If you are tired of paying an astronomical phone bill, look into alternatives that will allow you to bring down your monthly balance without having to end conversations with friends and family members across the country. Before you hang up the phone for good, know there are a variety of options available that will enable you to keep talking without draining your pocket book.



Most individuals have ditched the traditional land line phones in favor of cellular phones. These portable communication devices enable you to take your conversation with you wherever you go. Cellular phone plans have free long distance service, allowing you to call everyone you know from Alaska to Florida without incurring any additional fees.

However, it should be known that most cell phone plans are based on minutes used during peak times and any overage costs may be quite steep. Cell phone companies are constantly having different promotions regarding their coverage areas, talk times, and overage fees. Some companies now features roll over plans that allow your unused minutes to be added to your next month's pot. Other companies allow individuals to speak unlimited time in certain areas or call others with the same plan without penalty.

If you wish to keep your traditional home telephone, or land line, consider looking at all your long distance options. There are many plans that, for a flat fee each month, allows you unlimited long distance minutes. These plans are usually more expensive than traditional long distance plans, but can save you a great deal of money if you regularly use excessive long distance minutes.

There are also long distance plans that offered tiered pricing for their minutes. For example, long distance fees will be eight cents a minute until you hit a certain number of minutes, where the cost dips to five cents. Another time tier will lower the price to three cents a minute, assuming you use that many minutes a month.

Another option is to consider completely canceling your long distance program and purchasing a calling card. This will cut down on the amount of long distance calls you make a month, since you will no longer be able to pick up the telephone and directly dial. Furthermore, calling card rates are usually cheaper than traditional long distance plans, and since the cards are pre paid, you know the exact amount you are spending on your long distance. When the monthly phone bill rolls around, there will be no surprises!

Finally, use completely different methods curb your long distance costs. Consider using e-mail or an instant messaging program to communicate with your friends and loved ones. There are several programs that allow you to speak over the internet using a microphone attached to your computer. Bring back the old fashioned notion of letter writing, since the 37 cent stamp is a great deal cheaper than a long distance bill than can run up hundreds of dollars.