Britain wastes over £8bn on extra texts and minutes

The British mobile phone industry rakes in over £8.45bn per year from customers on the wrong mobile phone tariff.

The study by price comparison website moneysupermarket.com reveals a typical user enjoys 166 free voice minutes and 133 texts per month as part of their tariff or top up package. However, on average, British mobile phone customers use 23 voice minutes and 23 texts over their inclusive allowance, which means they could be paying up to an extra £130 per year.

The results also show that half of the respondents did not know how many minutes (27 per cent) or texts (23 per cent) they use each month, leaving them prone to additional charges. However, customers are confused about what their tariff includes as one in seven (16 per cent) don’t know how many free minutes they have, and one in six (17 per cent) don’t know how many texts are included.

Rob Barnes, head of broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: “I’d advise customers to be more aware of what package they have and what’s available to them. People should check their monthly bill regularly, if they’re using up all their allowance it’s worth considering a move to a different tariff with more inclusive minutes and texts. It could save a lot of money in the long run.”

The results also show that one in five (20 per cent) mobile users sometimes, if not always, receive a bill for more than expected. A third (33 per cent) don’t know what they pay for voicemail retrieval, and one in seven (14 per cent) said they have no idea what their monthly line rental is. Almost a third (28 per cent) don’t know how much they pay for email and two in five (42 per cent) people don’t know how much it costs to call customer services.

Barnes concluded: “The reason mobile phone operators can offer such good contract deals is by charging customers for additional services. As our research shows, many people don’t realise how much these additional services cost and are being stung when their bill arrives. I would urge customers to read through their contract and ensure they are fully aware of all costs additional to their inclusive minutes and texts.”