Anyone who feels they pay too much for their cell phone bill is not alone, as new data indicates that many Americans spend way more than they have to when it comes to data plans.
A study conducted by search engine and comparison tool WhistleOut found that, on average, Americans spend $157 per month on a plan from a major carrier, typically one of the “Big Three”: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
This, researchers say, leads major carrier customers to pay an average of $1,500 more per year on their plan than they need to; when looked at on a nationwide level, Americans are overspending by $211 billion on their phone bills every year.
Unlimited data plans – which are the most popular in the country – are likely the biggest culprit, WhistleOut said.
“76% of Americans have an unlimited plan; however, 55% of those customers are connected to Wi-Fi most of the time,” researchers stated. “Constant access to Wi-Fi is the main reason most people don’t come close to using their mobile data allotments.”
Atop the list of overspending states is California, where cell phone users overspend $24.5 billion every single year. In a distant second place is Texas ($19.2 billion) followed by Florida, New York and Pennsylvania ($14.2 billion, $12.3 billion and $8.2 billion, respectively).
Despite the trend in overspending, WhistleOut says that there are ways to minimize expenses, the most common of which are MVNOs, or Mobile Virtual Network Operators, which are smaller wireless carriers that rent access to major networks, allowing them to pass on more savings to the consumer.
Indeed, the percentage of Americans who use major carriers has dropped from 62% to 53% over the last year, according to researchers, and Gen Z is at the forefront of the movement away from the Big Three.
“You can see these trends magnified with Gen Z,” WhistleOut said. “As a younger generation, they face additional financial pressures that their older peers may not…because of that, Gen Z is frequently looking for a deal.”
An example of a well-known MVNO is Mint Mobile, which rents access to the T-Mobile network. Other popular MVNOs include Boost Mobile, Lycamobile and Cricket Wireless, the latter of which is owned by AT&T.
To read WhistleOut’s full report on cell phone plan spending, click here.