Is a cell phone bill considered a utility bill? It is important to know what qualifies as a utility. Many recurring expenses often get mistaken as utilities.
Almost everyone has a personal phone or access to one. Service providers allow you to make calls, text, and provide mobile internet to these devices. Customers get placed on contracts and incur a bill at the end of each month.
Your bill varies depending on your plan and your service provider. Premium plans are more expensive. But do these bills even qualify as utilities? Let us find out:
Is a Cell Phone Bill Considered a Utility?
It depends on the type of cell phone bill. The only bill that qualifies as a utility is a landline bill. Mobile phone bills are not utility bills.
Landline charges are different from mobile phone charges. Landlines operate at a larger scale and link buildings rather than individuals. If your leasing agreement doesn’t cover utilities, your landlord should pay for the phone bill.
Why Is Your Cell Phone Bill Different Every Month?
Carriers are notorious for having fluctuating charges for the same services. Your service provider makes money through:
Call Durations
Your carrier charges you on your standard billable hours as per your contract. Any hours beyond your contract gets charged on a graduating scale.
These extra charges are often quite expensive. It will help if you read through your service contract to confirm that the terms are reasonable.
Mobile Data
Mobile data is a huge source of revenue for many carriers. Each user gets a set data amount and speed for a given duration. Your provider might give you 50 gigabytes for 30 days.
They often offer data on a use it or lose it basis. Your provider might have different rates for 4G and 5G networks.
Text Charges
Text charges are no longer a lucrative avenue for providers to make money. With many popular messaging applications like iMessage available to customers, the service isn’t the cash cow it used to be.
Service providers still allow users a bulk of texts on each billing period. You get charged whether or not you use the services.
Roaming Fees
Roaming fees are charges you get for accessing other networks. Your service provider charges you when you turn the roaming settings on. These charges are typically very expensive and could set you back hundreds of dollars.
Floating ‘Convenience’ Charges
Carriers transfer these operational overheads to consumers to protect their bottom line. Carriers, like any other business, exist to make money. They offset most overhead through convenience charges.
Conclusion
Is a cell phone bill considered a utility bill? Landline charges get classified as utilities. It is not the case for personal lines or mobile phones.
Mobile service charges are personal expenses, and their billing differs from landlines. Mobile charges are contractual agreements between a provider and an individual.
