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Top Ten Tips For Lower Landline Bills

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Despite the predictions for years now that the traditional home phone will become a thing of the past, virtually all of us still have one, as well as having a mobile phone. The continued success of the bundled ‘phone and broadband’ deal plays a large part in this, with broadband becoming indispensable and many of us needing a working telephone line on which to access the internet.

Although we all still have a home phone it’s often forgotten about and viewed simply as a must have in order to receive our broadband service. However in these tough times it is worth spending a bit of time looking at what you’re paying for because a bit of effort can reduce your phone bill and save you money every month 020738 prefix australia landline phones lookup.

Here are the top ten tips for lower Landline Bills:

 

    1. Look at the monthly line rental fee you’re being charged by your provider. This is not usually included in the advertisements because for Landline Deals it can make up by far the biggest portion of your bill. But with prices ranging from £6.79 a month (currently available from Primus) all the way up to over £14 a month from some providers, it can pay to look for a deal with a much lower line rental fee.
    1. As well as the line rental, providers will charge a monthly package cost for the particular deal you buy. The package may include free calls or voicemail etc. Many providers now offer free packages, so make sure you shop around to see if you can reduce this fixed monthly cost.
    1. Make sure you go for a package that has Free Calls at the time you want to make them. Call charges is the one area of your bill that can vary every month and it’s easy to run up a large bill without realising. If you make most of your calls at in the evenings then go for the packages that offer free evening calls. But once you’ve decided, then make sure you stick to making your calls in those times.
    1. Before you even touch your Home Phone check to see whether you still have free calls left on your monthly mobile allowance. The growth in free calls on mobile phone packages has been exponential over the last few years and they are not usually restricted to certain times. Make sure you use up this allocation first and reduce your home phone bill.
    1. If the only reason you have a landline phone is to receive broadband, then check to see whether cable is available in your area. The cable networks do not require a working landline to deliver their broadband packages and the costs become quite reasonable if you also take one of their TV packages.
    1. Get rid of any unnecessary additional features from your landline service. You may have signed up for 1471 or an answering service but check your bill to make sure you’re not being charged extra for them. If you are, then ask yourself if they’re actually vital – if not, ditch them.
    1. Some customers do need particular services, such as services for the disabled. Most landline providers now offer a wide range of additional services, some cheaper than others. If you need a special service make sure you shop around because a discount on these may make a big difference to your bill.
    1. Do you make international calls? If you do, then check whether the recipient is on the internet and consider using a free service such as Skype. If you must make the call from your landline then compare the call costs of providers to the country you’re calling – some will discount certain countries more heavily than others.
    1. Cut out the expensive domestic calls such as 0845 numbers. These can sometimes be included in the ‘free calls’ section of your package but more usually will cost you an arm and a leg. Try emailing them first and requesting a call, or at the very least ask them to call you back once you’re connected.
  1. If you’ve found a package that you’re happy with then consider signing up for a longer contract. Most landline deals are for 12 months but some providers will discount the bill if you sign up for 18 months.