Top 5ive Sneaky Cellphone Fees

Case in point: In September, Cingular Wireless began charging customers $4.99 a month for using older TDMA and analog cellphones, as the company phases out that technology and replaces it with GSM. In other words, not being cool could cost you an extra $60 a year. (This affects 8% of their customers — about 4.7 million subscribers.)

Fact is, no matter which provider you use, you'll encounter plenty of miscellaneous taxes, fees and surcharges, padding your bill by as much as 20%. "Cellphone companies are almost as creative as credit-card companies at finding new ways to charge people," says Beth McConnell, director for the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocate. Here are five sneaky ones to watch out for:

It may seem like harmless fun, but it isn't cheap. On top of the fees you'll pay to your cellphone provider for sending a text, many shows charge a so-called premium content fee, says Edgar Dworsky, editor of Mouse Print, a consumer-advocacy site. The fee could be per message (celebrity gossip show "The Insider" charges 49 cents; "Deal or No Deal," 99 cents) or per month (fans of reality show "Big Brother" cough up $5.99 to subscribe). Avoiding these fees is simple: Read the fine print before you whip out your phone.

Ditching this fee is no simple feat, says Ben Popken, editor for Consumerist, a consumer-advocacy site. "You've got to put your warrior gaze on," he says. "This is not an easy customer service call." Early-termination fees are built into the contract, so success hinges on convincing your provider that it isn't holding up its end of the bargain. Think dropped calls, poor coverage, fee increases, voicemail delays — anything that speaks to lackluster service. Then be prepared to work your way up the customer-service ladder.

You might also try finding someone to take over your contract. Sites like Celltradeusa.com let users list their contract "for sale" for a $19.99 registration fee. You work out a takeover arrangement with an interested buyer, notify your current provider and then walk away — fee-free. Click here for more details.

To sidestep these fees, consider Yahoo Mobile Services Contact Back-Up. It works with SyncML-compatible phones from Cingular and T-Mobile. The service is free. However, you'll pay a small fee (about 25 cents per 25 contacts transferred) for the data transfer if you don't subscribe to your provider's data plan.

Most phones let you control your ability to roam, so check your menu for "roam modes." Set your phone to "network only" to prevent roaming. Sprint/Nextel also offers a call guard feature, which keeps your phone ready for incoming or outgoing calls, but warns you when roaming charges will apply.