.

Don’t buy more than you need

Speaking of everything you need, it’s important to understand exactly what it is you do need.

Are you constantly posting pictures on social media, playing online games with your grandkids and watching your favorite shows on Netflix? If so, you might just need the fast and unlimited data that comes with some of the loaded senior plans above. Or you might be constantly online, but also a homebody. If you’re already paying for home internet, you can use your Wi-Fi connections and won’t need to pay for a bunch of mobile data. Instead, buy a cheaper plan with about 1GB-2GB of data to use on the occasions that you aren’t home.

You could also just be the type of person who only needs a phone to call or text people. In this case, don’t buy a data plan at all. Stick to a talk and text only plan. Not only are they much cheaper than plans with mobile data, but you’ll also spend much less on your basic cellphone, compared with much more expensive smartphones. Check out these talk and text plans:

Shop around

You know about the discounts you should be looking for, the plans that are already cheap even without discounts, and you have a better idea of what you need in your cellphone plan. Now, for the most important tip for saving money on your cellphone plan in retirement — shop around. There are so many cellphone carriers out there, and all of them want your business. Take some time to compare plans and carriers and find the one that matches your needs for the price that fits your bank account’s needs.

Check out our handy cellphone plan search tool to see dozens of options.

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