You Asked, We Answered: How Do I Make My Data Plan Go Further?

A data plan is your gateway to all the most exciting places in the wireless universe. It lets your smartphone do what it does best: connect to cellular networks so you can search the Internet, use GPS, stream videos, download and install apps, access social media, and so much more.

Getting the most out of your data plan is easy, if you keep a few important things in mind. Smartphones track overall data usage, so you can always find out exactly how much you’re consuming, and decide whether you need more, or less, on your cellular plan. They also break down data usage by app, so you’ll know exactly how many gigabytes are being used by Facebook, Spotify, YouTube or any other apps that you spend lots of time using

Plus, you can preserve your cellular data by connecting to Wi-Fi whenever it’s available. Wi-Fi can be set up in your home, and is also widely available in most public spaces, like coffee shops, libraries, hotels, airports, and more. It allows you to do all the same things you can do on your cellular network, while saving your cellular data for times you’ll really need it, like when you’re traveling, or are simply out of range of any Wi-Fi networks.

And remember: with Consumer Cellular, you can always get exactly what you need. Our Connect Plans are completely flexible, so if you find that you actually need more (or less) data than your current plan provides, you can switch any time without fees, right up to the last day of your billing cycle. If you do happen to go over the amount your plan allows, we even automatically upgrade you to the plan that covers your usage.

It’s remarkable how much we now rely on our cellphones while on the go for information, entertainment, and even to get from place to place. By using it wisely, your mobile data plan will keep you connected whenever, and wherever, you need it.

28 Thoughts on "You Asked, We Answered: How Do I Make My Data Plan Go Further?"

  1. Sheila Hunter says

    How do I find out data usage by various apps?

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      We can help you with that, Sheila! I reviewed your account, and I see that you’re using an iPhone 5s. To get started, open your Settings app and tap Cellular. Scroll down until you see the list of apps that use data. You’ll see the amount of data used by each app. You can also turn data access off to certain apps if you like. If you turn it off, that app will only use Wi-Fi. We’re happy to answer any other data related questions you may have, or assist you with any account changes at 888-345-5509. Thank you for taking the time to post, and we hope you have a great day!

  2. Beverly Whitlow says

    I thought I had set up auto pay. I deleted the amount from my account. Sorry. I hope the auto pay goes through this time.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Thank you for letting us know, Beverly. If you like, we can confirm the details of your payment or answer any questions you may have about your account at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to post!

  3. A. Jeffrey says

    Consumer Cellular seriously needs to consider changing the data plan options to include UNLIMITED data…..and soon! It doesn’t help to have a limited data plan when you’re on a road trip having to use GPS and it eats up the majority of your data usage in 24 hrs! I like Consumer Cellular for the competitive rates offered, but if an unlimited data plan will not be offered in the near future, I may have to think about joining another cellular company that offers it.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      We appreciate you posting, and thank you for sharing your feedback. At this time, we don’t have any new plans to announce, but please know that we are always evaluating our offerings to make sure we are offering the best value to our customers. If we do make an update to our plans, we will be sure to communicate that here on our blog and in other customer communications. Thank you again for posting, and we hope you have a great day!

    • Bob says

      For Jeffrey: GPS uses vastly more data when you are traveling if you have the satellite view turned on. With it turned off, you still see the roads, get all the turns, etc. You just don’t see the landscape.

    • P Brown says

      When I travel, I turn on Cellular for Maps or Google Maps only sparingly, not turn by turn; and I keep an eagle eye on how much data I’m burning. If the app is in the background updating your location, yes, it will burn the megabytes. When I leave Maps active, I turn off the constant update. (I noticed that not every cell tower provides traffic data! )

      • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

        Thank you for sharing your tips with us today, P! We’re sure other customers will find these to be very useful when navigating. We appreciate you taking the time to post, and we hope you have a great day!

    • A Huntington says

      I spent 20 years in commercial masonry, and I’ve driven from coast to coast and boarder to boarder—all before smartphones with maps existed. Write down turn my turn, e.g. W on I-44, S on 220Rd, etc.. Don’t even bother with maps on the road. They aren’t always correct.

  4. Steve says

    We use every trick in the book to minimize and monitor our data usage. But occasionally we go over our quota, and CC’s automatic “plan upgrade” ends up acting more like a penalty than a service. For instance, this month we ran 50MB over our quota on the very last day of our billing period – and paid $9 for another 1.5GB of data that we could never use!

    Please consider increasing customers’ data allocation in something other than 100% increments! We would gladly have paid $1 at the same $/MB rate to get an extra 160MB of data to use on that last day, but being charged $9 instead for 10 times the amount we needed seems more like a punishment than a “favor”. 🙁

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      That’s great feedback, Steve, and I’m happy to pass your suggestion on to our management team. I reviewed your account, and I see that you were able to speak with Sherrie, our account advisor, about this issue and get more information. If we can assist you with anything else at this time, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-345-5509 at your convenience. We hope you have a wonderful day!

