7 ways to protect yourself from cell phone overage "gotchas"

Don't be a victim of outrageous cellular service plan overage fees that run from 25 to 45 cents per minute when you use more than your monthly allotment of minutes. Technology, wireless market competition, and the FCC are in the process of strangling this rip-off.

Ideally, the big four contract carriers should send text and email alerts when you're nearing your voice, messaging, and data limits. But until that happens, here's what you can do to protect yourself right now:

• If you have an Android, Blackberry, iPhone, or Windows Mobile smart phone, check out the Pageonce Mobile Tracker and Personal Assistant apps.

• If you live in 26 Midwest, Northeast, and Pacific Coast states served by U.S. Cellular, consider switching to this regional carrier offering nationwide coverage, and signing up for its free overage protection service.

When you use 75 percent of your plan's allotted voice minutes or text messages, U.S. Cellular sends you a text message alert. A second alert goes out when you use 100 percent of your package. You can then moderate your usage or call in and switch to a higher-minute plan with no penalty or contract extension. After that, you can switch back to a lower-minute plan anytime.

• Tap the usage information codes on your cell phone or register with your carrier for online access to your cell phone account and check your usage balance at the middle and three-quarters point of each month's billing cycle—especially if you're on the phone more than usual because of a family emergency, travel, or a friend in crisis mode who needs to talk. If you're nearing your limit, temporarily switch to a higher-minute plan. Then, once life returns to normal, switch back down to a less expensive, lower-minute plan that meets your needs.

• Be mindful of the caveats related to switching plans. (Consumer Reports recommends switching by talking directly to a customer service rep, not doing it online.)

• Switch to a prepaid pay-as-you-go (rather than prepaid monthly allotment) plan. In pay-as-you-go plan, there are no overage charges. You instead buy more minutes at the regular rate when your prepaid account balance runs low or runs out. Or, consider a prepaid monthly unlimited minutes plan, which can be significantly less expensive than unlimited plans offered by the big contract carriers. 

• Consider AT&T wireless service, which offers rollover voice minutes on most of its plans. Rollover minutes accrue each month from unused plan minutes, and they don't expire until a year later; you can tap that bankroll whenever you go over your monthly allotment.

• Buy unlimited monthly messaging and data service, unless you're certain your monthly usage fits comfortably within a limited use plan, which is typically cheaper.

• If you do get snagged, complain to your cell carrier, threaten to switch service, and demand fair treatment, specifically a discount. That's what I did and got my carrier to knock $175 or 68 percent off my $255 overage bill, which saved me another $23 in those blasted wireless taxes, fees, and surcharges. The major carriers say they work with customers with overages on a case-by-case basis. —Jeff Blyskal