With the new year approaching, consider a more cost-effective cell phone plan. According to the New York Times, a growing trend among wireless plans promises customers significantly lower monthly rates. Budget carriers leasing wireless services from the larger companies offer phone bills at around $25 per month, undercutting the well-known providers whose monthly plans range from $60 to $200 a month.

While a budget carrier may not be able to offer the same network speed performance, download speeds with 5G and 4G technology remain quite fast and users will most likely not notice a difference between the larger versus budget providers. Additionally, with the shift to a hybrid work-week cutting down on commute times, most employees rely more on Wi-Fi connections at home or at the office and less on their cellular network.

Many have reported that the transition to a budget carrier was not always smooth. Customers complained of eSIM activation fees, wireless services that did not activate right away, unhelpful customer service, and failure to send monthly receipts. However, those who have switched over, report savings of 50%, some around $1000 a year, a worthwhile tradeoff for the hiccups they encountered. The discount plans even allow users to buy a physical or eSIM, which can be purchased from their website or app, to test out the service without dropping their current provider. This way, consumers can choose the best option available without any hassle.

If you’re looking to cut your expenses in 2024, switching to a discount phone plan is easy and will not disrupt your lifestyle.