Do You Know How Much You Are Paying? Mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives but many of us still don't know how much we're paying for calls. Sounds absurd but it is true. According to a recent survey, one in three people never check their mobile phone bills. Yet 17 percent of people who do check their bills every month find mistakes, with four percent finding mistakes 'often'. The survey also found that a further 36 percent of mobile phone users do not know what type of tariff or plan they signed up to, and more than two thirds do not know how much they pay for domestic calls outside their call plan. The best advice is to check with your mobile phone operator, find out just how much you are paying, is the plan youare on the best one for you?, would you save by changing operators? Before you do decide to change operators make sure that the service they provide has good coverage for the area you live in,(you don't want to have to go outside or across the street everytime you want to make or receive calls) One of the big unknowns for mobile customers is the cost of calling 08 numbers. Many people don't realise that 0800 numbers are only free when calling from landlines. They are not included in mobile networks inclusive minutes, so calls from a mobile can easily cost 50p a minute. To help this situation, telecoms regulator 'Ofcom' is introducing 03 numbers later in the year that can be used by businesses instead of 08 numbers. These will cost the same as calls to landline numbers. The cost of ringing home from Europe could be capped this summer following a European Union Agreement at about 34p a minute. It means that 'Roaming charges' of British mobile operators could be cut by up to 70 percent if the new laws to restrict call costs come into effect in July. This could mean a ten-minute call from the South of France to Britain currently costing an average of £7.50 would fall to £3.40. The term 'Roaming' is used by mobile phone operators to describe the system that allows phone users to make and receive calls overseas. Mobile phone users often forget that they will be billed extra for receiving calls abroad. Charges range from .30p to more than £1 a minute, but under the new European Agreement, these, too, could fall to about 23p a minute. The charges levied by the British mobile phone operators are among the highest in Europe. The EU began its investigation because it feared the networks weren't moving fast enough to change. Under the new regulations savings could be more than £100 for people making and receiving 2 hours of calls whilst abroad. Until such times as the new regulation come into effect check with your operator before travelling, most operators offer 'bolt-ons' for a small price that can reduce the cost of overseas calls by up to 80 percent. These usually cost around £2 to £3 per month and you are normally free to sign up for just the month you are on holiday. Use your pnone wisely and you will not return home to face an enormous bill waiting on your doorstep. Author: Peter Bentley http://financematters.biz copyright 2007
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Peter Bentley
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