A Quick Course in Saving on Long-Distance Bills as College Kids Head Back to School

LOS ANGELES, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the U. S. Census Bureau, 15.9 million students will be heading to college this fall, with many attending schools that can be hours away from home. In fact, according to Cellular One, over 80% of college students carry cell phones and the number one reason for purchasing the cell phone was to keep in contact with family members.

Now is the perfect time for parents to take a look at their long-distance and wireless plans. There are several options out there for consumers to research the best long-distance and wireless plans, but one company, LowerMyBills.com, allows consumers to compare long distance and wireless plans side-by-side in order to find the best deals and rates.

Kelsey Scott is going into her senior year at the University of North Carolina and spent more than $500 last year alone on calls to her family in San Diego, CA. «It’s so hard when something happens and you can’t call home because you have already gone over your minutes that month on your cell phone bill.»

In addition, LowerMyBills.com just launched a new service, BillPay Plus for paying and managing monthly bills online, plus consumers can set up email alerts, so parents can keep track of when their child’s bill is due and when they are about to go over their minutes.

In addition, Matt Coffin, founder and CEO of LowerMyBills.com offers parents the following tips to save even further on wireless and telecom bills:

Get a toll-free number. When your child calls home you pay the bill directly. Many companies offer these services for less than 10 cents a minute, which may be significantly cheaper than the dorm long distance plan.

Pre-paid calling card. Use a pre-paid calling card, which you refill every month.

Buy a family plan. The plans include shared minutes between members and multiple phones.

Purchase a plan that fits your student’s calling needs. Are they in class all day? Then make sure their plan has more night and weekend minutes. Do they have class mostly at night? Then more «anytime» minutes would be cost effective.

Plans vary from state to state. Fees and plans differ in every state so be sure to compare rates, fees and minutes side-by-side and always read the fine print.