A new survey from uSwitch.com shows that 17 million mobile phone users pay their telcos for doing nothing.

While mobile phone networks offer an increasing number of inclusive minutes with monthly contracts, but new research, the independent price comparison and switching service, reveals that – even though consumers are seeing their finances stretched – 17 million mobile phone users are wasting money by not using all of them. Nearly half of mobile phone customers use just half of their monthly minute and text allowances. However the wastage is even worse for some, with a quarter admitting to using less than 20 per cent of their texts every month while another fifth use less than 20 per cent of their monthly minutes.

But despite many not getting their money’s worth, and the savings to be made by switching to a cheaper or more suitable contract for their usage, 40 per cent of mobile phone owners on monthly contracts have never switched providers. And just 5 per cent of those who have switched did so because of wasted minutes and texts. More than 40 percent of mobile phone consumers say they simply cannot be bothered to switch. However, with an average saving of over £11 per month, consumers could save £273 over the length of a 24-month contract, making switching worthwhile.

Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com, comments: “Paying for minutes and texts that you don’t use is like buying food you don’t eat – it’s a waste of money. Although some people might like the comfort blanket of having a higher allowance than they actually use, if you are regularly using far less than what you’re paying for, effectively you are throwing money down the drain.