How To Pay Your Phone Bill

How to pay your phone bill

When you are short of cash, paying a phone bill can be a struggle. But while they might only be small in size, our phones play a big role in our lives and have become an everyday essential. We can’t imagine going without them. 

Many people who take out expensive phone contracts might come to find that at some point, they’re unable to pay on time. Usually, one missed payment will not affect your credit score or relationship with your mobile phone provider. However, if you allow the bills to accumulate without paying them off each month, you could soon find yourself in debt. Rather than eliminate your phone bill, we’re going to look at ways you can pay your bill on time every month.

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How do I pay my mobile phone bill?

Usually, when you take out a phone contract, you are offered the option to set up a direct debit with the company. This means that the money for your phone bill will automatically be paid from your account on an agreed date each month. It is the easiest and quickest way to pay your bill each month. We recommend paying by direct debit for several reasons:

  • You know that the money has been paid on time, every time.
  • You don’t have to worry about missing payments as you have already consented to them.
  • You can easily log in and review the direct debit payments that have left your account and manage your account, as usual, when you need to.
  • When you keep up mobile phone payments via direct debit, this will reflect your overall credit score well.

If you don’t have access to the internet or are on a pay-as-you-go billing plan, the best way to make a payment is to call the customer service team. Sometimes, billing services and payments are automated, which means you follow the instructions via your phone to pay with a credit or debit card.

Your questions, answered

When you fail to pay your phone bill, you run the risk of getting into financial trouble. Phone bills will show on your credit report, so it’s always a good idea to make them a priority bill after household expenses. If you have difficulty paying your phone bill, we recommend calling your service provider to discuss this. They will help you set up an affordable repayment plan, and if you’ve been a loyal customer, they may even offer some discount. In some cases, people may find themselves in a situation where they cannot pay their phone bills due to a change in personal circumstances. If you are out of work, for example, this will impact your ability to pay. Again, the best thing to do is contact your service provider and explain the change.

If you have queries about your bill and would like assistance with paying it, we recommend contacting a team member who can take your details over the phone for payment. You will have to provide some security information about your phone bill account and give the customer service individual permission to use your payment details.

Sometimes phone bills can fluctuate in price each month, especially if you have used extra data, minutes or texts. If you have a fixed price monthly phone bill and find that it is higher than usual, the best thing to do is contact your service provider. They will discuss the reasoning behind the higher bill and advise where you may have used extra minutes, for example. As well as this, they will be able to identify where you shouldn’t have been overcharged and make any alterations where needed to the bill.

If your bill is higher than usual and you cannot pay the additional amount, you should explain this to the service provider. They may extend the bill payment period to give you more time to source the funds and tell you how to avoid higher bills in the future.

Mobile phone bill debt can easily add up, especially if you miss your bill payments several months in a row. If you can’t make a payment on time, always advise your mobile phone provider. They will be able to assist with a payment plan that works for you, and, in some cases, they may be able to reduce your monthly bills altogether, so they’re more affordable.

Like all debts, you must make an effort to repay the company’s amount. Ignoring bills is never the answer. Not only will this impact your credit score negatively, but it’ll also reduce the likeliness of you being able to take out credit in the future.

There are several ways in which you can take action to save money on your phone bill. Whether you’re looking for a contract right now or you already have one, here are the top tips from The Money Shop:

Consider your payment plan
Many people these days are on contracts rather than pay-as-you-go as they’re convenient, and you always know your allowance. While pay-as-you-go is still a good option, particularly if you’re only using your phone for personal calls, a contract could help you save money. Many people on pay-as-you-go plans find they have to regularly add additional credit to their account when they run out of their allowance.

Compare service providers
Each phone company will have deals it can offer customers. Before you take out a contract or choose a phone service provider, we recommend weighing up the pros and cons of each. A little bit of research may reveal that you’d be better going with one supplier over another due to the money you can save.

Don’t get insurance if it’s not needed
When you take out a phone contract, you’ll likely be offered phone insurance cover. While insurance can certainly help in situations where you damage your phone or stolen, it’s not always needed. Many people agree to take out phone insurance without realising they’ll have to pay more each month on their bill.

Choose a smaller phone plan
Though it might be tempting to go for unlimited data, calls and texts, it’s always worth considering just how much you’ll use the services. If you’re taking out a phone contract for personal use, the likeliness of using over 300 minutes a month, for example, is probably quite low. Go for a smaller phone plan where you can save on monthly billing costs.

If you need a loan to pay off a phone bill or any other type of debt, The Money Shop may be able to help you. We offer customers a range of flexible loans with instant decisions for those emergency financial situations. When you apply for a loan with The Money Shop, you’ll find that our application process is as simple as possible. We will ask you to provide some information so our lenders can assess your eligibility for a loan, and the money could be with you on the same day.

Are you interested in taking out a loan with us? Contact our friendly team or begin the loan application process on our website today. We will guide you through every step of the application process and get back to you with our decision.