Standing pat costs phone users

Way too often, we are ripping ourselves off and throwing money away on technology.

When you consider what most people pay for TV, Internet service, cellphone service — any technology these days — it’s typically not the deal you originally signed up for.

The prices that draw you in start out great — some type of promotional offer or introductory deal — but then of course, those prices don’t last. So you sign up for a teaser rate, that rate then goes up — and by inertia, people just keep paying the higher bill month after month.

A good example is cellphone plans. In general, the cost of monthly service has been going down. But if you just continue doing what you’re doing with the same plan, your rates are either staying the same or going up.

If you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer, you may have noticed your bills have been a little higher recently — as both companies have added more junk fees.

But while Verizon and AT&T have dominated the cellphone space for a very long time, they’ve started to lose more and more customers to the cheaper alternatives in the marketplace.

So if you’re a creature of habit and have not shopped your plan among the Big 4 providers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint) — you’re just throwing money away every month.

But with that said, I know there are people out there who don’t do well with change. So let’s look at cheaper options that are available to you if you want to stick with either of the Big 2.

I have to say that Verizon has now become the worst deal in the cellphone business. Considering what you pay for monthly service and the company’s super tight data caps, sticking with the same old Verizon plan is a bad idea for consumers who are concerned about the cost of their monthly bill.

But if you’re comfortable with Verizon and want to stay with Verizon, the new Verizon Wireless Prepaid plans are a good option for you to lower your costs. You can also go to Total Wireless, Verizon’s discount brand, which is typically between one-third and onefourth of the cost of a regular Verizon plan — and you’d still be on the Verizon network.

If you’re with AT&T, a cheaper option for you is switching to Cricket Wireless — owned by AT&T, exact same as AT&T. A family of five on Cricket Wireless pays $100 a month — and that comes with a pretty decent amount of data.

If you’re willing to switch to get a better deal, T-Mobile and Sprint are both offering really great rates right now, and both companies offer unlimited data.

But the absolute best deal in America continues to be Republic Wireless. The plan most people buy is only $20 a month.