New Jersey Phone Bills Are About To Get More Expensive – Here’s Why

This isn't going to be a massive increase for everybody, but these days, every penny counts.

Plus, we're talking about cell phone bills, which are very shady to begin with.

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Does anyone really know what the long list of added fees is actually for?

Federal, State, and local taxes, Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge, Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF), Cell Tower Alliance Conjuction.

I made that last one up. Be honest, did you fall for it? My point is that it's not wild to think that cell phone companies could make up phony charges and have them fly under the radar. Thankfully, there are regulations for things like that, I think.

Do you take advantage of cell phone plan discounts?

If not, ask about them. You may be able to lower your monthly bill a bit. Sometimes, this happens as soon as you talk to your provider. You can also "renegotiate" on a more extended contract.

These are the discounts and rebates for going paperless on your bill and enrolling in auto-pay every month.

Attention New Jersey AT&T customers.

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NJ.com reports that if you use a debit card for your monthly automatic payments, your discount will drop from $10 to $5.

If you have a credit card on the account, the discount is completely removed. The only exception is if it's an AT&T Points Plus credit card.

Credit card companies charge almost all businesses a fee as high as 3% for credit card transactions. You may have noticed that some businesses pass that charge onto the consumer.

It's one thing if a small business is trying to cut costs with credit card usage fees, but AT&T? This is a billion-dollar company. I think they can afford it.

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Fear not—you can still get that ten-dollar discount if your monthly AT&T bill comes directly from your bank account. To set this up, you'll need your account and routing number.

To get started, access your AT&T account online or on the app. AT&T can also help you by calling 1-800-288-2020.