Cutting the cost of your home phone is easy when you know how. Here are 7 simple ways you can cut your landline bill dramatically.
1. Check you're with the right call provider
Switching landline provider is quick and easy so there's no sense in staying with a company that's charging you too much.
Unless you're mid way through a fixed term contract you can switch provider whenever you like so you can start saving right away.
You should be able to keep the same number and there's unlikely to be any interruption to your service either.
2. Check you're on the right package
There's no point paying up front for calls that you're not going to make, so take a look at your last few phone bills to see who, when and where you're calling. Then simply choose the cheapest call package that gives you 'free' calls when you'll use them.
Read our article How to Get a Cheap Landline Deal for more information and check out your options in out landline comparison.
3. Check whether you could save with a bundle
Combining your home phone with broadband and even digital TV (if you'd watch it) could mean big savings so it's worth checking out when comparing your options.
You can use our Phone & Broadband bundle comparison and Phone, Broadband & TV bundle comparison to check out your options.
4. Check peak call times
If you're not on an 'anytime' call package then checking your landline provider's peak call times is a must. Calls during these times are likely to be far more expensive than calls made during off-peak hours.
More importantly, if you're on a package that gives you free weekend or evening calls you need to know when your inclusive calls start otherwise you'll end up paying extra.
5. Check your call limit
Most packages that offer inclusive calls will limit the amount of time you can stay on the phone without being charged extra. This tends to be around 60 minutes but it does vary from provider to provider.
Check your provider's limit on the length of free calls, then simply hang up and redial if you ever get close to exceeding it and being charged.
6. Pay by direct debit
Most providers charge extra for payment by credit card, debit card or cheque, so paying by direct debit is usually the cheapest option when it comes to settling your bill. For this reason it makes sense to pay by direct debit unless there's a specific reason why you can't.
Paperless billing usually attracts a discount too so this is something else worth investigating.
7. Minimise other calls
While taking full advantage of the calls you pay for as part of your landline package is sensible, minimising calls that will cost you extra is a must too. There are a number of ways to do this:
Calls to mobile phones
Calls from landlines to mobiles tend to be very expensive so it makes sense to avoid them if you can.
If you have sufficient mobile to mobile calls included as part of your mobile phone package then it's likely to work out cheaper to simply call mobiles from your mobile instead!
Calls to international numbers
Unless you call abroad frequently enough to make it worth your while looking for a landline call package that offers inclusive international calls, dialing abroad is likely to be expensive.
The easiest way to cut this cost is to use an access number provided by a company that specialises in offering cheap landline calls. Read our article How to Save on International Calls for more information about how this works.
Calls to computers
Using services like Skype to stay in touch can help you to make big savings on your landline bill.
It lets you make VoIP (computer to computer) calls for free so you can call anywhere in the world without charge. Read our article How to Get Free Calls with VoIP to find out more.
As an added bonus, you can install it on smart phones so you can make computer to smart phone, or even smart phone to smart phone calls for free - potentially meaning even bigger savings.
Calls to companies
Many companies will use costly non-geographic numbers for their customer services which makes getting stuck on hold expensive as well as frustrating. So it makes sense to find an alternative if you can.
If you need to call a company that provides a 0870, 0845, 0871, 0844, 0843 or 0872 number as its contact you should
- Check whether the call is included in your landline call package as some providers now include these with certain packages.
- If it's not, check to see whether there's an alternative for those calling from overseas. These will usually start with +44 and actually be a UK landline number. You simply need to replace the +44 with a 0 and you'll be able to cut the cost of your call.
- If there's no overseas alternative then you could try Saynoto0870 which lists cheaper alternatives to 0870 numbers for some companies. Numbers aren't verified so you need to be careful if you're looking for a number for your bank or credit card company etc.
- If phone numbers to numerous departments are provided and only some of them start with an 'expensive' call prefix (like 0870) then you could always call a department with a UK landline and ask to be transferred. Doing this may mean you avoid the extra charge associated with dialing the non-geographic number direct.
