21 May 2007
Unused inclusive minutes from monthly mobile tariffs are wasting £88 million each month, equating to around 20 hours per person.
With only two of the major network suppliers allowing their users to roll-over their unused minutes and text messages, the vast majority of mobile phone users are missing out on the full value of their tariff.
The figures arrive courtesy of the independent price comparison and switching website uSwitch.com, which also discovered that despite the fact that 71% of monthly contract users receive an average of 257 peak and 257 off-peak 'free' inclusive minutes as part of their deal each month, the average monthly contract payer still has over 100 minutes left over at the billing period.
Text messages were also found to be lost, with the average mobile user being entitled to 299 peak texts and 244 off-peak texts each month, but leaving 73 untouched at the end of every billing period.
Chris Frost, Mobile Phone Expert for uSwitch.com, said that consumers were also losing out by paying up to £6.01 extra on their bill for calls and texts which are not included in their tariff packages.
"This indicates that many of us are getting it very wrong when it comes to choosing our deals," he stated, adding: "with so many deals now available, it's important that consumers take a step back from the hard-sell of mobile contracts and take time to consider what will work best for them."
Mr Frost also warned consumers against choosing a contract purely for the handset, since many of them will be outdated within six months, leaving consumers having to pay another six or even 12 months of a contracted deal which may not be the best one financially.
What tariff should you choose? Pay As You Go or contract? Find the best tariff for your budget. uSwitch.com can search available deals and find the one best suited to you. Compare mobile deals and switch online for free.