Survey: Families Are Getting Ripped off $2.2K a Year on Cell Phone Plans
New data from WhistleOut shows Americans are overspending on their phone bills by an average of $32 every month (or $384 a year) just by sticking with the major carriers instead of switching to smaller, low-cost providers that use the same networks. That’s about a 73% markup for essentially identical service.
To put that wasted money in perspective, it could cover a year of Netflix and Spotify, a round-trip domestic flight, or dozens of dinners out.
Want to learn which states are getting the worst ripoff? Here’s the full report: https://www.whistleout.com/
Here are the most interesting key findings:
- Families are hit hardest: The average unlimited family plan costs $244/month ($2,928/year). By switching to a smaller carrier, families could save $2,283/year — over $2,200 wasted annually by sticking with the Big 3
- Carrier breakdown: AT&T customers pay the most, averaging $80/month ($960/year), followed by Verizon at $79/month and T-Mobile at $68/month
- Nationwide overspending: WhistleOut estimates that U.S. households collectively overspend $373 billion a year on mobile service
- By state: The report includes state-by-state overspending data, with households in places like Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana spending more than 5% of household income on phone bills.
