Cell Phone Plans and Customer Loyalty: How to Get Free Minutes or Reduced Monthly Statements

With the vast amount of cell phone companies available, more and more are willing to compete for your business. There are unadvertised discounts available and the longer you show loyalty to your company, the better your chances are of getting a better rate or free perks.

In order to begin, first, you will want to evaluate your usage and compare it against offered plans. Audit your bills over a three month period to get a correct average; so you can get the best cell phone plan for your money. Make an average of the number of text messages, night, weekend, and peak minutes used. This will help you determine if the current plan you have suits your needs or if you can adjust it to bump down to a lower cost plan. While some cell companies may try to charge you to adjust your contract, typically the "fee" is a contract extension, however, some loyal customers may be able to negotiate a more flexible option; being able to adjust the contract one-time for no fee.

Another option is to consolidate and upgrade to a family plan. If you have a friend or family member that you know is responsible, consider getting a family plan. Before signing up, evaluate their minutes used from the previous plan, deducting calls between you; should your family plan offer free mobile-to-mobile minutes. Also, if an additional line is $9.99 as some companies do, a three-way split may reduce your bill even further. Try to get free activation on all of the extra lines as part of being a loyal customer and driving more business towards the company. You may have to call customer service, but it can happen and save at least $35 per line. Additionally, while some plans do give loyalty minutes, should you need any extra services, they can be purchased for bundled fees like texting plans, or additional night and weekend unlimited minutes.

Moreover, if you are going alone, don't be afraid to call and ask for loyalty minutes or other perks. From personal experience, I have been awarded a year's worth of loyalty minutes when I reached my anniversary. If given free minutes, add them into your plan and adjust your rate if necessary. The best time to ask for free perks is right before your contract expires. Should your be awarded free minutes, consider using them for day usage and bump down to a night and weekend only plan, which usually can be purchased for $25 or less.

Finally, if not satisfied, be sure to ask for a supervisor or call back at a later time. Compare other competitor's rate plans and make it known to the representative that "x" company is offering this special, but you would like to continue doing business with your current company. Ask them to match or do better than the price. Have the "what can you do for me" attitude. Be polite, but firm and knowledgeable. Having a history of on-time payments, longevity, and knowledge about your usage and competitor's plans will help secure a lower rate or additional perks during your next cell phone contract's purchase.