Home phone News

BT drops paperless billing discount

Wednesday 1 September, 2010

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

New customers signing-up to BT will no longer be able to take advantage of the provider’s £1.25 online-billing discount.

This means that new customers signing up to BT (www.bt.com) will now pay £12.79 a month for their line rental when they pay via direct debit.

But BT assured existing customers who had already signed-up to paperless billing that they would be able to keep their £1.25 monthly discount.

A spokesman for the provider said: “From September 1, 2010, BT will no longer offer a £1.25 discount for customers who choose paper-free billing. Customers who chose this option before September 1 will continue to receive a discount.

“BT’s lowest line rental price (until October 29) is our Line Rental Saver offer, which is equivalent to £9.49 a month, otherwise it is £12.79 a month.

“The advantages of paper-free billing are that we send you an e-mail when your bill is ready to view, you reduce the amount of paper you use, you get 24/7 online access to your account, you can view your last six months’ bills and calls, updated daily, and if you need to you can download and print your bill,” he added.

BT will be increasing the cost of its line rental for all customers on 1 October. Line rental will go up by 50p a month to £12.04 for existing customers who took paperless billing before 1 September - or £13.29 for all other customers.

Simon Piper, business development manager at Homephonechoices.co.uk, said: “The line rental market has become really competitive in recent years and there are some great deals to be had.

“Make sure you compare home phone deals, but look at more than just price,” he advised. “Think about the kind of calls you want to make and whether or not you want inclusive minutes as part of your calling plan.

“You should also consider bundling your home phone with broadband or digital TV to help you save even more,” concluded Piper.

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Call TalkTalk 0800 049 7834 Go	Call BT now 0800 028 4474 Go	Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508 Go	Call Sky now 0844 241 0582 Go	Call Primus now 0800 036 0170 Go
FREE connection	£0 with any calls & Broadband package	£0 with Calls Broadband + TV £40 otherwise	£10 connection charge	£59 connection charge
Set-up usually within 7 & 10 days for a new line installation. If switching from Virgin, you can keep your line until your new line has been activated *	Setup within 4 working days for a connection, and up to 16 working days for new line installations *	Setup usually within 2 weeks. Plus you can normally keep your number. Virgin Media also offers a 28 day money back guarantee *	Setup normally between 14 and 28 days for connetion or new line*	Setup between 12 - 14 days normally for a new line installation *
Go Call TalkTalk now 0800 049 7834	Go Call BT now 0800 028 4474	Go Call Virgin Media 0808 189 0508	Go Call Sky now 0844 241 0582	Go Call Primus now 0800 036 0170

* All providers allow you to select a convenient appointment on a suitable date when you place your order online. However, line setup times will typically depend on the availability of an engineer, and other factors, such as the number of concurrent line installations in your area.