How to save money on your US smartphone bill with Google Voice
This weekend, I decided that my smartphone bill was too high and went to the nearest AT&T store to resolve the issue. After I was done, I upgraded from my 200MB data plan to a 3GB one, dropped my unlimited texting plan, and walked out the door saving a measly – but worth it – $5 a month.
While I was there, I also switched back from my Apple iPhone 4S to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus as my daily driver. The reasons for me switching smartphones yet again came down to the ecosystem – and how I’m going to start using more of Google’s services with my newfound and actually usable data plan. In addition to the other fantastic services that Google provides, I’m now the proud user of Google Voice exclusively for all of my telephonic-communication needs.
That means I’m no longer using my AT&T-given number and instead am using the one I picked from Google. Calls, texts, and voicemails all go through the Voice app on my Nexus device, while the traditional Android messaging app lies dormant in the Jelly Bean app drawer on my device.
If you’re an AT&T user, you’ll know that by dropping my texting plan, my bill went down $20. The old 200MB plan that I had (and doesn’t exist anymore) was costing me $15 a month; $30 a month gets me a 3GB plan. Now, instead of $35 a month on texting and data, I’m paying $30 for both – and I’m getting more than 15x the data.
We’ve explained how utilizing Google Voice’s features can save you money in the past, and with tiered, pricy data and overly-expensive texting plans becoming the norm, now is the perfect time to stick it to the carriers and find your own ways of accomplishing tasks that would otherwise cost you money.
Signing up for Google Voice requires only a Google account. Unfortunately, to access all of the features, you’ll have to live in the United States and have a US-based telephone number to authenticate your Voice account. If you meet those requirements, hit up the download link below (on either your iOS or Android phone; Windows Phone doesn’t yet have an official port) and give Voice a try.
Who knows, maybe you’ll like it and start saving money on your next smartphone bill, too!
Download: Play Store
Download: iTunes
