Is it worth while unplugging the cell phone charger in between charges? How much, if any, current does the charger use when not charging? (Always had the assumption that anything transformer-like always draws power, whether the "other side" of it is being used or not.)

It's bad to leave the charger plugged up when fully charged. The battery develops a memory.

It isn't worth messing with for a cell phone charger. It would draw a few cents worth of electricity per year when not charging.

Even a large TV when off will only draw maybe $5-10/year depending on your rates and a few other factors.

I don’t know about the electric draw after battery is at 100% but doubt if it is noticeable on an electric bill if only talking about a few chargers.

What i wonder about and have heard conflicting info is whether it reduces longterm battery life on your phone if you leave them plugged in most of the time after charge gets to 100%.

That’s one that i have heard. Do you know if there is a certain % range you need to let it get to before charging back up to 100%.

The answer is yes, there is still a draw even if it is not plugged into a phone. But the draw is minuscule so its not like you are not going to be saving money.

Now if you are leaving the house for vacation, it is probably a best practice to unplug all chargers. I wouldn't lose sleep over it if you forget, but there is a very slight chance of a malfunction which could cause a fire if the circuit breaker doesn't trip.

I don't know that but I've always tried to allow it to get as low as possible and not leave myself in a bind if goes dead.

mine stays plugged in 99% of the time, my wifi has to be on for it to work out here and bluetooth so it stays connected to my hearing aids if anyone calls.
the drain should be about enough to offset any bad juju from leaving it plugged in.

I know I know. The battery in most cell phones has a shorter lifespan when fully charged every time. I don't normally charge my phone past 85% unless I may be away from a charger for some time.
My Iphone 7 is over 2 years old and the battery still shows 90% capacity. On an iphone if you want to see how healthy your battery is go to settings>Battery>Battery Health and it will show you the current battery capacity compared to when it was new.

That is not true anymore since the advent of smart chargers and the newer battery technology is not susceptible to "memory". The chargers only draw milliamps of idle current, very insignificant in electricity billing. But to each their own. We plug our cell phones in every night, use them during the day. I have some digital video camera batteries that stay continuous in the charger when not in use. No problems.

Thanks. I've got a couple of 5000 mAh backup batteries I bought when my old phone battery would die real quick when using it not plugged in.
My newer phone is better but still doesn't have real good battery life. I carry one or both of those if going to be away from power but it's a PITA to run those the phone if you are walking around and need to use it when plugged in to the battery. So i have got in the habit of leaving it plugged in to house or car charger whenever convenient. I'll try to remember to not keep doing that all the time.

if you turn off wifi and bluetooth the battery will last a whole lot longer, my galaxy S7 is good for 2-3 days on standby if they are off, on it might last a full day to 15-25% charge. the constant search eats up power.

<That is not true anymore since the advent of smart chargers and the newer battery technology is not susceptible to "memory". The chargers only draw milliamps of idle current, very insignificant in electricity billing. But to each their own. We plug our cell phones in every night, use them during the day. I have some digital video camera batteries that stay continuous in the charger when not in use. No problems.>

This goes along with what the DiL (carrier regional rep) says, but she couldn't answer about leaving the charger plugged in. FWIW, she leaves her phone on a charger all the time in the office or car.

Thanks Allison.
I checked my Battery Health and it shows 89% capacity compared to new. I followed some of their "Learn More" batterystuff... and that is quite the rabbit trail but some real good info about iPhone LiPO batteries in their phones, chemical life and charge cycle life (2 different things) along with battery management for different models and IOS versions etc.

One of those rabbit trails said "Charge your Apple lithium-ion whenever you want. There's no need to let it discharge 100% before recharging."

Mine is a used 7+ I recently got from a family member that is actually around 3 years old, but was unused and during that time probably fully discharged for 2 of those 3 years so no charge cycles were used during that time. I'm assuming the clock was still ticking on the battery's chemical life. I've been using it about 3 weeks.

Does a Qi charger use less energy than a a plug in? Trying to save a few cents.