Here’s a frugal hack that will help you save money when you get hit by overage charges from your cell phone provider (or any company for that matter). Don’t just blindly accept additional charges ANYMORE as you stand a great chance of getting them removed if you play your cards right. Here’s what you need to know…

The Verizon Example

With two teenagers with a smartphone, my family was consistently going over our data plan every month and getting hit with overage charges from Verizon.

So when I finally got a spare moment to analyze our Verizon account, I realized we needed to upgrade to the unlimited data plan as the overages were killing us.

Start a Chat Session

So I went ahead and started a chat session with Verizon. I prefer to chat rather than call as it’s easier to get straight to the point and not get distracted.

At first I got nowhere with the chat representative but I persisted and finally got the answer I was looking for.

I told the rep that since I was upgrading to a more expensive monthly plan, refunding the overage charges was the least Verizon could do.

I stuck to my guns and the rep finally gave-in and told me they would give me back my $45 in charges.

See Also: Learn to Negotiate with Dish, DIRECTV, AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast and Save Hundreds

Will This Work For Other Carriers?

It absolutely should work with AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile.

It should also work with other service companies where you’ve incurred overage charges.

DSL Internet and broadband Internet jump to mind as many come with a maximum usage policies before you incur additional charges.

Final Thoughts…

Be sure to follow up and make sure the charges are indeed removed from your bill.

It’s easy to forget about the chat session which is why I always take a screenshot of the conversation and make a note to check my account in a week or two.

Good luck and happy savings.

By Kyle James