Aug. 17--Illinois cell-phone consumers could save an average $331 on their bills every year if they switch to plans with fewer minutes and get rid of unnecessary features, the Citizens Utility Board said in a report released Monday.

The $331 figure comes from an analysis of 6,985 cell-phone bills that Illinois residents entered into the CUB Cellphone Saver, an online tool the group launched a year ago.

Consumers who use one of the five major carriers can upload a PDF of their bill at www.CUBCellphoneSaver.com, and the site generates a free report with recommendations on how to save money, by switching to a different carrier or using a different plan with the same company. The carriers covered are AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless.

CUB said its data showed that most bills averaged more than seven hours of unused calling time a month, representing almost half the total minutes consumers were paying for under their plan. "A large number of bills" also averaged 386 unused text messages a month, CUB said. Only 9.3 percent of bills analyzed had penalties for going over the monthly allotment of minutes.

"This is really savings without sacrifice," said CUB Executive Director David Kolata. "All you're really doing is optimizing your cell-phone plan so it matches your calling behavior."

The report said another culprit in high cell-phone costs is extra and often unnecessary features such as roadside assistance, 411 and insurance.

"In most cases, this is money that is simply being thrown away," Kolata said.

wawong@tribune.com

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