Verivox figures show that Germans book twice as much data volume for their cell phones as they need. An expensive mistake. But everyone can measure their needs: Here’s how.
Anyone who wants to book a normal mobile phone tariff with Telekom and goes to the website will see five offers at first glance. The cheapest costs just under 25 euros a month and includes 5 gigabytes (GB) of data. The next most expensive costs 40 euros and includes 20 GB. The fourth tariff is marked as a “recommendation” and costs just under 60 euros a month for 80 GB of data. And that pretty much sums up the whole misery.
Firstly, all tariffs are very expensive compared to what discounters charge. And secondly, there is currently no standard tariff that comes anywhere close to what Germans need on average. The average cell phone user needs around 7 GB per month for surfing, listening to music and watching short videos. This is the result of the latest figures from the Federal Network Agency (7.2 GB) and the Association of the Telecommunications Industry VATM (6.6 GB). The first tariff is therefore too small and the second is much too large.
Germans book 18 GB, although they only need 7
Verivox has looked at how the offers of the major network operators have changed over the past five years: While the average available data volume in the tariffs offered has increased by 370 percent, the actual consumption of German citizens has only increased by an average of 164 percent. There is therefore a tendency, particularly among network operators, to prefer to offer more data volume rather than lower prices.
Conversely, it is part of the psychology of uninformed customers to tend to opt for a mid-range product. At Verivox, this can also be seen in the figures: “Mobile phone customers currently use an average of around 7 gigabytes of mobile data volume,” reports Verivox Managing Director Daniel Puschmann. “In fact, an average of 18 gigabytes was booked with the most important providers in the first half of 2024.”
Perhaps this is also due to the fact that customers suddenly have to pay a lot if they reorder data volume because it is not enough for one month – for example when on holiday. But Germans should actually be more frugal in this regard. Even in international comparison, mobile data volume is particularly expensive in Germany. In an analysis by the British comparison portal Cable.co.uk last year, Germany was ranked 163rd with an average of just under 2 euros per GB. In Italy (2nd place), the GB cost an average of just 8 cents, in France 18 cents.
A normal mobile phone tariff does not have to cost more than 10 euros
For years, consumer protection groups have been using the rule of thumb that a normal cell phone plan in Germany should not cost more than 10 euros. Telekom is also apparently following this principle, as it has a discounter on the market, Fraenk, which has been offering a plan for 10 euros for years. Currently, this includes 12 GB. (So, for most people, this is totally sufficient.) The only drawback of Fraenk is that you can use the SIM card within the EU, Great Britain, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland – but you cannot even make calls outside of these countries.
But there are plenty of cheap alternatives to discount tariffs: In the O2 Telefónica network, you can get 10 GB for well under 10 euros. They are easy to find on comparison portals. The download speed is often slower than with the large network providers such as Vodafone and Telekom. But in most cases the speed is completely sufficient; 25 to 50 Mbit/s (i.e. megabits per second) is usually absolutely sufficient.
How much data volume do I really need?
Beforehand, you should check on your phone how much data you are actually using. On Android phones, you can find the usage under “Settings” -> “Connections” -> “Data usage”. On the iPhone, you can find a corresponding overview under “Settings” -> “Cellular”. Otherwise, 10 GB should be more than enough for most people. So the average 7 GB (see above) – plus a little buffer.
The savings can be significant, especially if you are currently with one of the major network providers. “The potential savings just by switching your mobile phone tariff from the network operator to the discounter is around 200 euros per year,” says Verivox boss Puschmann.
Two pitfalls: data automation and price increase after 24 months
There are two things you should always pay attention to when changing your mobile phone tariff. Firstly, you should choose a tariff without automatic data – or switch it off immediately after booking (which is not always possible). Otherwise, it will usually be very expensive if you use more data than the agreed volume.
Secondly, a new bad habit has been spreading for some time: around a third of tariffs now become more expensive after the minimum term (often 24 months) has expired. The provider hopes that the customer won’t notice. So it’s better to choose a different tariff. Or set a date in your calendar – and then change again. Finally, it’s always worth taking a look at the contract details to see whether the tariff offers everything you need.
Source: Stern
