Have you used all of your free texts or calls this month? Well you are not alone. Recent research suggests that as many as 47 per cent of us do not use our full text and minute allowance each month.

So what are you doing paying extra money for a contract that you are not benefiting from? Instead, take a look at your actual monthly usage of texts and calls. Then have a look at the contracts currently on offer and see if you can find one that better suits your needs. You are bound to be able to find a cheaper deal if you currently use less than half of your monthly allowance.

Consider pay as you go. If you are on a tight budget and want to curb your mobile phone costs, then opting for a pay as you go plan could be the right move for you.

This is a great option for those who do not use their phone too frequently, as it can work out cheaper per call than being on one of the lower monthly contracts.

With pay as you go you can really keep an eye on your monthly or weekly mobile spend, topping up only when you need to. Topping up is now easier than ever too, as you can do so by phone using your debit or credit card, by voucher, or in any store or at any ATM cash machine that shows the green top-up logo.

Use a foreign SIM when on holiday. Anyone who has taken their phone on holiday with them will know that it is easy for your phone to spend more on your foreign trip than you do. Making calls while abroad can be very expensive, and in many cases you will also be charged for receiving calls too.

Next time, do not let your mobile ruin your holiday, and make sure you are prepared. First talk to your existing network provider or have alook at their website. They are likely to offer some overseas tariff deals that could save you money.

Alternatively, buying a travel SIM card and slotting it into your mobile could save you a massive eighty per cent on foreign call charge costs and most of these cards allow you to receive calls and texts free of charge too.

Vodafone offer great deals on mobiles and sim only deals if you already have your phone of choice.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Mobile Phones. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.