Home Phone Guides

How to cut the cost of your home phone

Wednesday 1 April 2009

By becca.talbot@consumerchoices.co.uk

Line rental charges are going up, but if you want to keep your bills low, consider switching. It’s quick, easy and hassle-free.

Wherever you live, there are different line rental options available for your home phone. And if yours is one of the 73% of households that has never switched their fixed-line supplier*, then comparing home phone prices and line rental charges could save you loads on your bills.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about line rental charges, and the things you need to consider when choosing a new provider…

• Check out the Video Guide

• Line rental charges
• Comparing line rental charges
• How do I switch my line rental?
• Anything else to consider when it comes to switching home phone?

Line rental charges

Home phone providers BT (www.bt.com) and TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk) have both recently raised their line rental charges. While BT has increased its monthly line rental charge from £10.27 to £11.25, its rival TalkTalk has added 75p per month, pushing its charge up from £10.50 to £11.25.

Like many of their competitors, both BT and TalkTalk line rental charges are quoted including discounts for paying by direct debit and signing up paperless billing, letting you manage your account and pay your bills online.

BT charges customers an additional £1.50 per month if they don’t pay by direct debit, and a further £1.25 per month if they don’t sign up to paperless billing. For TalkTalk customers, they are only offered the option of paying by direct debit, and there is an extra £1.25 per month charge if they don’t sign up to paperless billing.

These additional charges need to be taken into account when you are considering switching line rental provider; while one provider may appear cheaper, the hidden charges could cancel out any savings you might make.

If you can’t, or don’t want to pay by direct debit, the Post Office Home Phone (www.postoffice.co.uk) accepts payments by cash, cheque or credit/debit card, both over the phone and in branches, at no additional cost.

Comparing line rental charges

Now is the perfect time to compare line rental charges to see if you can find a cheaper deal.

You shouldn’t switch to a new home phone provider just because its line rental is cheaper, as the most you’ll save is about £3 a month. But if you switch to a provider with cheaper call prices as well, you could make huge savings. Check out our best buy tables below for an idea of who offers competitive packages.

Several providers offer free call charges - within a monthly package - if you sign a contract for their line rental. Primus (www.primustel.co.uk) currently has the best deal at £9.99 a month. Both deals include free national calls at the evenings and weekends.

The table below compares line rental and evening and weekend call plans:

Anytime call packages can save you money on your phone bill if you use the phone for both local and national calls throughout the day. Many providers offer anytime call packages, so you should shop around to choose the right one.

The table below compares line rental and anytime call plans:

Comparing line rental costs is easy using our home phone comparison service. Just enter your postcode into our calculator, so we can check home phone suppliers that are available in your area. Then compare the tariffs available to you. You can then switch online to a new supplier, its that simple!

How do I switch my line rental?

Switching providers is:

• Quick
• Easy
• Hassle-free

If after comparing home phone prices you’ve found cheaper line rental, switching provider is simple. You can do it online using our site in just a few minutes. All you’ll have to do give us a few details about who you are and the telephone number you want to switch, and we’ll manage your application to your new provider for you.

The whole switching process takes about 14 days, and in the majority of the cases you’ll be able to keep the same number. And don’t worry, you won’t be disconnected during the switching period.

BT is the dominant home phone supplier in the UK, supplying around 14 million British households. If you haven’t already, compare home phone tariffs and see how much you could save by switching.

Anything else to consider when it comes to switching home phone?

If you’re tied into a 12 or 18-month contract, you will probably be faced with exit fees if you want to switch. If this is the case you should weigh up the savings and the charges before switching – you may find that the savings don’t merit the switch.

With many providers, you can make further savings by taking advantage of bundled broadband and phone packages. For example, you may find that bundling their home phone and broadband with the same provider could save you money, and reduce the number of bills you have to pay a month.

Also, consider the way you will be paying. Customers that pay by direct debit and sign up to paperless billing will get the cheapest prices, so if you aren’t already paying in this way, contact your provider and see how much you could save.

Switching your home phone service >>>

Switching FAQ >>>

Keeping your phone bills low >>>

Check out the Video Guide >>>

Compare home telephone offers and switch to a better deal today.
Compare Home Phone Deals