12.06.24
Phone service providers format their bills in various ways, and even bills from the same carrier might look different depending on whether it’s a paper statement or online. But bills generally display similar categories of information.
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What is shown on a phone bill?
When you think of a phone bill, you’re probably picturing a postpaid phone plan — the kind where you use services and then get a statement at the end of the billing period showing what you owe. That differs a bit from prepaid phone plans, where you pay first for a certain amount of service. With those, expect more of an invoice. You’ll get a notification about your service period ending and, if you have auto renewals, notice that you’re about to be charged for the coming service period.
Here’s a look at what to expect:
Information
Postpaid plan
Account info
- Account holder’s name, phone number(s) on the account, dates of the billing period
- Plan name and details (like talk, text and data limits)
Usage summary
- Talk, text and data used (unlimited plans may omit this)
- Any additional features, like subscriptions
Charges
- The base price for your plan plus extra charges (such as roaming or exceeding data limits)
- Device payments, insurance, subscriptions, etc.
- Payment options
Taxes, fees, surcharges May be more extensive than with prepaid plans
Prepaid plan
Account info
- Date the service period will end unless you renew, may include account holder name and phone lines on account
- May include plan name and perhaps details
Usage summary Talk, text and data used (unlimited plans may omit this)
Charges The cost to renew service for the next period and payment options
Taxes, fees, surcharges Price may include taxes and fees, or separate them out
“Taxes and fees” can cover a wide range of things, especially on postpaid plans. Here’s some of what you might see:
Federal, state and local taxes, plus surcharges, such as to help cover the cost of 911 services.
Recurring fees, which can include:
State and Federal Universal Service Funds, which help provide affordable services to rural and low-income users.
Regulatory recovery charges to cover the cost of compliance with government rules.
Telco and carrier cost recovery fees to cover the cost of exchanging services with other providers and of network facilities.
Gross receipts recovery fee to recoup the carrier’s costs from state and local taxes, fees and surcharges.
Occasional fees for events on the account. Your carrier may charge:
To connect a new device, change your number, or restock a device you returned.
When receiving a late payment, restoring your account after it was suspended due to nonpayment, or sending your account to collections.
A penalty for not returning a device, returning it damaged, or sending back the wrong device.
Read more: How much is a phone bill?
How can I see how much data I’m using before the bill hits?
If you’re not on an unlimited data plan, keeping an eye on data use lets you plan ahead to avoid paying for overages. It can also tip you off if you’re paying for a higher data limit than you routinely need. There are two ways to check how much data you’ve used:
Sign into your account on the provider’s website or in its app, then navigate to usage statistics. This is probably your best bet, because you want to know what your carrier thinks you’ve used since it’s the one billing you.
Check your device.
On an Android: Settings -> Connections (or Network & Internet) -> Data usage -> Mobile data usage. You may need to adjust the time period to match your billing cycle.
On an iPhone: Settings -> Cellular, then scroll down to Cellular Data. Note that the “current period” it shows must be reset by you at the start of your billing cycle, otherwise you’re seeing all data usage since you last hit reset.
TextNow Tip: Can a phone bill help you build credit? Perhaps, if you know the facts behind when phone bills show up on your credit reports.
What counts as data on my phone bill?
Any time you’re connecting to the internet outside of Wi-Fi, you’re using mobile data. That includes browsing websites, scrolling and posting social media, sending messages that involve images or video, streaming entertainment. It can add up fast, so make sure you know how much data you need when choosing a plan.
Read more: What is a GB?
Does your phone bill show call and text history?
No, don’t expect a phone bill to list all calls and texts. You’ll likely have to sign into your account or the carrier’s app to view detailed call and text traffic.
Note: The content of calls and texts is never visible. The account history only includes outgoing and incoming numbers; when the call or text happened; how long a call lasted; and the type of call or text (for example, was it a Wi-Fi call, was it an SMS message).
Also, some types of messaging — RCS messaging, iMessages and Android Advanced Messaging — use Wi-Fi or mobile data, so they will not show up in the text log. Same goes for messaging apps like WhatsApp, TextNow, etc.
Can I erase my call and text history?
Yes, sort of: You can view and erase call and text history on your own device. However, this only affects your device, not the account history with the carrier, so the account holder may still be able to access information. Also, the information will also be on iCloud or Google Drive if you use those for backup.
But no, not fully: Service providers have legal obligations to preserve records in case of warrants or subpoenas. And account holders may be able to request copies of past bills from the carrier going back months or years, and those bills may include call and text logs (numbers and times only, not the content of the text or what was said on a call).
Read more: How to get off your parents’ phone plan
