The Truth About Cell Phone Bills: Why We Switched & Saved Big
Tired of overpaying for cell service? We switched from Verizon to Mint Mobile and cut our bill by $1,600 a year—without losing service. Find out how we did it!
Raise your hand if you like saving money!
Who doesn’t, right? This year, I promised to share money-saving tips, and today, I have one that has been a total game changer for my husband and I.
A Little Backstory
I may be showing my age here, but I bought my first cell phone in 1995—a massive flip phone where you paid by the minute. As a college student with a meager income, I used it sparingly—only for emergencies.
Fast forward a few decades, and guess what? I stayed loyal to the same provider. Through two buyouts, my little carrier eventually became Verizon Wireless. I know, I know—who sticks with the same company for that long? But that’s just who I am.
Then one day, I had a epiphany: Why do companies reward new customers with flashy deals but never give those same perks to their loyal ones?
That got me thinking… Why am I still with the same carrier?
The Switch That Saved Us $1,600
After crunching some numbers, my husband and I decided to switch to Mint Mobile in January. Honestly, I was nervous. I worried about dropped calls, slow internet, or losing reliable service. But after a few months of using it, I can confidently say: we haven’t noticed a single difference.
Here’s where it gets really good:
💰 Old Plan (Verizon): Nearly $2,000 per year
💸 New Plan (Mint Mobile): $402 per year (taxes included!)
That’s a whopping $1,600 in savings! No second-guessing this decision—this gal was all in.
What You Need to Know Before Switching
Before you go canceling your service, here’s how we made the switch seamless:
✅ Choose a plan on Mint Mobile’s website.
We went with the $15/month plan (5GB of data each) since we use Wi-Fi at home and my husband uses it at work. I checked my usage last month—I barely used 45MB! (Yes, megabytes—not gigabytes!)
✅ Prepay for a year to maximize savings.
We paid for 12 months upfront, so we won’t see another bill until next year. Talk about peace of mind! This is optional, you can pay as you go too.
✅ SIM Card or eSIM?
Mint Mobile sends a SIM card in the mail. We just popped it in, followed the setup instructions, and were good to go. (They also offer eSIM options for newer phones, but I stuck with what I know!)
✅ Need more data? No problem.
Mint Mobile lets you adjust your plan month-to-month, so if you find you need more data, you can upgrade for just one month and switch back the next.
✅ Referral Perks.
If you love it, you can refer friends and get a credit on your next bill. (Full transparency—I’m not in their affiliate program, but if you use my referral link, I get a small credit. And guess what? You can do the same for your friends!)
The Hidden Fees That Add Up
One of the biggest eye-openers for us was the fees. Every month with Verizon, we saw all these extra charges—administrative fees, surcharges, recovery fees—things we never really questioned because they were just there. We assumed they were unavoidable.
Then we switched to Mint Mobile, and guess what? Our total taxes and fees for both of our lines for an entire year came out to just $22. That’s it. No weird extra charges, no mystery fees—just simple, upfront pricing.
So that got me thinking... how much of our old bill was actually paying for service, and how much was just padding a corporation’s pockets?
This was the moment I realized loyalty to big companies doesn’t pay—it costs. The transparency with Mint Mobile is what really sold us. We weren’t just saving money—we were cutting out unnecessary spending we didn’t even realize was happening.
Why Be Loyal to Companies That Aren’t Loyal to You?
At the end of the day, saving money is for all of us. We work hard for our money, so why hand over more than we have to? Big companies have no problem raising prices, yet they rarely reward longtime customers.
Well, not anymore—at least not for us! Once we made one change, it got us thinking… where else are we overpaying? You better believe more money-saving changes are coming, and I’ll be sharing our next decision soon.
My opinion? Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. If a company isn’t looking out for you, it’s time to look out for yourself.
Final Thoughts on Mint Mobile
I wish I had done this sooner—think of all the money we could have saved! But at least now, we won’t be overpaying for a service we barely use.
