Great ways to save 20% on your next phone bill – household tips

Last updated on May 23rd, 2022

This article is part 2 in a series on household tips

Competition is heating up in the telco space and with Virgin Mobile recently announcing data roll over for mobile plans a move that is sure to force the hand of other providers.

With mobile phone plans costing Australian's more than ever, we've pulled together a list of household tips to save on mobile phone bills, which we found could save us up to 20% on our current plans.

Benchmark the 3 areas that matter most

Compare plans according to cost for two-minute national call, a standard text message and 1 megabyte of data download. Prices can vary greatly but as a benchmark you should be looking at:

• • $2.36 per 2 minute national call
  • 2-3 cents per 1 megabyte of data download

Paying for standard text messages is no longer a reasonable thing to do! Times have changed and most providers will give you an unlimited amount of standard messages included with a plan.

Grab your last 3 phone bills and compare them

Review your 3 phone bills. Compare usage with inclusions. Where usage is above or below inclusions, investigate options to switch plans including pre-paid options. Pre-paid plans are a great way to keep your bills in check and they have come a long way over the past 10 years.

An early termination fee can be cheaper than an oversized plan

If an early termination fee applies, compare the termination fee with excessive charges received. If the termination fee is cheaper in the long run than your current plan then its safe to say you can ditch the plan!

Keep a list of coverage issues

If you’re experiencing coverage issues, keep a record of the time, date, location and what issue you experienced e.g. failure to connect or call drop out. Coverage issues are great leverage in any telecom dispute.

Raise any complaints within 7 days

Act promptly with complaints, no longer than 7 days will get you the best possible response as the situation with still be immediate.

Another trick is to ask that related outstanding payments be suspended until the complaint has been investigated. The best approach is to get suspension confirmation in writing. Don't forget to continue to make timely payments for subsequent bills if they’re not in dispute.

Its okay to ask for a high bill to be waived as a once-off

Don't take things at face value - high bills can and do get waived if you take the time to explain your situation. Being able to demonstrate a loyal history with the service provider always helps. Remember - finding new customers is much more difficult than keeping your current customers.

If you have a complaint with your mobile phone bill, such as charges you aren't aware of, you can lodge a complaint with us and we’ll make sure you follow the correct process.

We’re here to help you handle it, just let us know the details of your complaint here.