using wifi to lower phone bill

[Orgasmic]

Hi -
If I use WiFi at home for my blackberry, rather than the phone line on my blackberry (edge?), will my phone bills be less expensive?

I really want to reduce my monthly bill. It runs on average $70 a month.

Thanks for your help.
Susan

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[And1Viper]

It certainly won't hurt, but the only way that it reduces your bill is if you currently are paying for the data you use.

For example, if your plan includes 500MB of data, and you use 300MB a month, then using WiFi won't lower your bill. If you use 600MB of data on a 500MB plan, then you are paying for that extra 100MB, and in this case using WiFi should lower your data usage to below 500MB and will indeed lower your bill.

It all depends on your plan and how you are charged for your data.

[ratsttam]

I would guess that it won't make a difference in your bill. Cell companies have you pay a set amount per month for a set amount of minutes. If you use less minutes, then that is all good. If you go OVER than you pay extra.

So... If there is a lower calling plan (ie: you have 700min/mo and you drop to a plan with 450min/mo) than you can save by switching down to it. But as far as getting a credit for minutes unused, yeah, good luck with that.

Were you talking about using UMA for calling???

[sk66rc]

Way I understood it, as And1Viper already explained, it's based on what you are paying for. If you are on limited data plan, like 500mb per month, you wouldn't be charged for anything you use on your wifi, or any wifi link for that matter. If your plan includes unlimited data plan, then it doesn't make any difference at all on your bill.

[syb0rg]

Originally Posted by And1Viper

It certainly won't hurt, but the only way that it reduces your bill is if you currently are paying for the data you use.

For example, if your plan includes 500MB of data, and you use 300MB a month, then using WiFi won't lower your bill. If you use 600MB of data on a 500MB plan, then you are paying for that extra 100MB, and in this case using WiFi should lower your data usage to below 500MB and will indeed lower your bill.

It all depends on your plan and how you are charged for your data.

Typically, and as of current, T-Mobile /USA/ only has one BIS plan. Unlimited email and unlimited data.

The only way you will be able to lower you bill and keep BIS, is to lower your monthly minuets bank.

[TequilaAddict]

If you are saying that your TMo bill is $70 per month, then are you on a grandfathered rate plan? I doubt that your bill could decrease below what you currently pay.

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[SandAngel]

It depends which package you have. You need to do some math.

If you are on grandfathered plan you can pay $10 extra a month and get unlimited wifi calling that doesn't suck away you minutes. So you need to figure if you can lower your minute plan enough to make up the $10. You also need to consider how much you will actuallyuse wifi.

So basically if you can hook up alot of wifi calls at home and about town you just figure the lowest whenever plan you can use for no wifi and then add$10 for your wifi calls and see what the numbers add up to.

Customer service can hook you up with grandfathered pricing info for whenever minutes if you can't find it anywhere.


Personally my familyplan that is FULL uses only 100-300 minutes a month and the rest is all wifi freebie calls.
If your phone isn't one with the pink ball indicator you have to make sure you are actually USING wifi so you don't go over minute wise. The ones that just pop up the little wifi message are sometimes not exActly correct

[Orgasmic]

Thanks for the responses - it reminded me that I have the unlimited data plan, so using wifi would not lower my montly bill.

Susan

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