Cell Phone Plans

How to get your service fee back

Mobile phone customers can look forward to refunds.(Bild: Steidi - stock.adobe.com)

For years, major mobile carriers have been charging an annual service fee. Now it may turn out that the fee was collected improperly. Following lawsuits against A1 and Magenta, the first refunds have been issued to customers. The “Krone” explains what options you have as an affected customer.

A massive wave of costs is rolling toward domestic mobile phone providers. Since 2011, the major providers have been charging a so-called service fee of around 25 to 35 euros per year for every contract. The providers emphasized that this was intended to cover services such as a free hotline, free SIM card blocking or replacement, or network expansion. However, consumer advocates identified these extra costs as “hidden fees” even back then.