Thursday’s need-to-know money news

debt collectorsToday’s top story: AT&T agrees to pay customers over a hundred million dollars to settle claims of false charges. Also in the news: Why you should check your bills for mistakes, mortgage mythbusting, and why it may not be the right time to buy a new home.

AT&T May Owe You a Refund for Bogus Charges
The company will pay out over $100,000,000 to settle claims.

How Often Do You Check Your Bills for Irregularities?
Odds are not nearly enough.

5 Mortgage Myths Dispelled
Mythbusting!

5 Reasons You May Not Be Able To Afford A New House
Every day choices that could keep holding you back.

Can You Go Solar? Leases, Loans Make It Possible
Your electrical costs could take a nosedive.

AT&T customers, check your plan!

Internet shopping by cell phone - concept illustrationWhen I heard last month that AT&T was dropping prices for its wireless plans, I thought our family could save a little money. I was startled to find we can save a whopping $60 a month and get a plan with twice as much data.

AT&T cut its prices to compete with T-Mobile and the pay-as-you-go companies that have been offering a lot more data for a lot less. But AT&T isn’t going to foist the savings on you–you have to seek them out. Fortunately, that’s as easy as going online to check your account (a savings offer should show up on your screen) or you can just call the carrier from your phone and ask how you can save.

I try to make it a point to call our communications providers once or twice a year to see if we can get a better deal. I wished I’d called this one a little earlier, because I was only able to backdate the changes to the beginning of last week (the start of our current billing cycle).

Changing plans does not extend your service term or add any additional termination fees, an AT&T rep assured me. So if you’re under contract to AT&T, go save some money!