Mobile Phone Bills Rated As Lowest Priority for UK Consumers

­Only 11% of consumers in the UK consider their mobile phone bill to be one of the top four bills that they always pay. Instead, consumers prioritise paying their utility bills (83 %), council tax (77%), mortgage / rent (74%) and insurance (49%) among others.

The research, commissioned by credit reference agency Callcredit, also reveals that more people would prioritise paying any store or credit card bills (38%), internet charges (19%) and unsecured loans (15%) over their mobile phone bill.

Encouragingly, the research also found that respondents were aware of the consequences of not paying their bills on time. Almost a quarter of all respondents (24%) understand that by paying specific bills on time, they minimise the negative impact on their credit rating.

Owen Roberts, head of Callcreditcheck.com, comments: "As families continue to feel the pinch of the recession in spite of low inflation, it is encouraging to see that people understand the effects of not paying bills on time. However, it may be concerning to those involved in the mobile phone industry that consumers are not prioritising mobile phone payment, although young people place a higher priority on paying these bills than older people. Mobile phone providers spend valuable time and money chasing non-payment of bills and to minimize this it is vital that consumers are credit checked at the acquisition stage and on an ongoing basis. "

Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2027 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd-5th October 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Posted to the site on 27th November 2009