How to Check if You’re Eligible for Some of $160 Million in Cramming Refunds

It’s been a little hard to keep track of all of the cramming settlements (and lawsuits) lodged against the major four wireless carriers over the last few months. But with $160 million set aside — so far — for subscriber refunds, it’s worth looking to see if you might be due some money back.

All of the major wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint) agreed to stop allowing third parties to place unauthorized premium text message charges on customer bills in November 2013. But federal officials still spent much of the year building cases against the companies anyway in an effort to get refunds for consumers.

The charges for premium text message services like ringtone or horoscope subscriptions usually cost $9.99 a month and often went undetected by consumers who weren’t checking their bills closely.

AT&T

If you are a current or former AT&T wireless subscriber, you may be eligible for a refund. AT&T settled federal and state complaints for $25 million in October and agreed to set aside $80 million for subscriber refunds.

As of mid-December, the Federal Trade Commission had received 1.2 million consumer claims for refunds. You have until May 1 to file a refund claim.

You can file a claim or find out more on the FTC website.

T-Mobile

Current and former T-Mobile subscribers may be eligible for refunds from a recent $90 million settlement government settlement with the wireless carrier. T-Mobile initially resisted settling the charges and was sued; it reversed course six months later. At least $80 million of that settlement would be set aside for refunds.

You have until April 30 to ask for an account summary, which would show if you might be eligible for a refund. You then have until June 30 to file a claim.

T-Mobile has set up a site where you can file a claim or find out more.

Sprint

Current and former Sprint customers aren’t eligible for any refunds yet, but that could change soon.

Earlier this month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Sprint over it’s premium text messaging billing practices. The Federal Communications Commission is also looking at assessing a related $105 million file against the wireless carrier. Most of that money would be set aside for customer refunds.

Verizon

So far, Verizon customers are out of luck when it comes to cramming refunds.

Verizon has been the only major wireless carrier which hasn’t either settled a federal complaint or been sued. Spokespeople for the FTC, FCC or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wouldn’t comment on whether Verizon is next.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via