How to Save Big on Cellphone Data

This post comes from partner site WhistleOut.com.

We all want unlimited data, but do we really need it? A simple thing such as knowing how much data you use each month could potentially save you hundreds of dollars every year.

Data-managing apps can help you figure out just how much data you use and which apps gobble up the most data from your plan. You may find an app that you don’t even need or want is draining your monthly allowance.

Here are some ways that managing your data can help you save money every month.

Are you paying for data you don’t use?

If you want to figure out whether you really need unlimited data, it’s pretty simple to check how much data you actually are using. Depending on your cellphone carrier, you should be able to log in to your account (either via an app or web browser) to view your data usage for the month. This is the best way to get an overview of how much mobile data you use.

If you can’t get this information from your carrier, there are a number of apps that will show you your data usage information and even break it down between Wi-Fi and mobile data use.

This is the first step in minimizing your cellphone bill. If you are on an unlimited data plan, but you’re only using 5GB of mobile data each month, why pay for unlimited?

How to use less data

On the flip side, if you seem to be using a lot of data each month, and want to use less in order to lower your cellphone bill, data-managing apps can help you with this, too. These tools will show you which apps on your phone are using data and exactly how much. And, as I mentioned earlier, they will also show you how much Wi-Fi data you’re using.

Using these apps will help you determine where you can cut back on spending your data allocation. If you’re using all your data to stream podcasts, why not download the podcast episodes while you’re connected to Wi-Fi before you head out? Then, you won’t need to use your mobile data when you’re out and about.

If you are using all your mobile data playing games, maybe that’s something you reserve for when you get home and can connect to your home Wi-Fi. You may be surprised just how much mobile data some games use up.

These data-managing apps will show you exactly where you can cut your mobile data spending, and potentially help you save money by opting for a cheaper cellphone plan.

Some popular data managers include:

• Data Usage for iPhone or Android
• My DataManager
• DataMan Pro

Unlimited data versus limited data plans

So, how much can you really save by opting for a limited data plan? Well, a lot — most unlimited data plans average around $50 to $60 each month, with some costing up to $95 per month.

If you minimize your mobile data usage, you could opt for a 5GB plan that can cost you as little as $20 per month. If you need a little more data than that, try a 10GB plan, which starts at just $25 per month. Check out some of these plans below.

While it may seem like we all need unlimited data, the reality is that you may only need a few gigabytes each month, especially if you connect to Wi-Fi while you’re at home or at work.

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