Follow these six rules and you are likely to lower the cost of your phone usage. Packages that offer unlimited local and/or long-distance calls—as well as features, such as call waiting—for one set monthly price, often look better than they actually are. Remember, taxes and surcharges can increase the total cost of such plans by up to 20 percent—or more. In order to save money on a typical plan, you may have to make several hundred local calls and/or several hours of long-distance calls each month, depending on what the plan offers. Plus, you would have to want and need all the calling features offered. Also, even if you don't make a single call, you still get charged the same amount each month. Local Toll (a.k.a. local long distance) calls are those that travel roughly 15-40 miles from your home. Long-distance calls are beyond that. Don't settle for anything more than about a nickel per minute for these calls. Pioneer Telephone (1-877-492-6878) offers rates of just 2-6 cents per minute for calls beyond 15 miles, and a $10 "CUB credit" to start. Or, if you make very few of these calls, consider dropping your local toll/long-distance plan altogether and using a prepaid calling card or extra minutes left over on your cell-phone plan. If you do this, notify your local phone company to complete the change. You may be charged a one-time fee to drop the service. Remember to read the fine print of any offer to spot hidden fees and other potential rip-offs. If you consistently have wireless minutes left at the end of a month, use them to make the Local Toll or long-distance calls you normally would make from your home landline—at extra cost to you. In fact, you may be able to drop your regular long-distance completely. Similarly, if your wireless plan comes with free voice mail, don't pay the monthly fee for the same service on your landline. Give friends and family your cell phone number and tell them to leave messages in that voice mail box. Check out CUB's Cell Phone Shopper's Guide for more information and advice. Inside Wire Maintenance (called Line-Backer by AT&T) is an optional phone company insurance plan, for up to $10 per month, that covers repairs to your home's INSIDE wires. However, most telephone problems are not caused by the inside wiring. There's a good chance you're better off skipping such plans. Your yearly savings over time will most likely be enough to cover any inside-wire repairs—if you ever need them done. There are FREE directory assistance services. The trade-off is you may have to listen to an advertisement before you get the number. Still, you avoid fees of up to $2 per call for traditional "information." Next time you need a residential or business phone number, try dialing one of these free services: 1-800-FREE411 (1-800-373-3411) or 1-800-YellowPages (1-800-935-5697). If you have any questions about your telephone, natural gas, or electric service, call CUB's toll-free Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556.