10 Sneaky Cell Phone Bill Fees (And How To Fight Them)

Like credit card bills and those from the doctor’s office, it’s important to carefully comb over your cell phone bill to avoid wasting money. These days, phone bills are packed with language and fees that the average person is perplexed by — so it’s essential to go over yours carefully each month to make sure extra and unnecessary costs aren’t being tacked on.

Below are 10 terms and phrases to look out for on phone bills, what they mean, and how you could potentially get rid of them.

Many major phone carriers use vague language in their bills, such as “regulatory recovery fee.” This fee may sound government-imposed and unavoidable, but these recovery fees are reportedly meant to help the phone carrier “recover the cost” of government fees.

If a recovery charge on your bill looks new or too high, consider discussing it with your carrier.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does take action against “cramming,” or the illegal practice of placing unauthorized charges onto customers’ phone bills.

However, companies can sometimes avoid intervention by using catch-all terms like “administrative fee.” For example, Verizon says that its “Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge” covers the cost of compliance with regulatory and industry obligations, among other things.

If your administrative fee has gone up or you feel it is too high, call your carrier to see if you can negotiate.

Charges from “premium” services may appear in nonspecific language that doesn’t always alert customers to extra fees they don’t need to pay.

These days, many premium service fees come through something like an Apple account, so they may not appear on the phone bill at all.

Still, to avoid excess charges for something you didn’t mean to or forget you agreed to purchase, check your subscriptions on your phone and review your bill closely.

The FCC warns that cramming charges can appear on each bill without a clear explanation, such as a “minimum monthly usage fee.”

If the charge is unclear and your carrier cannot explain it when you contact them, you can also file a complaint with the FCC.

Like premium services, third parties may be tacking extra fees to your monthly bill that you are unaware of. The FCC warns that charges for services like wallpaper or special text messaging subscriptions may be unauthorized and can add up if they go undetected.

Carefully review your statement to avoid paying extra fees for services you don’t even want.

This type of fee can generally be avoided with the right timing or negotiation — but a few easy mistakes can land customers with hefty fees for terminating phone contracts.

Some phone contracts have loyalty promotions attached, which result in termination fees, while others have device agreements, where the cost of the phone is due in full if service is terminated. Before moving to a new carrier, double-check to see if you’ll have termination fees.

Some phone contracts stipulate that customers pay a fee to begin a new plan or upgrade their device. These are fees you do not want and may not be expected on your monthly bill, but fortunately, they could be waived or negotiated with your carrier.

Make sure you read the fine print, though, so you don’t end up with another contract that hikes the monthly bill.

If your phone plan stipulates a certain amount of data usage per month, the carrier will charge extra fees if you exceed that amount.

Verizon, for example, charges $15 for each gigabyte of data rounded up. It might not seem like a lot, but it can quickly add up for customers who are not careful to stay within their limits.

The FCC notes some additional phrasing to look out for on phone bills, including calling plans. These charges may be legitimate, but they can also be an example of cramming, and customers should call their provider if they need clarification on what a mysterious charge is for.

If you can’t get a straight answer, the FCC notes you can file a complaint with them, the Federal Trade Commission, and your state’s public service commission.

According to the FCC, “mail server” or “voicemail” charges are also indicators that cramming could be occurring. This sort of language or any additional charges related to messaging could be a red flag, and it’s worth it to discuss them with your carrier.

You can take some simple steps to ensure your phone bill is as affordable as possible, including shopping around for a plan, avoiding any additional fees, and negotiating with carriers when possible.

It can also help if you use a credit card for your monthly bill. Using one of the best cash back credit cards could even turn your bills into paydays down the line.