Home phone Guides

Home phone billing and payment options

Updated: Thursday 26 January, 2012

By Anthony Hill - anthony.hill@consumerchoices.co.uk

Is your landline provider charging you to pay your monthly bills? Sign-up for online paperless billing and pay by direct debit to avoid extra charges...

Most home phone providers offer their cheapest prices to those customers that sign-up to receive online paperless bills and pay by monthly or quarterly direct debit.

Therefore, if you’re not already, it’s a good idea to start getting your bills via email and paying by direct debit - it will help considerably cut your costs.

Read our guide below for more information and top tips about paperless billing and paying by direct debit. And if you can’t pay this way or would rather receive a bill in the post, we’ll help you work out how much your monthly line rental is going to cost.

Receiving your bill

The majority of landline suppliers give a discount to customers that opt to receive their bills via email. Because paperless bills save suppliers money in paper and admin costs, they can pass these savings on to you, through a discount on your line rental, for example.

Primus Saver, the UK’s cheapest standalone home phone supplier, offers a discount of £1.80 a month to customers who sign-up for online paperless bills, for example. Therefore, customers with online paperless billing will be charged just £7.99 a month, rather than £9.79.

When switching home phone provider it’s important that you read your chosen supplier’s terms and conditions first, as the advertised price for line rental is usually the cost if you sign-up for online paperless bills and pay by direct debit. Choosing to receive your bills in the post could result in you being charged more.

The table below shows the difference in price between online paperless bills and getting a paper bill in the post:

Paying your bill

Direct debit is usually the cheapest way to pay bills, and not just your home phone bills - credit card companies, energy suppliers, mobile phone companies and digital TV providers all prefer payments by direct debit. This is because it guarantees that your payment will be on time each month.

These days most home phone providers charge customers extra if they choose not to pay by direct debit, i.e. by credit or debit card over the phone or in the bank.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com), the UK’s largest cable home phone provider, charges customers £5 a month if they don’t pay by direct debit, for example. The table below shows the costs of not paying by direct debit for some of the larger suppliers:

Paying your landline bill by cash

If for one reason or another you’d rather pay your phone bills by cash, there is an option - the Post Office (www.postoffice.co.uk) is the only supplier that lets customers pay by cash, without charging any extra.

Unlike other landlines providers, consumers signing up for the Post Office’s home phone service can pay their monthly bills in a way which suits them - either by direct debit, over the phone by credit or debit card, or by cash in a Post Office branch.

The price the Post Office charges for its line rental is the same whichever payment method you choose, making it an ideal option for those that don’t have a bank account, anyone on a tight budget, those that can’t pay by direct debit or who simply prefer to receive their monthly bill in the post.

Compare landline providers and costs

Before switching home phone service, it is essential you compare landline providers and make sure you’re switching to a company and tariff that suits you.

Look at various things, including the payment and billing methods of each, as well as the line rental and overseas or mobile call costs - if you make a lot of these calls.

Use the postcode comparison service on Homephonechoices.co.uk to find the best deal in your area.