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Phone Bill Management Guide
If you're thinking about switching from BT make sure you have assessed your user needs. Asking yourself the proper questions about your caller habits will guarantee that you end up with a package that suits you, and that isn’t necessarily the one with the best introductory offer or lowest line rental.
Whether you want to switch or not, you can still save money and make the most from your landline by following the steps in our guide to bill management.
Step 1. New deals:
Even if you don’t want to move away from your current provider, you might still be able to get a new deal. The best offers are usually kept for new customers, in the hopes of luring them away from their current supplier, but by just asking or threatening to leave, you might actually get what you want. The telecommunications industry has become so competitive that your supplier will probably want to hold on to you.
If you are considering switching, you can save loads of money by doing so. Some offers give you very low line rental, like Toucan who charge just £8.99 a month, while others offer free calls to a host of international destinations.
Make sure that you know exactly how your service provider charges for calls. Some charge by the minute, some by the second. For instance BT have a connection fee (3p in BT’s case), while others such as OneBill have a minimum call charge of 5p.
Yourcalls offer unlimited free calls at evenings and weekends, while with others you get an a specific number of minutes to use anytime, but have to pay the standard rate if you talk for longer.
If you know how you are charged, you can manipulate and control your costs. For example, if you’re only charged after you talk for more than an hour, you could keep a timer next to the phone to remind you to put it down and then call back. That way you can talk for as long as you want without paying.
Step 3. Hidden costs
Beware of extra or hidden costs that you might not have noticed when you chose your provider. You might incur an installation fee, or be charged for things like retrieving your answer machine messages. Make sure that you read the small print and are clear on all costs.
Step 4. Non geographical numbers
Numbers like the 0870 and 0845 range are charged at different rates to fixed geographic ones. These also tend to be the numbers where you will be on hold the longest, and are not included in free mobile minutes. However, there is a way around this; if you go to the Say No To 0870 website, you can search for a company’s cheaper, geographic number.
Step 5. Barring
You can have a bar put on your phone line to stop people dialling premium rate numbers, which can cost up to £1.50 a minute. You might want to do this if you have children or lodgers, or if you just want to put an end to your own expensive habits.
You might be able to put the block on your actual handset, or if not, you simply need to call your telephone provider and they will do it for you.
Step 6. Prefix dialling
Using a national or international prepaid phone card before you make calls can massively reduce your expenditure, especially if you have friends and family who you regularly call abroad. You simply buy a phone card from a company like Alpha Telecom, dial the prefix code and then ring your friend’s number at a discounted price.
Step 7. Remember
There are always ways that you can save on your calls, but by looking at the kind of calls you make; where to, how long for and what type of numbers you call, you are more likely to find something that works for you. Otherwise you could end up paying large bills, being dissatisfied and having to start your search all over again.
There is so much variety out there at the moment that looking for a new home phone package can become quite a headache. Compare deals below, or Contact us if you’re having problems finding the right one for you.
There are also alternatives to your traditional landline. To find out more click here to read our article about Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
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