TOP five watch-outs when choosing a home phone service:
- Match your household’s call habits to the right call plan. For example, if you tend to make calls during the day, make sure that you are on an inclusive daytime call plan. You would be amazed at how many households have not checked to see which call plan they are on.
- Costs to mobiles can be a killer.
- Packages that come with free calls – e.g. ‘free evening and weekend calls’ have a fair usage policy which means that you will start getting charged for the calls after 60 minutes of conversation. The trick is to hang up and dial again.
- Companies often charge about £1/month for paper billing and if you don’t pay by direct debit you will get penalised to the tune of about £4 per quarter. So opt for online billing and pay by direct debit.
- And the biggest watch out of all: if you also have a broadband or digital TV service, think about bundling your services with your home phone. People who buy their services from separate providers on average pay considerably more.
Simplifydigital provides the best deals for this week to save you money when picking up the phone:
Tesco evening & weekend calls with broadband
* Get free evening & weekend calls to UK landlines
* Up to 20Mb broadband speeds
* Unlimited monthly download allowance
* Free wireless router
* No set-up fee
Free for four months when you sign up online using code ‘TBB4M’, £8 per month thereafter plus line rental of £11.40 per month.
TalkTalk evening & weekend calls with broadband – half price
* Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines
* Get the fastest broadband your line can handle
* 40GB monthly download allowance
* Free connection
* 12-month contract
£3.49 a month for the first nine months, £6.99 a month thereafter plus line rental of £12.60 per month.
Plusnet evening & weekend calls with broadband
* Up to 20Mb broadband speeds
* 10GB monthly download allowance
* Free Wireless router
* Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines
£6.49 a month plus line rental of £11.99 per month – Also comes with a £50 naked wines voucher if you sign up online before the 19th of April 2011
BT anytime calls with broadband
* Up to 20Mb broadband speeds
* 10GB monthly download allowance
* Free Wireless router
* Free anytime calls to UK landlines
Free for three months, £16 thereafter, plus line rental of £13.90 per month (or £120 if line rental paid upfront for a year). Also comes with a £25 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate if you sign up online.
But if you don’t want to add a broadband service there are also some great value phone only alternatives.
Here’s Simplifydigital’s pick of the top phone only deals available this week:
Primus (evening & weekend calls)
Evening & weekend calls – FREE
Line rental – £8.99 (two months free)
Free connection
18-month contract
TalkTalk (evening & weekend calls)
Evening & weekend calls – £3.61/month
Line rental – £12.60/month
Free connection
12-month contract
N.B. This package may be more expensive than Primus’, but the Primus call costs to mobile phones are 20 per cent higher during the daytime and 60 per cent more at the weekend meaning call costs can add to the total cost rapidly.
BT Unlimited Anytime Plan
Calls free to local and national numbers (any time) – £5/month (free for three months)
Line rental – £13.60/month (or £120 if line rental paid upfront for a year)
£30 connection fee
18-month contract
TalkTalk Anytime Calls
Calls free to local and national numbers (any time) – £6.21/month
Line rental – £12.60/month
Free connection
12-month contract
N.B. The call costs are marginally higher but there is more flexibility with a 12-month contract.
-Ends-
Notes to editors:
Simplifydigital.com offers a free and impartial ‘Switching Support’ service for anyone looking to get a digital TV, broadband or phone package.
Its London-based impartial experts are available for free over the phone, to answer all those tricky questions and match the family’s needs to the best deal available.
Simplifydigital.com’s experts are available for free on 0800 1 388 388 seven days a week (Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm; Saturday 9am-5:30pm; Sunday 10-5:30pm).
You can also use Simplifydigital.com’s Ofcom accredited comparison engine online at www.simplifydigital.com.
MEDIA RELEASE issued by Simplifydigital. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email info@allmediascotland.com for more information.
Contact: Edita Lozovska
Phone: 08001388388
Email: elozovska@simplifydigital.co.uk
Website: http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk
