There was a time when cell phones were so rare that walking down the street talking into a huge phone held up to your head generated quite a few stares. Times have certainly changed. Considering the fact that the original Motorola Dynatac 8000 (nicknamed “The Brick” for its unwieldy size and appearance) sold for around $4,000 in 1983, and that the latest generation of feature-packed phones can be had for a mere $200, it is no wonder that around 60% of Americans of all ages now use cell phones on a daily basis.

But cell phones do come with additional cost other than just the phone. The dreaded cell phone bill assures that network providers receive a tidy sum from every cell phone user each month. This is big business, with more than $1 trillion in revenues generated by the industry in the U.S. last year alone — that’s right, trillion.

There are a few mistakes most of us make in selecting our cell phones that, if avoided, can save you considerable amounts of money on your monthly cell phone bills, and putting this money towards your debt settlements is a great way to make good use of the savings.

See below for the top 3 mistakes you should avoid when selecting a cell phone plan:

1. Choose Your Minutes Wisely: Although it’s true that some people use more minutes than they plan on each month, almost half of cell phone users do not use a significant portion of the minutes they have allotted in their plan package. Make sure you are not paying for minutes you aren’t using.
2. Include Multimedia and Text Minutes: Most of us are wise to the expenses associated with going over our voice minutes, but the cell phone companies have a new weapon at their disposal to charge you outrageous overage fees — texting and multimedia (internet) minutes. If your phone has texting and internet capabilities, make sure your plan package includes a reasonable amount of minutes for both.
3. Local vs. National: If the vast majority of your calls are local, consider a local plan instead of a nationwide plan. Chances are the periodic long-distance calls will not equal the difference you are paying between the two plans each month. Just make sure to use your phone sparingly when traveling to avoid racking up the long-distance and roaming charges.

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