  5. William C. Burns says

    I , like many others have some auto payed and others we need to pay each time. I wish on the bill you send on the comupter you would note up front that the bill will be paid automatically instead of having to dig for for the info if we are not sure. That can’t be to difficult.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      That is a great idea, William, and I’m happy to pass it on to our billing team. In the meantime, we’re always happy to help you confirm your payment details at 888-345-5509. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us today!

  6. Deanna says

    I agree with making an unlimited plan for internet usage only, I work at home sometimes and it pushes my limit way up & over which causes my cell phone to shut down as well. Please review your plans soon to make it more user friendly for those of us that are still in the workforce.
    I did purchase the hot spot but haven’t been using it just for this reason & paying $10 a month for not using is a waste, I may have to go to a different company as well.
    Thank You!

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      We really appreciate your feedback, Deanna, as it truly helps us create plans that are the best fit for our customers. At this point in time, we don’t have any new plans to announce, but if we do in the future, we’ll be sure to post about it here on our blog and in other customer communications. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us, and we hope you have a wonderful day!

  7. Pam Eaton says

    Unlimited data plan would be greatly appreciated. Our son and his wife are with another company with unlimited everything. They pay less than I do per month. May have to consider changing companies.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Thanks for posting, Pam. Many of our customers find that the real benefit to our plans is the ability to change as needed if they use less data than expected. Rather than pay for data they don’t need, they can downgrade their plan and save money each month. I’m happy to pass your feedback regarding our plans on to our management team. Suggestions like yours are very helpful to us, and help us create plans that provide the most value to our customers. Thank you again for reaching out to us, and we hope you have a great day!

  8. John black says

    Can you use phone out of Country i.e. England

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Great questions, John. You may have the option of international roaming, but we’ll need to confirm some details and settings to get you started. Please call us at 888-345-5509, and we can answer any questions you may have. You can learn more about the available countries and other details on our website here. We appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us today!

  9. Lori Dudley says

    Hi CC,
    I switched from Verizon to CC, kept my Samsung note 5 and my phone number. But, I’m having problems with getting everything removed that is Verizon related from phone and I keep getting a message stating you SIM card is not Verizon.
    Also, I can only connect and use texting, Maps, Internet, etc when on WiFi but my data states 71% used already – why???
    How do I get connected when I’m not connected through WiFi when needed, it always states your offline.

    • Lori Dudley says

      Also – I didn’t see where CC offers mobile hotspot that is not a separate device but right on my SmartPhone – I had this with Verizon and loved that feature.

      • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

        We can assist you with that as well, Lori. If you would like to use this feature, we’ll need to adjust some settings on our end, so please call us at 888-345-5509 and we can get that taken care of. Thanks for taking the time to reach out to us!

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Thank you for reaching out to us, Lori, and we’re so happy you made the switch to Consumer Cellular! It sounds like we may need to adjust some of the data settings on your phone in order for all of the features to work properly. We can help you with this over the phone at 888-345-5509 at your convenience. We appreciate you posting, and we look forward to speaking with you!

  10. Mark Hennessey says

    I’m sure that there’s a good reason that phone companies don’t simply establish a reasonable (low) per MB rate for data usage. Instead they sell various limited plans that virtually insure that you’ll either pay for data that you don’t use or pay a penalty because you used data for which you had not already committed to pay. I guess the question kinda answers itself. I suppose there’s also a good reason Consumer Cellular doesn’t offer an unlimited data plan. I expect the reason is similar.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Thank you for posting today, Mark. We find that many of our customers have different needs from month to month. At times, they may need more data and can be automatically upgraded to the next plan. There are other times in which they need less data than expected, and our flexible plans allow them to switch to a smaller plan and save money that month. We don’t think our customers should pay for more data than they need, so we’ve ensured they can switch at any time. If you’re finding yourself using more data than expected, we’re happy to suggest a few solutions that can help at 888-345-5509. Thanks for sharing your feedback, and we appreciate you reaching out to us!

  11. Lavette says

    Just curious to know if CC will soon be getting Unlimited data? I love this company but i need more internet. I left the company that i was with and i was paying a little more and The only reason i left was due to the signal… PLEASE unlimited data.

    • Ashley at Consumer Cellular says

      Thank you for posting, Lavette. At this time, we don’t have any new plan options to announce, but if that changes in the future, we’ll be sure to let our customers know on our website, and here on the blog as well. I’m happy to pass your feedback on to our management team as well, so thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We appreciate your comments, and we hope you have a great day!