OK, so you are near the end of your cell phone plan. You’ve been paying a fixed monthly fee. One that you thought was a pretty good deal when you signed up, but maybe later came to realize that your friends have a better plan with the ‘other’ cell phone company. You may be thinking that you should switch cell phone companies…maybe you should. Or you could try to swing a better deal with your current cell phone provider. This is what we’re talking about in this article.

The day your cell phone plan is finished is when you make your pitch to your cell phone company. Follow these steps to a great cell phone plan:

1. Call you cell phone provider from your cell phone, and tell them you want to cancel your cell phone plan. You should do this by calling *something (usually a 2 or 3 digit number, depends on you provider). You will probably get a voice recording asking to leave a detailed message or something along those lines. Don’t worry, they won’t cancel your cell phone on the spot. Usually it takes about a month.

What this does is connect you with their retention department. The retention department is the ONLY department that can make price changes with your cell phone plan. If you were to call their customer service via their phone number on a landline, you would get their first level customer service department. These guys will only help you with basic stuff like address change, transfer you to other departments, etc.. calling from the cellphone and saying you want to cancel your plan connects you with the guys that want to convince you to stay, the retention department.

3. When you get a live person in the retention department, they will ask why you want to cancel your cell phone plan. You should tell them that you can get a better offer from the ‘other’ company. Tell them your friend has a better plan. You thought you had a good plan bet are now upset because you realize its not. Tell them that you think their service is great and that you want to continue doing business with them, but feasibly its not a good decision as you can get a better deal elsewhere.

4. Once you explain your case, the offers should start rolling in. I’ve heard of retention offers where guys are getting 250 minutes plus a few bells and whistles for $5 a month! You absolutely can’t beat that! You may not get as good a deal as that, but you will certainly get a better offer than the rate you’ve been paying.

One more thought, you can check on Craigslist for ‘cell phone plans’. You’ll find some guys that will hook you up with a lower rate on a cell phone plan…you’re basically getting a retention plan, and paying them to get it for you. It may seem like a good deal, but why not do it yourself…once you are near the end of your plan.

Good Luck!