How to reduce your monthly mobile fees and smartphone fees and points to consider when reviewing fees plan

Saving money and convenient tipsProblem SolvingEnjoying your smartphone
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Are you thinking, "I want to lower my mobile phone and smartphone bills?" Mobile phone fees are a fixed monthly expense. Some people may be worried about their mobile phone and smartphone bills, which are taking a toll on their monthly living expenses.

This time, we will explain how to reduce your mobile phone and smartphone bills and what to look out for when reviewing fees.

We explain specific points to reduce fees, so if you're worried about your high monthly mobile phone bill or just want to reduce your mobile phone bill, please take a look.

 

Table of contents

The average monthly mobile phone bill is approximately 5,824 yen

A woman shopping at a convenience store

According to the "Survey on User Awareness Regarding Mobile Phone fees, etc." published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (*1), the average monthly fees is 5,824 yen.

Of this, the average monthly fees for communication is approximately 3,297 yen, and the average monthly fees for the device is approximately 2,717 yen, meaning that the average monthly mobile phone fees is around 6,000 yen.

According to the above survey, 41.7% of users feel that the total amount they pay for their mobile phone is high.

In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "2021 Information and Communications White Paper" (*2) also reveals that the proportion of mobile phone and smartphone charges in household budgets is increasing year by year.

As can be seen from the data, many people feel that their mobile phone bills are high, which indicates a growing need to "lower their mobile phone bills."

So what can you do to reduce your mobile phone bill?

Points to review when it comes to mobile phone charges

Coin purse and smartphone

To lower your mobile phone bill, start by reviewing fees. Here are some points to review when it comes to your mobile phone bill.

Call fees

You may be able to reduce your mobile phone bill by reviewing your calling fees. Generally, you are fees for each call you make. However, this does not apply if you subscribe to a calling fees option or flat-rate service.

Telecommunications carriers offer a variety of affordable plans, such as "unlimited calling" and "calling packs," to suit the needs of those who make calls. If you don't make many calls but are subscribed to an unlimited calling option, it may be more cost-effective to change your plan.

On the other hand, if you make a lot of calls, subscribing to an unlimited calling option may help you keep your mobile phone bill down. Depending on your carrier, you may be able to choose between unlimited calling for 5 minutes or 10 minutes, so it's a good idea to consider the plan that best suits your needs.

Data communication charges

You may be able to save money on your mobile phone bill by reviewing your data plan.

Data charges are the costs incurred when using the internet on smartphone apps or browsers. Data charges are included in mobile phone bills, and the less data you use, the cheaper fees will be.

If you have a large data plan even though you don't use much data, you may be paying more for your mobile phone bill than you actually use. Just like with calling charges, choosing a plan that suits your data usage can help you save money on your mobile phone bill.

When reviewing your mobile phone bill, check whether your data plan matches your actual data usage.

Optional services

If you feel that your mobile phone bill is too high, consider reconsidering your optional services.

Optional services are services that allow you to receive various benefits provided by telecommunications carriers. By reviewing the optional services you currently subscribe to, you may be able to save on your monthly mobile phone bill. This is because there are cases where you forget to cancel optional services that you have been using for free for several months due to a campaign.

Even if the one-time fees is small, if you subscribe to multiple optional services or make monthly payments, the total amount can add up. However, you should be careful because subscription to optional services may be a condition for discounts.

Check your contract status to see if there are any unnecessary options.

Time to review your mobile phone bill

In order to keep your mobile phone bills down, be sure to take the opportunity to review your mobile phone bills regularly. This is because if you stick with the same fees you signed up for, you may end up losing money.

Telecommunications carriers sometimes release new fees plans. When this happens, it's a good idea to compare the new plan with fees old one and switch if fees is cheaper or if it suits your needs.

However, depending on the mobile phone company, you may be charged a contract cancellation fee when switching carriers. Even if you are able to reduce your monthly mobile phone bill, you may end up losing money if a contract cancellation fee is incurred. Therefore, when reviewing your mobile phone bill, be sure to check whether a contract cancellation fee will be charged and consider the timing.

