Do you pay for more mobile data than you actually use? The reason is psychological, says mobile data expert heres how to check your own data
usage on iPhone or Android, and save money in the process

Date:
Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:12:08 +0000

Description:
We speak to an expert about why underusing your mobile data allowance is
often psychological and how to save money on your monthly plan.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter You probably know how much mobile data you pay for every month, but do you know how much you actually use? I suppose, in this day and age, thats like asking if you know how many liters of water you drink every month (No, but I know its a lot).

Mobile data usage has skyrocketed in recent years due to a variety of factors (not least the advent of autoplay features in social media apps such as TikTok). Analysis from Ericsson suggests the amount of data transferred over cellular data networks has increased more than sevenfold since 2020, with the monthly average now standing at 25GB per device in both the US and Western Europe. But while its true that most of us are using more mobile data than ever, these numbers dont quite paint the full picture they embolden mobile operators to sell oversized data plans, and, in all likelihood, youre paying for more data than you actually need. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

That 25GB figure is skewed by smartphone users who rarely, if ever, touch Wi-Fi. We all stream HD video over 5G and occasionally set up mobile hotspots for our laptops, but some people do these things near-constantly (yes, really), using upwards of 100GB per month and disproportionately affecting
the monthly average. One hour of 1080p video streaming on YouTube consumes around 3GB of data (Image credit: Shutterstock / Juan Alejandro Bernal) By contrast, Ofcoms Communications Market Report 2025 suggests the average
person in the UK uses 10.6GB of data per month, while Statista puts the equivalent US figure at between 5 and 15GB, which aligns with Ofcoms
findings. All three numbers are significantly lower than the 25GB figure quoted by Ericsson, suggesting they account for those disproportionately high usage cases (there are, of course, disproportionately low usage cases to consider too). You may like Monzo launches mobile phone plans that get
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Unlimited mobile data plans are a popular choice among users who dont want to be charged per gigabyte or exceed a monthly limit, but as above, these plans are rarely better options financially speaking than the cheaper, fixed-capacity data plans they sit above.

Mobile operators and MVNOs [Mobile Virtual Network Operators] face higher network costs as data usage increases, which is why plans with larger allowances typically cost more, Christian Banhans, UK Managing Director at mobile operator spusu , exclusively tells TechRadar. However, many customers only use a fraction of their monthly data, meaning they may be paying for
more than they actually need. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in
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The main reason customers use less data than their allowance is
psychological, as they want to avoid running out, so they often choose plans with more data than they need, Banhans continues. Providers also face fixed costs for each plan, alongside the costs of (often unlimited) minutes and texts. In our experience, the difference in underlying costs is relatively small compared with the pricing difference between plans.

Larger plans often have a lower cost per gigabyte, making them appear better value even when much of the data goes unused. This is where the gap between what customers pay for and what they use tends to be greatest. How to check your data usage The Mobile Service Settings page in iOS 26 (Image credit: Future) Banhans notes that there are several ways consumers can avoid paying for more data than they need. The first is to sync your phones internal data counter to the billing cycle and track how much data you need per month, or download a standalone application to do that. What to read next Stop the financial bleed! How Orbit fights back against the dreaded 'Subscription Creep' Android phones come with two built-in tools for freeing up storage space here's how to use them Do I need a VPN on my phone? 7 things you can use a VPN for on your mobile

To check your data usage on your iPhone, go to Settings , Cellular (or Mobile Service ), then scroll down to the Mobile Data menu. The Current Period displayed here reflects your data usage since the last time your Mobile Data Usage Statistics were reset, which will probably be some time ago. To align that figure with your specific monthly billing cycle, youll want to scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Reset Statistics on the same day each month that your billing cycle resets. You can set up a recurring Reminder to help you remember to do this.

A more straightforward solution, though, is to track your data usage through your network provider's official app which will already be aligned with your monthly billing cycle or use a third-party data tracking app like My Data Manager and Data Remaining .

On Samsung phones, the process is simpler. If you go to Settings ,
Connections , then Data Usage , youll see your data usage displayed in a monthly format by default. To manually align the dates to your monthly
billing cycle, tap Billing cycle and data warning, then Start billing cycle
on .

To see your monthly data usage on Pixel phones, go to Settings , Network & internet , then SIMs . You can choose which date youd like your data usage stats to be reset under App data usage cycle . The process is similar for
most other Android phones. How to choose the right data plan Even large-scale carriers like Verizon continue to offer cheaper, fixed-allowance mobile plans
their unlimited options are simply advertised more prominently (Image
credit: Verizon) If, using the above methods, you find that youre paying for more data than you actually use, youll want to choose a data plan that better fits your needs.

I suggest choosing a data allowance that sits a gigabyte or two above your monthly average, unless the provider in question makes it easy (and affordable) to add more data to the plan as and when needed. Its also important to account for occasional high-usage months, as well as factors
such as Wi-Fi access and travel habits, when choosing the right allowance, Banhans adds.

Some network providers allow you to rollover unused data so it can be used in another month, but this shouldnt be seen as a reason to choose a data allowance that far exceeds your real-world monthly average: While rollover data is often presented as a solution to unused data allowances, the extra data frequently goes unused and eventually expires unless a customers usage varies significantly from month to month.

In some cases, unused rollover data can be converted into money off new plans or device contracts, but these savings are often laughably small compared to the money youll have overspent on accruing that rollover data in the first place.

So, in summary, while unlimited and large-capacity data plans are attractive options for many people, network providers rely on consumer ignorance to sell these often excessive packages. If you put in the small amount of work required to determine your actual monthly data usage using the methods outlined in this article you could save hundreds over the course of a year. Today's best phone deals Contract Deals Sim Free gift Apple iPhone 17 24 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 10GB data 19 upfront 34.99 /mth View at Mobiles.co.uk See all prices Google Pixel 10 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Unlimited data 30 upfront 36.81 /mth View at O2 Mobiles See all prices Apple iPhone 17 Pro 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 100 upfront 62.37 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 50 upfront 54.75 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Apple iPhone Air 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 50 upfront 40.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Apple iPhone 17e 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 30 upfront 37 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 (White) Samsung Galaxy S26 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 40 upfront 30.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices gift Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus 24 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 500GB data 45 upfront 37.99 /mth View at Mobiles.co.uk See all prices Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 50 upfront 57 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Google Pixel 10a 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 30 upfront 20 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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