Apparently We All Pay $3.02 a Minute For Cell Service

[badatusrnames]

Of course, the article doesn't seem to account for the fact that people are using their phones more and more as email/texting devices and less and less as telephones. Still though - maybe pay as you go isn't such a bad idea.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/128255


Christopher Null: The Working Guy

How much are you paying for cell service? Would you believe $3 a minute?

Mon Mar 9, 2009 11:56AM EDT


Shocking headline? You better believe it. Like most consumers, I feel like I'm getting a pretty good deal on my cell phone service, paying about 40 bucks a month for 450 minutes worth of talk time, including unlimited nights and weekends, rollover minutes, and all that good stuff.

The problem for me -- and for most of the free world, it seems -- is that I don't use anywhere close to 450 minutes a month on my cell. And when you take an average of a few hundred cell phone bills, dividing how much the users really pay vs. the minutes they really use, you get some shocking figures indeed. According to a study from San Diego's Utility Consumers' Action Network, the average cost of a wireless call is, in reality, a shocking $3.02 per minute.

Wow.

Why so high? The average customer uses only 32 percent of his minute allotment, and some customers pay up to $100 a month (not including all those unadvertised fees and taxes, which push the costs even higher) for unlimited service, making for an even worse deal in the end. (Take out the worst outliers who pay a lot and use no minutes and the average is still around 75 cents a minute for cell service.)

The numbers are better, but still bad, for land-line long distance, where consumers pay an average of 55 cents per minute for long distance, when all fees are truly accounted for. It probably doesn't help that, according to the study, "90 percent of AT&T and Verizon phone bills are improperly taxed."

The goal of the UCAN report is to raise awareness of what consumers are really paying on their phone bills by quantifying their expenses in detail, while also questioning whether deregulation has lived up to claims that it would save customers money in the long run. (The report's claim is that it definitively has not.)

How much are you really paying in phone service? Take a look at your bill to see how many minutes you actually use and compare that against what you really pay each month. You might be shocked by what you find.

[Eleanor]

If pay as you go was truly pay as you go, I'm sure most people would use it.

However they put so many damn restrictions & fees on it that it isn't worthwhile.

[Toma]

LOL... I have 700 minutes, free incoming, and free evenings/weekends, and I still go over.

My problem is cell long distance... that is what doubles my bill every month.

[Xtrema]

Time to stop hardware subsidizing.

The all make mad cash off people who don't refresh there phone.

Take Fido for example. If they can offer a free phone on the cheapest rate just for exchange for a 2 year contract, that basically mean there is still room to go lower on the rate.

[freshprince1]

Originally posted by Toma
LOL... I have 700 minutes, free incoming, and free evenings/weekends, and I still go over.

My problem is cell long distance... that is what doubles my bill every month.

Too bad the Canadian plans rape us on long distance. I had a friend up from the US last year, and he was astounded that we even pay any long distance fees. Apparently long distance fees in the US are a thing of the past.

[lint]

Originally posted by Eleanor
If pay as you go was truly pay as you go, I'm sure most people would use it.

However they put so many damn restrictions & fees on it that it isn't worthwhile.

What fees do you speak of? Pay as you go usually includes things like caller id, voice mail and SAF in the per minute rate. It's definitely a viable alternative for many cell users.

[chkolny541]

^^yea pretty well included with nearly every plan

[soupey]

ive gotten around long distance fees by using my phone as a SIP phone, wooo nokia e-71!

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by lint
What fees do you speak of? Pay as you go usually includes things like caller id, voice mail and SAF in the per minute rate. It's definitely a viable alternative for many cell users. When I was on Pay as you go I still had things like system access fees & 911 and that BS.

But the big thing was restrictions on the pay as you go. It wasn't like $x for y minutes. It was $x for y minutes, but if you didn't use them up in 2 months, you lost them, unless you bought more. it was a piss off, cause you keep ending up buying more minutes when you don't need them because you need to keep your subscription "active".

[Toma]

What's a sip phone?

A buddy of mine keeps 2 phones... an alberta phone for local and incoming, a California phone for long distance and outgoing.

[old&slow]

The reason I no longer own a cell...can't justify the cost!

[soupey]

Originally posted by Toma
What's a sip phone?

A buddy of mine keeps 2 phones... an alberta phone for local and incoming, a California phone for long distance and outgoing.

sip phone allows u to use VOIP services through ur phone when u have 3G/wifi access, or if u use Fring u can do it through GPRS/EDGE network.

I use www.voipcheap.com to get 300mins free per week, and 1.3c/min USD after that, u need to put 10 euros down every 3 months to keep the 300mins free/week deal going (the 10 euros then can be used at the 1.3c/min rate until its used up, then u gotta refill to get another 90days of free calling), it also comes with calling card access numbers taht u can use if ur not in a wifi spot, but the access numbers aren't available for every city yet.

another popular service is truphone.com, but its not as cheap. works for iphone, bb's, and symbian nokias.

