How much do calls cost with BT?

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Our expert says...

Hello Heather, You’re right - BT has increased its line rental and call prices, as have many other home phone suppliers, following the government’s decision to increase VAT to 20% on 4 January 2011.

While these changes affect all BT customers, the cost of making a call with BT (www.bt.com) will depend what kind of tariff you’re on and what kind of number you’re calling. You’ll be able to cut your home phone bills down when you know exactly what you’re being charged for and how much it’s costing you.

Firstly, read our guide on Phone numbers and call costs. This will explain the various types of phone number in use in the UK, and give you a rough idea of how much you’re being charged for making these calls.

Below are more details on calls made through BT, as well as information on off-peak and peak periods with BT…

BT’s Unlimited Weekend Call Plan

BT, Britain’s biggest home phone provider, offers free unlimited weekend calls to any local and national UK landline number (numbers beginning 01, 02 or 03) for customers that take BT line rental.

The inclusive calls with this package are divided into two periods:

• Evening - The evening period for BT calls starts from 7pm until 7am the following morning. Calls made during this time are charged at a slightly cheaper rate.
• Weekend - The weekend period for BT calls starts from midnight on Friday until midnight on Sunday. Calls made during this time are free.

Calls made outside of these time periods are classed as daytime calls, and will be charged for, unless your household is on the BT Unlimited Anytime Call Plan.

Local and national daytime calls with BT

When it comes to making calls to landlines in the UK, numbers are categorised into two types:

• Local numbers - Numbers with the same area code as your landline number, e.g. someone in Brighton calling another landline in Brighton
• National numbers - Numbers with a different area code to your landline number, e.g. someone in Bristol calling a landline in Skegness.

If your home phone supplier offers free evening and weekend calls to local and national numbers, you won’t have to pay for these calls - but it’s important you know your tariffs’ terms and conditions, as most free calls can only last for 60 minutes.

Unless you’re tariff is an unlimited anytime call plan though, you will be charged for calls made to these numbers during the day. The table below shows how much BT charges per minute for daytime calls:

Mobile calls with BT

BT’s mobile rates also increased with the VAT changes. A call made during the day from your landline to a UK mobile number will now cost 13p a minute, while calls made during the evening or at the weekend will be charged at 7p per minute. See the table below:

0845 and 0870 calls with BT

Calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers can be costly - especially when you’re left on hold for ages.

Fortunately a few home phone providers, such as BT, include calls to these numbers in your call plan though. So anyone on an unlimited evening and weekend calls tariff can make calls to numbers starting with 0845 or 0870 for free during the evening and at the weekend without being charged.

However, if you make calls during the day, you will be charged the rates below, per minute, for each call:

Other UK calls with BT

Other numbers, such as personal mobile numbers (numbers that begin 070) and premium rate 09 numbers (the numbers normally used for TV shows, horoscopes and chatlines), are charged at different prices. Calls can cost anything from 10p to £1.50 a minute, and all calls will incur the one-off call connection fee.

Download the BT tariff guide for exact prices.

This information should help you work out exactly what you’re being charged for, and help you to reduce your bills, by making sure you make your calls during the inclusive calls period.

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If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at ourexpert@homephonechoices.co.uk