When considering whether your mobile phone fees is cheap or expensive, many people are probably interested in the "average amount." Many websites, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, publish survey results on average mobile phone fees. We'll show you how much people spend and how to reduce your bill if it's high.
The "average mobile fees" is the average amount of mobile phone fees billed by your current carrier. You can easily find your average mobile phone fees by calculating it while looking at your bill. To find the annual average, add up the billed amounts for the year and divide by 12.
However, what people are looking for when reading articles is probably "how much everyone else is paying for their mobile phone fees." I think many people would like a benchmark to help them determine whether their mobile phone fees are cheap or expensive compared to others. I'll introduce data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications later, but many other sites also publish data on average mobile fees. Each site uses different survey methods and targets, so it's a good idea to compare the results of several sites.
Please note that mobile phone fees are the sum of four items: "fees plan usage fees," "option fee," "device fee," and "call fees." The circumstances surrounding these four items vary from person to person. This will also affect the monthly mobile phone fees. Depending on the plan and usage, your mobile phone fees may go down or up.
Among telecommunications carriers, companies that have their own communications equipment (infrastructure) are called "mobile carriers" or "MNOs" (Mobile Network Operators). You can check how much MNO users spend on mobile phone fees as average amounts from the "User Awareness Survey on Mobile Phone fees, etc." (*1) published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Please use this as a reference to consider whether the charges are cheap or expensive compared to the amount you pay.
If your mobile phone fees is higher than average, you may be wondering why. Below are some common reasons. Check to see if any of them apply to you.
First, there are cases where the "usage fees for fees plan" is high. If your mobile phone plan does not match your usage, your mobile phone fees may be high. Mobile phone plans and fees are set according to monthly data capacity, but this applies to cases where the data capacity is too large and you are not using it all. On the other hand, be careful if you have set it too low and are accustomed to adding more data when your data speed is limited. This is because additional data may be set at a higher price than purchasing it as a plan.
Next, it is a case where the "option fee" is high. It offers a variety of options to make your phone more convenient. There's nothing wrong with having options, but if you don't use them anymore, you're just wasting fees. In some cases, you may have purchased an option that you subscribed to to receive the service fees when you bought the device, but you have forgotten to cancel it even after the free validity.
There may be cases where the "device price" seems high. If you pay the device price in installments, it may feel like fees has been added on. On the other hand, if you pay it in one lump sum, you won't receive bills in subsequent months, so it may not feel that much more expensive. You can pay the remaining balance of the device price in one lump sum even after purchase. If you pay it off when you have financial leeway, such as when you receive a bonus, the amount you paid may not change, but it will feel cheaper.
Finally, there are cases where "call fees" are high. Call charges are one of the reasons why mobile phone fees are high. The call fees for domestic calls is basically set at 22 yen per 30 seconds, including tax included (*2). If you use your phone for a long time without paying attention to the charges, your call fees will increase.
For those who make a lot of calls, carriers offer calling options, but there are cases where the options are not suitable and calling fees increase.
*2: Reference:" povo2.0 fees plan details"
We have introduced some points that can be improved, but let's try to find ways to reduce your mobile phone bills by eliminating the causes of high fees. We have listed some ways to reduce your mobile phone fees. Use these as a reference and review your contract.
First, we'll show you how to reduce your "fees plan usage fees." First, check your monthly data usage on your carrier's website or app. This will tell you how much data you need per month. Then, by switching to a plan that's close to the amount you need, you can reduce unnecessary data usage and avoid fees.
To reduce your "option fees," remove any options you don't need. You can check the options you have subscribed to on your carrier's website or app. You may want to review options you don't use or that you intended to cancel but forgot about, as well as options you are using but are too expensive. If you think you need them, you can sign up for them again. Go ahead and cancel them, and then check whether you really need them.
To reduce the cost of the device, you can choose a used device when changing your phone. You'll need to check that the combination of model, carrier, and SIM card size is compatible, but if it's a SIM-free device, you can change your phone just by replacing the SIM card. It's not uncommon to find high-spec models for sale second-hand, so this is a recommended way to save money for those who don't care about the latest model.
To reduce your "call fees," you can make calls using free calling apps such as LINE. Calls made using a phone number incur call fees, but free calling apps that use data communication to make voice calls do not incur call fees. However, your data communication volume will be used instead, so be sure to check your data capacity carefully.
Reviewing your data usage is important not only when using free calling apps, but also when choosing an appropriate fees. To save data usage, especially on your mobile phone, use Wi-Fi in conjunction with your phone if the environment is suitable. Mobile routers and home routers are convenient because they require no construction and can be used immediately. It is also a good idea to use public Wi-Fi in public facilities or outdoors, while taking security into consideration.
Another option is to use a low-cost SIM card, which can save you money on your usage fees. These SIM cards are provided by renting fees equipment (infrastructure) from mobile carriers, saving you money. They are called "low-cost" because they are priced more affordably than mobile carriers. If the combination of model, carrier, and SIM card size is acceptable, you may be able to reduce your usage fees by simply switching to a low-cost SIM card.
While budget SIM cards are great, if you're switching from a mobile carrier, we recommend povo2.0. povo2.0 cuts costs by limiting procedures to online only, and offers affordable smartphone plans that rival budget SIM cards.
The unique feature of "povo2.0" is that the basic fees is 0 yen (*3) (*4) (*5). The system allows you to customize your own smartphone plan by adding your favorite Topping (paid), so you can create the optimal fees plan according to your usage. You can Topping not only data usage but also call time as you like, making it easy to keep "call fees" down.
*3: If you do not purchase any paid Topping for 180 days or more, your service may be suspended or your contract may be terminated. Also, if you have a contract for 5 lines (*) under the same name, a contract administration fee of 3,850 yen (tax included) per line will be charged for the 6th line and beyond.
*This includes lines that have been cancelled or canceled by our company within the past year. When the plan is 0 yen and 0 GB, the maximum sending and receiving speed is 128 kbps.
Reference: "povo2.0 Plan Details" (povo)
*4: For Data Only, initial Topping purchase is required at the time of contract. Calls＋Data For domestic calls: tax included 22 yen/30 seconds Some calling rates may differ, such as calls to satellite phones. See here for details.. In addition, designated call charges apply to calls to phone numbers set up fees by other companies. Sending domestic SMS: tax included 3.3 yen/text (up to 70 characters) Receiving: Free Up to 670 full-width characters can be sent depending on the model. However, up to 134 characters will be charged for two SMS, and after that, one SMS will be charged for every 67 characters.
*5: All procedures and support will be handled online. Please contact us via the povo2.0 app or official website.
povo strives to stabilize communication quality by utilizing not only au 's 5G (*6) line, but also au 's 4G LTE line, which has a population coverage rate of 99.9% (*7). What's more, 5G (*6) usage fees are included in Topping, so there are no additional fees. If you want to lower your mobile phone fees, be sure to consider povo.
*6: 5G is available in some areas. For more information, please visit the website below.
Reference "area" (povo)
*7: "Population coverage rate" is calculated based on areas where communication is possible in 50% or more of the approximately 500m blocks used in the census. Information is current as of the end of December 2020. Content is subject to change. Compatible devices are 4G LTE (800MHz) compatible.
*The names of products and services mentioned in this article are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
・" au" is a registered trademark of KDDI Corporation.
・"LINE" is a trademark or registered trademark of LINE Corporation.
・"Wi-Fi" is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
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