How to save money on your home phone

Category: Home phone
Date: 9/16/2011

There are lots of ways to save money on your home phone bills. We've put together 6 top tips to help you cut the cost of your home phone bill:

1. Reduce the cost of line rental by switching to a provider who will bundle cheap calls and cheap line rental into one bill. Also check with your provider to see if you can pay your line rental upfront for 12 months - you can do this with BT by paying £120 in advance, making your line rental just £10 a month. BT line rental is £13.90 a month if you pay by direct debit. Prices correct as of 16.09.11
2. Use a price comparison site to compare home phone deals. There are many types of packages available, but are generally categorised into three main types: weekend calls, evening calls and anytime calls; some of which have special offers and discounts you can take advantage of. Make sure you are on the right package for you, so if you are on an evening calls only package but make the odd call during the day it may be worth considering changing to an anytime calls package to save money.
3. Choose the right length of contract. If you are already on a contract, it's almost impossible to switch provider until the contract runs out unless you pay an exit fee. Of course if the service you are receiving is terrible you may be able to negotiate your way out. A longer term contract usually means the price of the package will be cheaper, but consider all the charges associated with switching before you make your final choice as it may not be worth it. Also make sure you diarise your contract end date, as you could find that you end up paying a higher rate at the end of your contract term without realising.
4. Keep an eye on different phone rates. Calls to mobiles, premium rate numbers and international numbers are all charged at different rates depending on when you make them. Check your phone bill regularly to see how much you've been charged for calls to mobiles, calls abroad and 0845 and 0870 numbers. Make sure your call package offers competitive mobile and international rates. Unfortunately it's rare to find calls to premium rate numbers included in your free calls package, so make sure you keep these to a minimum. Some companies can charge c. 50p per minute to call these numbers. Try searching for an alternative local phone number using a site such as saynotto0870.com.
5. Pay your bills using the cheapest method. You may have noticed over the last few years that the majority of providers want you to pay by direct debit. This is generally the cheapest way to pay. If you can't pay by direct debit or decide to pay quarterly you could be charged a premium. To save a bit of extra cash, make sure you sign up to paperless billing.
6. Make calls for free - well nearly. If you have broadband installed, you can make calls over the internet using a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) package or free software such as Skype, which works seamlessly with your internet connection, allowing you to chat away with free Skype-to-Skype calls and never worry about cost, time or distance. You will need either a VoIP phone or an adapter that is then connected to your router. There are a number of low cost internet phone provider's that allow you to make calls over the internet using VoIP including Rebtel, VoipFone, Vyke VOIP, Axvoice and even BT Broadband Voice. The only limitation is that the calls are free to other VOIP system users and at a reduced cost to normal land line customers.

What next?

Compare home phone packages - just enter your postcode to see best prices for:

• Anytime calling packages
• Weekend & evening calling packages
• Light user packages
• Phone & broadband bundles

* Your postcode helps us find home phone deals in your area.

Disclaimer: Information is correct as of the date of publication (shown at the top of this article). Any products featured may be withdrawn by their provider or changed at anytime.