Tips on managing your mobile spend
Managing
any budget requires careful
planning and monitoring. The
guide to manage your mobile
spend is designed to help make
your job as easy as possible,
with some useful hints to help
you ensure your in control of
your spend.
1. Consider
pre-paid
If you are
concerned about how much you
will spend on your mobile, are
not sure what exactly your needs
are, and do not want to sign
a long-term contract, consider
the pre-paid option first.
Getting
a pre-paid first will help you
understand how much you?ll use
your mobile. You can always
change to a plan at a later
date, and your experience using
a pre-paid can provide you with
useful information to help you
evaluate what type of plan would
match your needs. Note that
some pre-paid plans tie you
down for a minimum period of
time. This may mean you can
benefit from cheaper call costs,
but be aware that if you leave
before the specified time, you
pay a penalty. Look for details
in the terms and conditions.
You may see the phrase SIM unlock
fees. Also be aware that many
pre-paid phone cards have an
expiry date ? you use them until
all your credit is used, or
until the card expires (whichever
occurs first).
2.
Choose a plan to suit you
whether
you opt for a pre-paid or post-paid
contract, you?ll find there?s
a huge choice of options available
to suit many different needs.
The following points will help
you choose one to suit YOU.
a) Cost
of calls. Going for
the plan with the lowest basic
call costs may not necessarily
be the best or cheapest option
for you, it will also depend
on how much you use other services,
such as SMS, voicemail, etc.
If you use SMS more than voice,
you might find, for example,
and that there is a plan which
charges slightly more for voice,
but less for SMS providing
a cheaper service for you overall.
Its also
worth taking the time to consider
when you use the phone, and
whether you can benefit from
plans which allow you free or
cheaper calls at certain times
of day, or to certain people.
If you use
the phone a reasonable amount,
the newer deals are also well
worth considering. (Note: as
with any other offer, ensure
you are clear on any fair use
policies and exclusions that
apply.)
b) Select
a service that allows you to
check your mobile credit
Some mobile
companies have options to help
you keep track of, and manage,
your spend examples include:
Spend alerts - you get
a message to let you know if
you?ve reached a certain spend
within a given time period (e.g.
a month). Applies to post-paid
contracts.
Free call
number to check account balance. (Applies
to pre-paids and post-paid contracts)
Call barring
- keep your
bill down by limiting the numbers
called from your phone by using
call barring. For example, you
might want to bar international
calls, or calls to premium rate
numbers. Some carriers also
allow you to preset certain
numbers to allow your phone
to be used to call only certain
numbers talk to your carrier
about the options.
c) Consider
the cost of the whole package. Be wary
of phrases such as Free, costs
zero dollars - is it really
free, or are you paying for
it somewhere else? If you see
the words conditions apply,
read what conditions apply the
offer may not sound so tempting
once you understand what it
excludes. Remember: If an offer sounds too good to be true,
it probably is.
3.
Stop others using your mobile
phone
Minimize the risk of losing
your phone and/or someone using
it without your permission by:
Treating
your phone as you would any
valuable item; even if
you got your handset as a ‘$0
upfront deal, this does not
reflect its true cost. Handsets
are expensive: they can cost
more than $1000.
·
Never leave
your mobile in the car;
·
Keep your
mobile on you - never put it
down in a public place or leave
it unattended;
·
Switch to
vibrate mode in circumstances
where a ring tone might attract
the attention of a thief;
·
Make use
of your mobile's security features
to stop others borrowing your
phone (e.g. PINs, SIM locks,
code locks see your user guide
for details);
·
Limit the
amount of damage someone can
cause by borrowing your phone
without permission by utilizing
call barring (see above);
·
Don?t assume
your phone is covered in your
home contents insurance check,
and consider insuring it separately,
if necessary. Remember that
even if you got the phone for
$0 upfront, this doesn?t mean
it was free it means the
cost was absorbed in the overall
contract price. You may not
be able to get a replacement
phone for $0 upfront.
Reducing
your phone appeal to thieves,
and assist
in its recovery if it is lost
or stolen, by:
·
Notifying
your network carrier AND the
police immediately in the event
of loss or theft;
·
Engraving
your initials and driving license
number on the phone;
·
Recording
details of your phone, including
its make, model and its International
Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)
number, and keeping the details
in a safe place. The IMEI number
is a 15 digit number independent
of your phone number, and is
usually written underneath the
battery or on the back of the
handset. You can also find your
IMEI number by dialing *#06#
on your mobile handset. Your
carrier can use this number
to block your phone from all
networks once you report the
phone lost or stolen, rendering
it useless to any thief.
4.
Don?t sign a contract for someone
else unless you?re prepared
to pay all their bills
Remember
that whoever signs a contract
is ultimately responsible for
ensuring that the terms and
conditions of the contract are
met. That means if you sign
a contract for a friend (or
child), and they don?t pay their
bills, its YOU who must cover
the costs.
So unless
you?re completely happy to cover
someone else costs, don?t sign
a contract for them. Help them
choose an appropriate pre-paid
service instead.
5.
Other tips to save you money
Voicemail. If you
have a voicemail service, ensure
you?re clear what it costs.
It may be included free as part
of your package, or you may
be charged when you listen to
your messages. If this is the
case, clear your voice mail
quickly: every time you re-listen
to old messages its costing
you.
SMS. SMS messages
are usually charged at a flat
rate per message of up
to 160 characters.
If your phone allows you to
write a single message over
160 characters, be aware that
you?ll get charged for an additional
SMS. (So an SMS with 161 characters
will cost you twice as much
as 160 characters.)
Voting. Ensure
you understand the cost of calls
or SMS when entering competitions/voting,
etc. These are usually premium
services and attract higher
charges than your usual SMS
or phone call.
Cost calculations
& premium rate services. Be aware
that there are various ways
you can be charged for the services
you choose to use. For example,
SMS may be charged at a flat
rate ($X per SMS sent); call
charges may be calculated on
a time-used basis ($X per minute);
and some newer content services*
may be charged on a subscription
basis ($X/week), or on a cost
per message received basis ($X
each time you receive a message).
Before signing up for any service,
make sure you understand how
the charging works: how much
it costs, how often and what
the total cost to you will be.
And should you choose to subscribe,
take note of how to cancel your
subscription at the time you
sign up while its front
of mind.
(*Egs of
content services include: ring
tones, horoscopes, news &
sports updates)
Call or
SMS? Consider
whether it might be cheaper
on occasions to call someone
rather than SMS them. Or visa-versa.
Pre-paid
credit. If using
a pre-paid, make sure you know
if and when the credit expires,
and whether you can extend the
credit period by topping-up/re-charging
the card.
6.
A problem shared is a problem
halved
If you are
having any financial or contractual
problems, contact your carrier.
It is not in their interest
to have customers in financial
difficulty any more than it
is in yours. Discuss with your
carrier any advice they have
to help control your spend before
the problem becomes too big.
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