Home phone News

Primus Saver increases call costs

Tuesday 17 January, 2012

By Kelvin Goodson

UK’s cheapest landline provider puts up price of calls and connection fees following increase in wholesale charges.

Primus Saver, provider of the UK’s cheapest landline, has increased the cost of some calls and connection fees.

The main changes are to the cost of daytime calls to UK landlines that are not included as part of a package, rising to 7.4p from 4p per minute, while call connection fees - charged for all calls made outside of a calling plan at a one-off cost - are now 12.9p, up from 11p.

Calls to international landlines and international mobiles have increased by 2p per minute and calls to premium rate 0845 and 0870 numbers now cost 6p at all times - previously they ranged from 1.4p during the evening and at the weekend to 8.5p during the day depending on the package.

Calling UK mobile numbers will now cost Primus Saver customers 16p during the day, 14p in the evening and 12p at the weekend. Under the provider’s previous price plan, UK mobile calls cost between 8.5p at the weekend and 25p during the day depending on the package and the network being called.

Primus Saver said: “Throughout the year the wholesale cost of calls increased from our suppliers but as a company we decided not to pass on these increases. Unfortunately, the wholesale increases have reached a point whereby we need to pass on a small portion of the increase on these call charges.”

The provider pointed out that, while it is increasing the cost of some calls and connection fees, some of the UK’s major telephone providers, such as BT and TalkTalk, increased their line rental and call costs twice last year.

The Primus Saver price changes came into effect on January 15.