Two‑part pricing separates an access fee from a per‑unit charge to recover fixed costs and guide usage. See how utilities and complementary‑goods models apply it in practice.
Which definition best captures a two‑part tariff?
Pure pay‑per‑use with no fixed component.
A fixed access fee plus a per‑unit price tied to actual consumption.
One price for the first unit, then free forever.
A monthly fee that forbids any per‑unit charges.
Which sector most commonly uses two‑part tariffs in 2025?
Book publishing with one‑time advances only.
Streaming with ads‑only models.
Ride‑hailing with purely time‑based fares.
Electric utilities with fixed monthly charges and per‑kWh rates.
What is the main reason utilities keep per‑unit energy prices near marginal cost while charging an access fee?
To hide the true price of energy from auditors.
To eliminate any incentive to conserve energy.
To make the bill unreadable for consumers.
To encourage efficient usage while recovering network fixed costs.
In complements businesses, which pricing archetype mirrors a two‑part tariff?
Wholesale‑only pricing with no retail channel.
Low‑margin device with high‑margin consumables (razor‑and‑blades).
Random bundles whose price changes hourly only.
High‑margin device with free consumables forever.
Which customer segment benefits from a lower access fee with higher per‑unit rates?
Light users with uncertain or low consumption.
Firms seeking to prepay multiple years.
Very heavy users with stable demand.
Customers who never read their bills.
What safeguard improves perceived fairness of two‑part tariffs?
Clear disclosure of fixed and variable components on every bill.
Complex formulas that change weekly.
Retroactive adjustments without notice.
Bundling fees into a single opaque total.
Which metric best evaluates access‑fee changes without confounding usage swings?
Total kWh regardless of customer count.
Unique pageviews on the support site.
ARPU split into fixed‑fee vs usage‑charge contributions.
Average time‑to‑install the smart meter.
If per‑unit price falls while access fee rises to recover fixed costs, what usage effect is expected?
Immediate zero usage from all users.
Higher consumption among price‑sensitive heavy users.
No change because bills look the same.
Lower usage because fixed fees signal scarcity.
Which migration tactic helps customers choose the right two‑part plan?
Simulate bills under past usage and show break‑even points.
Hide historical usage to avoid anchoring.
Assign plans randomly to create natural experiments.
Eliminate choice so everyone pays the same.
Which compliance cue is important when tariffs include subsidies or social slabs?
Publish current rates and eligibility with effective dates on a public site.
State that regulators approve all changes retroactively.
Describe prices as ‘market‑based’ without numbers.
Circulate rates only by private email.
Starter
Ground yourself in access vs usage economics and transparency.
Solid
Solid—segment light/heavy users and publish clear schedules.
Expert!
Expert—efficient marginal prices with fair fixed‑cost recovery.