How to lower your mobile phone bill

What are some ways to reduce your mobile phone bill? Here we will explain in detail how to reduce your mobile phone bill.

Take advantage of discounts and campaigns

It is recommended that you keep an eye on campaigns and discount information offered by telecommunications carriers to see if you can reduce your current mobile phone bill. By taking advantage of bundled discounts and campaigns, you can reduce your mobile phone bills in a great way.

Many telecommunications carriers regularly run great campaigns, so be sure to take advantage of all discounts available, such as switching discounts, family discounts, and discounts based on payment method.

In addition, in some cases, mobile phone charges can be cheaper if you sign up for a package that includes internet, landline phone, television, fees, etc.

Switch to an MVNO

Switching to an MVNO is an effective way to significantly reduce your mobile phone bill. MVNOs are companies that rent the networks of major telecommunications companies to provide mobile phone services.

A SIM card contains the phone number and subscriber information necessary to use a smartphone. SIM cards issued by MVNOs can be used at a lower price than major telecommunications carriers by renting communication equipment (infrastructure) from them, which means you can keep your monthly mobile phone bill down.

However, most MVNOs currently do not have physical stores, so you have to handle all inquiries, changes to your fees plan, cancellation procedures, etc. yourself. When you need to make any necessary changes, you have to do it yourself online, but this system allows you to save on your mobile phone bill.

If you want to reduce your mobile phone bill, consider switching to an MVNO.

Use an online-only plan from a major carrier

For those who want to keep their monthly mobile phone bills down, we recommend using an online-only plan offered by a major telecommunications carrier. Like other low-cost SIMs, online-only plans offered by major telecommunications carriers are primarily for online transactions, so they can reduce your mobile phone bill.

Another advantage of online-only plans from major telecommunications companies is that they are services provided by major telecommunications companies, so you can use them with peace of mind and receive comprehensive services.

If you are looking for both high quality service and low fees, consider the online-only plans offered by major telecommunications companies.

Pros and cons of online-only plans

Advantages and disadvantages of smartphones

Here we will introduce the advantages and disadvantages of each online-only plan.

Benefits of online-only plans

Some of the benefits of our online-only plan include:

  • You can choose the communication fee and plan that suits you best
  • You can use the stable communication lines of major telecommunications carriers at the same fees as low-cost SIM cards.
  • If you have a smartphone you already use, you can use it as is.
  • You can continue to use the same phone number
  • fees structure is simple and easy to understand

Compared to the services offered by major carriers, online-only plans offer great savings on your mobile phone bill. The fees structure is simple and easy to understand, and you can choose a plan that suits your needs.

Moreover, because you can use the stable communication lines of major telecommunications carriers, you don't have to worry about slow connection speeds and feeling stressed. You can also watch videos on your smartphone comfortably with a stable connection.

From the above points, it is clear that there are many benefits to signing up for an online-only plan.

Disadvantages of online-only plans

Online-only plans also have a drawback: support is primarily handled online.

At present, there are few places that offer in-store or over-the-phone support, and support is provided via chat. The disadvantages of online-only plans are that you can't easily make inquiries by phone or get support at a physical store.

We recommend that you consider the pros and cons and choose the service that best suits you.

With povo2.0, your mobile phone bills will be even cheaper!

If you're looking to lower your mobile phone bill, why not consider povo2.0 (*3)?

povo2.0 is a low-cost plan that starts with a basic fee of 0 yen (*4) (*5) (*6) and allows you to Topping only the services that suit you, for a fee. Paid Topping are very simple, with six types of data Topping, two types of content Topping, two types of call Topping, and one type of support Topping. Paid Topping can be added or removed freely, so you can charge only the amount of data you need each month.

If you want to keep your monthly mobile phone bill down, we recommend povo2.0, so please give it a try.

  • *3: As this is an online-only plan, all procedures and support will be handled online. Please contact us via the povo2.0 app or official website.
  • *4: 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 terminated or cancelled by our company within the past year.
  • *5: When the data plan is 0 yen and 0GB, the maximum sending and receiving speed is 128kbps.
  • *6: 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 each additional 67 characters.