These days, most everyone has a fixed data plan with their cell phone. You may have an “unlimited” data plan, but you really only get a certain amount of high-speed data. You may have switched to a plan that allows you a mere 500 MB per month. Maybe you have a plan that allows you to pay for your actual data usage.
Whatever plan you have, there are lots of reasons to see what you can do in order to stretch your data or even to get more than you’re actually paying for.
After all, who wouldn’t love to get 1 GB while paying for 500 MB, or even to lower their monthly charge by switching to a lower plan? This is possible- and not simply by using Wi-Fi when possible.
There are some tips and tricks that you can use to get more data for your bucks.
1) Monitor Your Data Usage
You should first take some time to monitor your data usage. It is very important to understand how much data you’re using each month and what apps are using it.
You can find this information on your bill, or if you get paperless billing- on your account page. If you’re on a 2.5 GB plan, but only using 750 MB, it may be beneficial to downgrade to a 1 GB or even 500 MB to save money. Of course, you probably can’t downgrade if you’re on an “unlimited” plan, but it’s still wise to know what your usage is.
This is basically to identify those apps that are using the most of your data. Maybe there are some that you never use, or rarely use, and you can get rid of them- saving your data.
2) Some Apps Can Help
One great way to stretch your data plan is by letting apps help. Onavo Extend is an app that works in the background. It routes all of your data through its servers and due to data compression technology, you’ll end up using much less data and there are no performance or other issues to note. Onavo Extend is free, so it’s worth looking into.
Opera Max and Opera Mini are also great apps for data compression. Opera Mini is a browser that actually promises that you will save up to 90 percent of your data and is known as one of the best browsers for mobile phones.
If you still see that you need more data than your plan offers- or more data than you can afford- consider earning more with an app called Kickbit. It’s a free app that gives you data for watching videos, signing up for trial offers, or completing surveys. However, it is not compatible with AT & T subscribers.