A surprising way to save money on our monthly bills? Is to switch to a Twigby smartphone plan. Here’s why, and how you can, too.
Is your cell phone bill getting out of hand (it can’t just be me, right?)?
With prices rising everywhere, it’s easy to feel like our budgets are at the mercy of inflation.
But here’s the good news: we do have some control, especially over how we choose to spend our money.
For example, we all need food, but how we spend that food budget is within our control (takeout vs. groceries, manufacturer products vs. generic brands, etc.).
Lately, we’ve been looking under every financial rock and bill that makes up our total household expenses.
And one surprising area for savings that popped up?
Our two-line smartphone plan.
Spoiler Alert: Yes, this one financial move will save us $567.36 over the next 12 months! Get started with your own Twigby phone plan to save a bunch, too.
Analyzing Our Recent Phone Bills
I don’t know about you, but years ago I set up our AT&T bill as an automatic payment each month…and basically forgot about it.
I know this can lead to automatic bill creep, but it just kind of happened.
So, the first thing I wanted to do was to quickly audit our current cell phone plan and bills and get an idea of what we’re paying for what services.
I learned quite a few things by combing through the last three months of our cell phone bill.
- My husband uses much more data than I do (like, 7-12 GB more data than I do each month – he travels abroad consistently for work)
- We still owe $345 on his smartphone (we paid mine off over a year ago)
- Our cell phone bill is either about $145 (during months when he doesn’t travel abroad), or $260 (when he does travel – due to a $10/day international day pass)
- We receive a $20/month military discount and a $10/month promotional discount
Armed with this info, I could now see if a discounted phone plan would meet our needs while saving us stacks of cash over the next year.
Twigby Cell Phone Plan – How it Stacks Up to Ours
Before I switch to anything, I like to know what we would be losing and what we would be gaining.
Then I can stack that information up against the amount I’ll be saving and decide if it’s worth it.
And I have to say – overall, internet speed and mobile data plans have gotten so great, that I feel like I can’t go wrong here (it’s not like ten years ago, when 3G was the best you could get – this is 5G and 4G LTE we’re talking about).
It turns out that they have an unlimited data and minutes plan…for a fraction of the price we’re paying now, just $25/month (plus taxes), then $35/month after your first three months.
You can even get a lower-cost plan, starting all the way down to $5.
Like, WOW. I haven’t seen data plan prices like that for years!
And what happens if you go over your data for the month?
If you go over your data limit for the month, you still get data. Your speed gets throttled, so it leaves you with two decisions:
- Either buy extra data for the remaining month, or
- Move up to the next data plan option and just pay the difference between the current plan and the new plan
They’re very flexible, because if you do want to go up or down on a plan, you can also go back down to the original plan you were on. I like that!
Not only that, but you’re buying access to Verizon’s very reliable network at that price.
Hint: Are you already on Verizon? I would run, not walk, to switch my plan. I mean, it’s the same network you’re paying more for right now, right?
How is that?
Twigby is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that buys network space from Verizon (Verizon allows this because it’s an additional revenue stream for them).
I also love how it’s a month-to-month service, and I don’t have to be locked into a contract for two years like with the major networks.
This is also great because if you just want to try this cell company out for a few months and make sure it works for you and your life, then you can do that (and the first several months on each of their plans are even more deeply discounted as an introductory rate).
To sum it up, you (and I) get:
- A no-contract, month-to-month service (you can go up or down in data needs whenever you want, with plans starting at just $5/month)
- Use of Verizon’s robust network
- To keep my phone and my number (check your own phone’s compatibility here)
At $25-$35/month on the unlimited plan…I’m actually not losing anything by switching over. Now that’s a real win!
What’s the Transition from Another Carrier Look Like?
There are three things that need to happen to switch:
- You need an unlocked phone (meaning it’s been paid off by your current plan), OR you can buy one of Twigby’s phones
- You need an eSIM or SIM switch
- You need to choose a plan
In the past, switching to a new carrier was a bit clunky. You’d have to locate your physical SIM card in your phone, take it out, and swap it with the SIM card Twigby sends you via their SIM kit.
Not ideal, for sure. I mean, I wouldn’t even know where to look for my phone’s SIM card without a YouTube tutorial video.
Now? They offer eSIM.
eSIM technology is the new standard for phones (meaning if you have an older model, then you might still have to do the physical SIM switch), and it allows the activation to happen digitally and instantly.
To find out whether or not your phone is compatible, use Twigby’s compatibility checker.
Your phone will also need to be unlocked by your current carrier (generally, this happens after it’s paid off).
On iPhone, find this out by going to Settings>General>About>Carrier Lock. Mine says “No SIM restrictions”, meaning it’s unlocked.
Do you have an Android? Here’s a quick video on how to check.
How Much This Will Save Our Household
As I mentioned above, we’re still paying around $20/month for my husband’s phone. Mine is paid off.
Not only that, but he needs to be able to call us from locations all over the world, at a reasonable price (currently on AT&T, that’s $10/day for a maximum of 12 charges each month or $120 – this is reimbursed by his employer).
I found out that Twigby does not offer international roaming, which would allow customers to have service when visiting another country. However, you can text or call people in other countries while you are in the US, and I would incur no fees for calls from my husband while he’s abroad.
Also, Wi-Fi Calling and Texting – included with every plan for free – allow you to make and receive calls and text messages using a Wi-Fi network with your existing Twigby phone number without using cell service (you don't need a cell signal). This feature works when you're travelling overseas or if you're travelling in a rural area with unpredictable service.
Since my husband's extra phone charges are paid for by his employer, and since he has to use his phone internationally in locations that don't necessarily have Wi-Fi, we'll be keeping him on his plan for now.
But could we switch me?
My portion of our $145/month bill is $67.28/month.
I plugged in my cell phone IMEI number and usage information, and was shown that I could get a comparable Twigby Plan for just $20/month (plus taxes).
This would be a savings of approximately $47.28/month, or $567.36 over the next year.
SOLD!
Personally? We’re really happy with the decision to switch my cell plan to Twigby. For now, we’ll keep my husband on our current cell plan, due to the international trips. But I call this a BIG WIN in deflating our household’s monthly costs.
Amanda L Grossman
