Half of mobile phone users ringing up extra charges

ALMOST half of mobile phone users end up paying extra charges on top of their monthly contracts, paying out £180m a year in additional charges.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Feb 2013, 18:13 BST

The main reasons for overspending are premium rate numbers and roaming charges.However, one out of ten admit they have no idea why they are overspending on mobile bills, according to uSwitch research.

The survey of mobile users found 48 per cent end up paying above their monthly tariff - adding up to £100 in additional charges every year. One in ten people regularly overspend by £25 a month, while one in four find themselves landed with £10 in extra charges.

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Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, says: “Budget-conscious Brits are signing up to pay monthly mobile deals with the promise of plenty of calls and a set monthly bill. However, while it’s all well and good having a mobile bundle with stacks of minutes, texts and data, calling premium rate numbers, voting by text for your favourite music acts and incurring roaming costs when abroad can render them useless, as these are often not included in your tariff.

“The problem isn’t necessarily a cavalier or complacent att­itude to these charges, but the fact that people just aren’t aware of how much they are going to cost. Simply being aware of out-of-tariff charges can save pounds each month and itemised bills are a great way of monitoring usage.”