[l/l/rX]

Its not your subscription, its your money that you've put into your phone. With sim cards they don't go dead if you haven't used them for 6 months. But the dollar amount on your sim card have an expirey date of 30 or 60 days pending on the amount you bought.
And for those people paying and average of 3 bucks a minute change your plan to a lower one. Simple. If the consumer doesn't look over their bill then they're stupid.
Its just like the people who yell at us because their bill is to much and call us thieves.
Well douche bag maybe if you upgraded your plan spend a little extra you might save some instead of staying on the 15 buck plan that gets you 50min a month.

[badatusrnames]

^^ I suppose that's it, people aren't optimizing their plans...

[Xtrema]

http://www.billshrink.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/carriers_final-r4sm.png

I'm sure Canada is worse than US.

[Toma]

I really enjoyed some parts of 'eastern' europe where everyone is pay as you go....

It's fucking cool. For instance, the rate was 0.03 cents a minutes, text was free, and you can pay your parking meter, bus pass etc with a simple text.

[psycoticclown]

People still use pay as you go in Canada? I know everybody loved that shit back like 2 or 3 years ago, but its way more economical for most users to just get a plan. I guess it's only good for people who never talk on cellphones or text. But the instant you actually factor in texting and using your phone more than once ever 3 days than its way cheaper to get a contract. Especially with retention plans, less than $20 for 250 weekday, unlt weekends, 1000 texts and free incoming?

I also love people who would go to Rogers and buy a contract-free HTC Diamond or BB or Iphone for $500 or $600 and just use pay as you go, whats the point of getting such a nice phone when you can barely use them?

I love my plan though, less than $40 for Canada wide My-5, unlimited texts, free incoming, unlimited weeknights and weekend, 400 weekdays, caller ID, voicemail, and 100 free LD minutes. Put 800 or 900 minutes a month on my long distance for basically an additional $15 on my basic plan.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by psycoticclown
People still use pay as you go in Canada? I know everybody loved that shit back like 2 or 3 years ago, but its way more economical for most users to just get a plan. I guess it's only good for people who never talk on cellphones or text.

I'm pay as you go with Telus.

I talk very little, but text a hell of a lot. $25 lasts me about 2 months. I have yet to find a monthly plan that cheap.

[JAYMEZ]

Originally posted by Toma
I really enjoyed some parts of 'eastern' europe where everyone is pay as you go....

It's fucking cool. For instance, the rate was 0.03 cents a minutes, text was free, and you can pay your parking meter, bus pass etc with a simple text.


Dont worry , its coming to Canada very soon :thumbsup: .. Pay your meter , pay your taxi ect ect.

[Toma]

Originally posted by JAYMEZ



Dont worry , its coming to Canada very soon :thumbsup: .. Pay your meter , pay your taxi ect ect.

LOL... I was more looking forward to the 0.03 a minute lol

[JAYMEZ]

Originally posted by Toma


LOL... I was more looking forward to the 0.03 a minute lol


LOL , give it a few years , it will get down there. The LECs in Canada are just money whores.

[FLARE]

Originally posted by Toma
I really enjoyed some parts of 'eastern' europe where everyone is pay as you go....

It's fucking cool. For instance, the rate was 0.03 cents a minutes, text was free, and you can pay your parking meter, bus pass etc with a simple text.

^ ahhh soo simple... :love:

[Godfuader]

Interesting indeed! I did think I had a super plan and was paying "only" $55/mth...but I need to re-evaluate my usage. The only person I chat with now is the wifey...and thats for maybe 5mins a day. Before the wedding, hitting 2-3,000 mins was common...and now if I hit 100, it would be surprising. Daytime phone calls are 99% on my office land-line. Time to downgrade :thumbsup:
ps. The US is much better for LD. Had a plan with Verizon which I could call US & Canada as my local from anywhere in the US.

[911fever]

US has much better deals for cell phones.

[szw]

Originally posted by Eleanor
When I was on Pay as you go I still had things like system access fees & 911 and that BS.

What provider was this and how long ago?

[semograd]

As long as we keep on spreading our ass cheeks for the phone company's they will be more than happy to take advantage of us.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by szw
What provider was this and how long ago? Telus, about 2 years ago.

I know they've eliminated the system access fees now.

[Genjuro]

hmmm nope. I havnt paid for a phone or plan for 5 years. corporate phones ftw. :poosie:

[toyboy88]

Originally posted by 911fever
US has much better deals for cell phones.

:werd:

Example - metroPCS unlimited everything local/LD/text/web/email/etc for $50.

No contracts either.

http://www.metropcs.com/plans/default.aspx

[rumeo]

Originally posted by toyboy88


:werd:

Example - metroPCS unlimited everything local/LD/text/web/email/etc for $50.

No contracts either.

http://www.metropcs.com/plans/default.aspx

no SAF either...

[psycoticclown]

Originally posted by toyboy88


:werd:

Example - metroPCS unlimited everything local/LD/text/web/email/etc for $50.

No contracts either.

http://www.metropcs.com/plans/default.aspx

:eek:

That is amazing!

[calgarygts]

I went in today to wireless wave and had them print out my usage over the last three months - they broke it down by hours in the day, how many minutes/texts/data usage. My usage was a lot lower than I thought - I ended up with a contract that is basically the same price (maybe even a couple bucks lower) and now I can call five numbers anywhere in canada as much as I want, plus won't get dinged for texting anymore. You should go in an do this if you haven't looked at it for a while, definitely worth it.