5 ways to save money on your cellphone plan

Cellphones are a way of a life for Americans, but the service isn’t cheap. Americans spend an average of $906 a year for a single person and $1,281 for a married couple, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add in kids and your bill could skyrocket to $2,000 or more.

Luckily, there are ways to trim the cost of owning and using a cellphone. Here are five of them.

Join (or add to) a family plan: If multiple people use one wireless plan, the price per line is often less than for a plan with a single line. If you already have a family plan with, say, your spouse, you may reduce the per-line cost by adding your parents or other family members to the plan, too.

Switch carriers: This may save you money if the new provider offers price breaks for new customers or has cheaper plans than your current carrier. For example, a family of four can save close to $930 a year, on average, by switching wireless carriers, says Toni Toikka, president of Alekstra, a research firm that analyzes the wireless service industry. Plus, carriers may allow you to stack promotions because phone deals and plan deals are separate.

Consider a small provider: Companies known as “mobile virtual network operators,” or MVNOs, offer coverage from the networks of major carriers, but they often have lower-price plans. Mint Mobile, for example, charges $15 per month for the first three months for 4GB of data and unlimited calls and texts. After that, monthly prices range from $15 if you commit to a 12-month plan to $25 if you get another three-month plan.

Another MVNO worth a look is Tello, which lets you patch together the quantities of minutes, text messages and data that you need. For instance, you can get unlimited minutes and text messages, plus 1GB of data for $10 a month, 2GB for $14 or 4GB for $19.

You can also go unlimited with smaller carriers, although there is a caveat with them. Because smaller carriers are using a network provided by one of the Big 3, your data speeds could be slowed during high traffic times as the big carriers can prioritize their own customers.

Ask your carrier for a better deal: Even if you don’t want to leave your current carrier, you may be able to talk your provider into a better deal. “A great question to ask is what they’re offering to new customers versus existing customers,” says Andrew MooreCrispin, director of content for Ting.

Go paperless and autopay: All the major wireless carriers offer a monthly discount, often $5 to $10 per line, on eligible plans for customers who use automatic payments and go paperless. That can add up to significant savings, especially if you have a family plan with several lines.