What is the average cell phone bill per month?
How much should my cell phone bill cost? The nationwide average phone bill totals around $166 per month, so you probably shouldn't be spending more than that. If your phone bill is too high, evaluate all of your options to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Using the trend line from the BLS data, we estimate that the current average phone plan costs about $114/month or $1,371/year.
Average Monthly/Annual Cost: $119 spent per month; $1,428 spent per year. Percent of Households: 94% of U.S. households pay Mobile Phone bills. Average Annual Cost per U.S. Household: $1,342 per year* Percent of Annual Income: Mobile Phone bills amount to 2% of consumers' income per year.
As of June 2023, CNBC reported that JD Power indicates the average monthly expense for a cellphone plan stands at $144. It may not be as eye-watering as the gas bill, nor as variable as grocery costs, but it's a steady player in the monthly budget league.
"I personally would say if you're spending over $80 per month on a cell phone plan, for one plan, that's way too much," says Malmstrom. Sherri Riggs is a telecom expert at WhistleOut, a search engine that works with wireless companies to help consumers find the right plan for the right price.
Fees and surcharges
Many phone carriers charge fees on top of your regular bill. These may include late payment fees, early termination fees, or restoration of service fees. Some phone carriers also tack on “monthly” or “service” fees or even illegally cram bills to increase revenue.
Number of Lines | Price |
---|---|
2 Lines | $80 |
3 Lines | $65 |
4 Lines | $45 |
5+ Lines | $40 |
How much is the average phone bill per month? According to JD Power, the average monthly cell phone bill per person is around $144. This adds up to $1728 a year.
- Use Wi-Fi when available. ...
- Reevaluate your current plan. ...
- Evaluate your phone insurance plan. ...
- Update your service address. ...
- Sign up for automated payments and/or paperless billing.
According to a survey from Reviews.org, Americans check their phones an average of 144 times a day, which is a 58% decrease from their last cell phone usage survey published in January 2022. However, we're also spending an average of four hours and 25 minutes each day on our phones, up 30% from last year.
How much should a good phone plan cost?
Typical cost for a flagship family plan with unlimited data
Expect to pay around $200 a month plus possible taxes and fees for four lines of a top-tier unlimited plan from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Compare that with an average of around $80 for just one line on a top-tier plan.
Families of four can expect to pay between $120 to $220 a month for four lines from the major wireless carriers — in fact, four lines for $120 per month seems to be the sweet spot for plans these days.
When your EIP(s) are finished, your bill will decrease by the amount you were paying monthly for those EIP's.
In fact, not only does it save the inconvenience of switching, research shows that customers can often score a better deal by haggling with their current provider. Most providers frequently raise the rates of their phone plans in line with inflation and don't lower them unless someone pursues them about it.
Paying all of your bills consistently is key to a good credit score. While paying your cellphone bill won't have any automatic impact on your credit score, missing payments or making late payments can cause your credit score to drop if your cellphone account becomes delinquent.
The four-line option is now back to $100 at T-Mobile thanks to some promotions and is a bit cheaper compared with $120 at Verizon and $144 at AT&T.
No. If you ask, they can examine your bill and may find a way to lower it, but they will do that without the threat of cancellation.
- Eliminate the Excess Services. Just as your wants and needs evolve, so can your phone bill. ...
- Hang On to Your Old Phone. ...
- Take Advantage of Discounts. ...
- Add More Lines. ...
- Use Wi-Fi. ...
- Set Up Automatic Payments. ...
- Go No-Contract. ...
- Confirm Your Address.
The major providers in the United States have a fairly solid grip on the mobile service market. Unfortunately, this has led to limited competition, higher prices, and lower consumer satisfaction. Mergers and rising infrastructure costs have led to a much smaller field of highly profitable service providers.
Verizon's 55+ Unlimited Plan
While these plans are on the pricier side for the industry, you're getting perks like unlimited talk, text, and data. You'll also have access to unlimited mobile hotspots, which means you can access the internet on multiple devices when you're away from home.
Does Verizon offer a 65+ plan?
With our Nationwide 65 Plus Plans, you'll get a lower amount of minutes, for a lower price. These plans are available exclusively for customers 65 and older.
The 55+ plan includes: Unlimited 4G LTE / 5G data* Unlimited domestic Talk & Text. Talk, text and data in Mexico and Canada included.
Monthly price comparison | 1 line | 3 lines |
---|---|---|
Verizon | $80 | $165 |
U.S. Cellular | $70 | $160 |
Boost** | $50 | $110 |
Metro by T-Mobile | $50 | $110 |
A one-person AT&T Wireless plan costs between $50.99 and $85.99 per month. AT&T's cheapest plan is the AT&T Value Plus VL plan ($50.99 per month), and its most expensive plan is AT&T Unlimited Premium PL ($85.99 per month).
Provider | Pricing | Data |
---|---|---|
T-Mobile | $60 to $90/mo. | 50GB/mo. to Unlimited |
Verizon | $35 to $50/mo. | Unlimited |
AT&T | $35 to $50/mo. | Unlimited |
Consumer Cellular | $20 to $50/mo. | 1GB/mo. to Unlimited |