CUB's Call-to-action For The Wireless Industry
The CUB Cellphone Saver is encountering more and more callers who hit a brick wall, so to speak, with traditional wireless companies. Even when they’re on the best traditional, contract plans available, they still are overpaying. The industry faces an increasing customer exodus to prepaid cell-phone plans unless it becomes more flexible and creative in its offerings.

Because of this, CUB has developed a call-to-action for the wireless industry.

Offer more choices. The industry would continue to make healthy profits if it offered intermediate minute allotments: 150 minutes, 250 minutes, 550 minutes, etc.

Leftover rewards. Over months, callers build up hundreds, even thousands, of minutes of leftover calling time, and yet AT&T is the only company to offer some benefit for such customers in the form of “rollover” minutes. However, even “rollover” minutes are no help to customers who will never come close to using all their calling time. Why not give customers something else in return? Allow them to trade in those minutes for points that can be redeemed for shopping discounts or rental car deals or something else of value, similar to frequent-flyer programs with the airlines or rewards programs with credit cards.

Add-on minutes. At the very least, the cell-phone industry should send customers text alerts if they risk going over their allotted minutes in a given month. However, the companies also could take an extra step to serve customers: Allow them to pay a small extra fee to add on minutes. For example, customers could pay $5 to add 100 minutes onto their plans to get through a certain month when they are in danger of paying overage fees.

CUB, however, recommends that consumers not wait for the cell-phone companies to reform themselves. Take a few minutes to scan the monthly wireless bill, be on the lookout for pitfalls listed in CUB's report, and use the CUB Cellphone Saver.