A new survey comissioned by T Mobile suggests that UK mobile phone contract customers are losing out because their mobile phone tariff can’t keep pace with the continual changes in useage each month. The poll reveals that 82% of contract mobile phone customers’ bills can vary by up to £20 from month to month, with seven per cent saying that their bill often differs by more than £20. 61% of British users admit to exceeding their monthly message and call bundle allowances meaning they are paying higher fees and wasting £132million every month. According to T Mobile this shows that users are not selecting the correct tariff for their needs and may be underestimating their usage resulting in larger bills.

The findings have been released to mark the launch of T Mobile’s new Flext tariff designed to take into account customers continually fluctuating monthly circumstances. T Mobile also found that 72% of customers are never contacted by their network during the contract to find out if they are happy with their current tariff. This is a service that T Mobile intend to provide - they will contact you and recommend any changes that need to be made to minimise your monthly bills.

Phil Chapman, Marketing Director, T-Mobile UK, said: “Because personal circumstances can change sometimes dramatically, financial flexibility is vital. Flext does away with text and call bundles and offers a simple monetary value bundle that can be redeemed against the services a customer wants. Once the bundle is used up customers are still charged at the same great rate, so customers aren’t punished for going over their limit, and with six-monthly Best Plan check-ups, an advisor contacts the customer direct to find out of they are on the right price plan. This means that, for the first time, they can choose to lower prices as well as raise - their monthly spend within the contract term.”

A lot of mobile phone users say that receiving the monthly phone bill can be a difficult experience. Very few UK contract mobile phone user pay their bill straight away and a small proportion (2%) never even open their phone bill. This may be due to the fact that most people never check to see how their usage is progressing each month prior to the bill arriving. With the new Flext tariff customers will receive a free weekly text alert confirming their remaining allowance and the date of their next bill.
55% of people surveyed felt that free calls and texts were the single most important factor when it came to choosing a tariff. A further 19% favoured cheap call rates but the most surprising statistic said that only 3% feel that the latest handset is most important in choosing a tariff.

The new Flext tariff certainly seems to have revolutionised the contract mobile phone industry and can save mobile users a substantial amount of money.

Click here to see how much you could save by switching to a Flext tariff from T Mobile.