What to look for when choosing a home phone supplier

Lots of us would like to make savings by switching our home phone supplier and the key to saving money is to compare providers and deals online. Although it is possible to make significant savings by switching suppliers, rather than choosing on price alone it is worth looking for the deal that best suits your needs - that way you’ll get the most value for money. When comparing deals, you should ask yourself:

• When do I make most of my telephone calls?
• If there is a free call allowance, what does it include?
• Do I mostly call landlines, or are a lot of my calls to mobiles or international numbers?
• What add-ons are available and how much do they cost?
• Do I want to bundle my telephone calls and line rental in with other services, such as broadband?
• Is customer service important to me? If it is, then it’s well worth reading customer reviews online before you commit to a contract.

How do I compare home phone suppliers?

To compare home phone suppliers and deals you'll need to enter your postcode to check availability in your area and then select your choice of tariff.

When you compare deals you should consider:

• Monthly package cost
  This is the cost of the package per month excluding line rental charges. When calculating the overall cost per month, remember to factor in line rental charges.

• Line rental cost
  Many home phone providers will require you to have a BT phone line. Of these, some offer line rental packages, but with others you'll have to keep paying line rental charges to BT.

• Calling rates
  These will usually be split into day rates, evening rates and weekend rates. The start and end times for each will vary between providers, as will the cost.

• The small print
  Read the small print for details of the minimum contract length, fees and charges etc.

Will I have to change my number when I switch suppliers?

The good news is that switching supplier does not mean switching your number. You can also keep line rental features such as premium rate barring and call answer services, although depending on the supplier and tariff you're switching to you may need to add these on at an extra charge (which is why it is so important to read the small print before you commit to a new contract).

Will my service be disrupted when I switch?

There will be no interruption to your service when you switch supplier. Your new supplier will notify your old supplier that the switch is taking place, and you'll have a cooling off period during which you can change your mind. You’ll receive a letter confirming the date of the switchover and from that date onwards you should be getting more value for money.

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