Landline costs can get pretty high, these days. You have to pay to rent the line in the first place, then you're normally stuck paying for different features and extras as well as the actual calls themselves, plus for most households having a phone line isn't even optional because of their use in ADSL broadband services, so even if every single family member has their own mobile phone contract, a landline still can't be totally ignored! Here are a few tips to saving some money on your landline without having to switch to a new provider!
Change the way you pay: By opting for paperless billing where you access your billing and account details online, you can save yourself as much as 20 a year, and it's actually much easier to deal with than paper bills, which can get misplaced or be slow to arrive. Most providers will give you some sort of discount if you choose to use such a service as its cheaper for them to use the net than it is to print out all those telephone bills - often comprising of multiple pages - and send them off to every customer.
Know when your peak time is: Different providers treat peak time differently. Always make sure that if you're on a call plan that includes something vague like 'evenings' that you know exactly when the evening starts and finishes, because these times can change sometimes and it may not always be quite when you expect. Just because its dark outside doesn't mean your phone call is going to be free!
Switch to net calls: If you're going to have a phone line purely for broadband, why not make the most out of the broadband connection? Switch over to calling people online using a service like Skype. Skype is 100 per cent free when calling other people with Skype, although there's a disadvantage in that that person will need to be at their computer in order to receive a call, although Skype apps on mobile phones are becoming more common. You can also pay for credit on Skype which will allow you to call any landline in the UK, usually for much cheaper than the actual phone companies can offer.
Make some calls: Even if you don't use your landline often, if you've got a service like voicemail to pick up any messages its worth making a few calls every month. Services like the BT voicemail are only free if you make at least a couple of chargeable calls every month, and it's actually cheaper to make two short calls than it is to pay for the service itself.
Hang up: Most call packages often feature unlimited calls, but if you look in the small print you'll find that while you can make unlimited calls, you can't have them last for an unlimited amount of time! You normally get charged for anything over the first hour, although this is extended on some services, like Primus. All of them will charge though, so simply hang up and redial if you want to continue talking for longer!
Make sure you're on the right package: It seems simple, but there are many people who sign up to the biggest or most unlimited package when they could be using something a little more 'limited' and saving themselves some money. Do you really need the ability to call anyone at anytime if you never use your landline during the day? Likewise, if you're not using your landline to make calls at all, the most basic package is really all you need, so always make sure you're on a package that suits your needs; nothing more, nothing less!
Change the way you pay: By opting for paperless billing where you access your billing and account details online, you can save yourself as much as 20 a year, and it's actually much easier to deal with than paper bills, which can get misplaced or be slow to arrive. Most providers will give you some sort of discount if you choose to use such a service as its cheaper for them to use the net than it is to print out all those telephone bills - often comprising of multiple pages - and send them off to every customer.
Know when your peak time is: Different providers treat peak time differently. Always make sure that if you're on a call plan that includes something vague like 'evenings' that you know exactly when the evening starts and finishes, because these times can change sometimes and it may not always be quite when you expect. Just because its dark outside doesn't mean your phone call is going to be free!
Switch to net calls: If you're going to have a phone line purely for broadband, why not make the most out of the broadband connection? Switch over to calling people online using a service like Skype. Skype is 100 per cent free when calling other people with Skype, although there's a disadvantage in that that person will need to be at their computer in order to receive a call, although Skype apps on mobile phones are becoming more common. You can also pay for credit on Skype which will allow you to call any landline in the UK, usually for much cheaper than the actual phone companies can offer.
Make some calls: Even if you don't use your landline often, if you've got a service like voicemail to pick up any messages its worth making a few calls every month. Services like the BT voicemail are only free if you make at least a couple of chargeable calls every month, and it's actually cheaper to make two short calls than it is to pay for the service itself.
Hang up: Most call packages often feature unlimited calls, but if you look in the small print you'll find that while you can make unlimited calls, you can't have them last for an unlimited amount of time! You normally get charged for anything over the first hour, although this is extended on some services, like Primus. All of them will charge though, so simply hang up and redial if you want to continue talking for longer!
Make sure you're on the right package: It seems simple, but there are many people who sign up to the biggest or most unlimited package when they could be using something a little more 'limited' and saving themselves some money. Do you really need the ability to call anyone at anytime if you never use your landline during the day? Likewise, if you're not using your landline to make calls at all, the most basic package is really all you need, so always make sure you're on a package that suits your needs; nothing more, nothing less!
How To Save Money From Your Landline