Ever since the first message was sent using the Short Message Service (SMS) in 1992, texting has become one of the most popular things for which people use their mobile phones. At the same time, however, it does cost money and, if it becomes a habit, it can be expensive, though that does not stop many people from racking up large bills by texting. Certainly children and teenagers often do so on their parents’ bills! Many people use their smartphones for little else but sending text messages.
Fortunately there are ways in which you can make maximum use your wireless device without having to pay so much. Four ways in which you can do so are outlined below.
1) Use a pay-as-you-go service.
There is nothing like a straightforward “pay as you go” system where you know exactly what you owe the company as soon as you use one of their services. There is no “catch,” no monthly bill, no hidden charges or anything of the sort which all of those “big name” wireless companies have often imposed on their customers. Even if the other things you do on your phone, such as surfing, are free, texting is not, and that is really “highway robbery,” as it were. You really should steer clear of them.
2) Find a free texting service.
What you want, specifically, is that texting is provided free in the mobile phone plan that you intend to purchase. Wi-fi services are available throughout the world so it should cost the carriers next to nothing for their customers to send unlimited numbers of texts. Many users become worried each time they make a text, say, to a close friend to remind him or her to meet them in such-and-such a place at such-and-such a time because they fear that it will add to their monthly bills. No one should have to be concerned about that.
3) Find a free international texting service.
Just as sending local text messages should be available for free, so too should the sending of international text messages. The sending of messages electronically has naturally been more expensive than its local counterpart ever since the telegraph was first invented in 1837. Overseas services has been especially costly. The invention of the mobile phone has been the most recent in a long line of innovations that have made the world a smaller place during the past two centuries and for the great majority of us that is more than just a good thing: It is a wonderful thing because now we can keep in touch with our family and friends even when they are separated from us by an ocean.
However, many wireless companies are placing limits on the amount of international texting that can be made. Many people return home from an overseas trip only to be confronted with a roaming bill that is so large it could easily pass for a mortgage bill! Even 25¢ per message can really add up to hundreds of dollars over the period of a month unless you are really careful about how often you use the service; that is what many carriers will charge their customers for texting while overseas!
4) Buy yourself a Scratch Wireless phone.
This is the step that really covers all the others that we have discussed thus far. The Scratch Wireless is “the only Android with free, unlimited text messaging.” Scratch does not impose any international roaming fees and you can send texts using your phone number in the United States, regardless of the country from which you send them. To be sure, you may find yourself in an area where no wi-fi connection is available, in which case you will have to purchase a pass, but even this will cost you no more than $1.99 for a day – about the price you would pay when buying a song online. There is also a $14.99 pass for thirty days; both prices apply equally to data and voice calls. Once you return to wi-fi, the service is free once again. There is nothing like Scratch Wireless when it comes to bargain texting.
