Everyone has probably stumbled upon the term flat rate at some point. The word comes up again and again, especially in the telecommunications and multimedia sectors. But what exactly does a flat rate actually mean?
- A flat rate refers to a paid service that can be used indefinitely.
- The term became known through the landline flat rate for calls.
- With modern flat rates, the duration of use can vary.
- Cell phone flat rates often also include Internet use.
What is a flat rate?
A flat rate is a flat rate. Anyone who concludes a flat-rate contract does not pay for the individual services, but can use them indefinitely as long as the contract is valid. While the flat rate market was initially only geared towards the fixed line network, since the introduction of the cell phone it has mainly focused on the mobile segment. Nowadays you will find numerous flat rate offers from various manufacturers, especially for your smartphone , which in most cases include surfing the Internet. The flat rate options promise the customer a feeling of freedom when using the smartphone and are therefore very successful.
Various flat rates
Short for FR by abbreviationfinder, the flat rates are available in different areas of telecommunications. Customers want to protect themselves from nasty cost surprises by using a flat rate. With the mobile phone flat rate , for example, you can make free calls to your provider’s network. Another popular model is the popular all-network flat rate , with which you can use all networks in Germany at no additional cost. The SMS flat rate has gone a little out of style. Nowadays, most people prefer to use apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger instead of SMS. However, there are special offers that allow unlimited sending of SMS. The flat rate to the fixed network is now standard for home connections, but is also available for cell phones.
Surfing with the internet flat rate
Many of the mobile phone flat rates include the use of the Internet. Data packets of different sizes are provided for surfing. But the internet flat rate has also established itself for the home sector . In the early days of the Internet it was still common for the connections to be listed individually and to be paid for accordingly, today you can enjoy the advantages of a flat rate. The length of time you spend on the network does not affect the billing at the end of the month.
Other flat rates in a broader sense
In addition to these classic flat rates, the term is also used for other offers. For example, streaming services use this term. Known are among others:
- Netflix
- Max cathedrals
- AmazonPrime
Movies and series that users select here are not only available for a short period of time, they can be viewed again and again – as long as you are a customer. This also applies to the AmazonPrime shipping flat rate, which eliminates the delivery costs. Electricity flat rates promise full cost control and no additional payments. On the other hand, since there is no reimbursement for lower power consumption, a change of provider is often a better idea.
What should you watch out for with a flat rate?
Good to know: not all flat rates are the same. If you want to conclude a contract for a flat rate – be it for your mobile phone or for Internet use – you will always find surprisingly cheap offers. However, these models often have a decisive disadvantage: They are sometimes bogus flat rates that only include a certain contingent. For the Internet flat rate on smartphones, for example, this means that after the data volume has expired, you can still be mobile online and use services such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, but the data transmission speed is throttled. If sending photos and short videos was previously done in seconds, you now have to plan more time.
For whom is a flat rate worthwhile?
Whether a flat rate is worthwhile for you depends on your individual phone and surfing behavior. Often there is the possibility of designing the flat rates individually: with or without SMS or in terms of scope. Allnet flat rates are available for less than ten euros. In addition to free telephone calls, these include one to two GB of data volume for Internet use. With such low costs, these flat rates are recommended for almost all users. It is only advisable to forego a flat rate if your monthly telecommunications expenses are less than seven euros. Tip: In order to remain flexible, experts recommend a contract with a short term. In this way you test the conditions and can switch if necessary.
