I have

Below is a breakdown of an old bill.

Free Calls 358 0021:14:37 0.000
Local 238 0007:28:29 16.212
National 159 0036:45:35 70.700
International 59 0014:50:32 34.805
Mobile 129 0003:57:20 26.105
Text 15 0000:00:00 1.275
National rate 6 0000:23:53 1.144
Lo-call 16 0001:52:16 2.919
Call return fees 9 0000:00:00 0.567
Ringback 1 0000:02:35 0.197

Total 990 0086:35:17 153.924


So I think I have option 3 Plus international

39.57 plus 2.55
So the question is what is the best thing to do to reduce thses costs ?

Move to option 1 and go with 18185 ?
But then I would lose my free calls and as you can see 358 were made last quarter !!!!

Help needed.

Mad Hatter

But when and to which numbers were the 'free' calls made?

If they were made in the evenings and at weekends to UK 01/02 numbers, Primus Saver Option 2 CPS on a BT Together Option 1 landline would get you them for no monthly fee (except the £11 BT line rental).

Associate that with www.call1899.co.uk for weekday daytime UK 01/02 calls at 3p each regardless of duration and www.18185.co.uk for calls to UK mobiles (4p connection and 5p/minute weekdays, 2p/minute weekends) and for calls to many international destinations* and you'll soon be making substantial savings.

* Or the MSE International Callchecker.

BTW. Don't use ringback - it's a rip off.

Then there's saynoto0870.com for finding alternatives for those 0870 and 0845 numbers (or the MSE UK Callchecker for cheaper ways to dial them if you can't find alternatives).
Last edited by Heinz : 07-08-2006 at 17:51

BTW, BT Together Option 3 was £37.02 + VAT (£43.50 incl. VAT) per quarter so adding the £2.55 you mention would take it to £39.57 + VAT.

Of course, BT have just (to use their ridiculous marketing-speak) 'slashed' the package prices (whilst deviously increasing their minimum call charge by 9%).
Last edited by Heinz : 07-08-2006 at 20:25

Hi,

Thanks for your help...

I have switched to BT Option 1

its telling me that it

Cost of this order† (incl VAT): £23.99


Is this correct ?

so should I sign up for both www.call1899.co.uk and www.18185.co.uk ?

Most of my calls are local,national and mobile.

Thanks
Mad Hatter

Now that you have swiched to Opt 1 on BT if you want to keep it as simple as possible.Use 2 suppliers only.


Use as your Main Provider Primus Saver 2

http://www.planet-talk.co.uk/SaverP...px?source=saver


This tariff offers ‘free’ evening and weekend calls to UK landlines without any monthly fee, after talking for 90 minutes you’re charged, you can defeat this by putting the phone down and redialing before then. You can’t sign up online (call 0800 036 0094) though it does bill via e-mail. As this tariff isn’t commonly sold, ensure you get the right one.

The Override Provider

www.18185.co.uk

Now you’ve got your free evening and weekend landline calls, it’s time to fill in the gaps; calling mobiles, ngn , and daytime calls to landlines and international calls.


Although 1899 only has a connection charge of 3p if you make mobile and ngn calls, 18185 is the OVERALL cheapest override provider, charging 4p per call to landlines, no matter how long you speak for, compared to BT’s 3p/min. .
It’s also very cheap for calling mobiles, costing a 4p connection fee plus 5p/min weekdays and 2p/min weekends,and its peak 0845/0870 rates are the cheapest on the market.

Thanks to MSE for a lot of this info.

So the £23.99 is correct then

No Opt 1 plan is Free.See :

http://www.bt.com/Choices/index.jsp?...&obsOID=112069

You just pay £11 a month line rental.
Last edited by blazor : 07-08-2006 at 23:26

Yeah thats what I thought...

so were are they getting the £23.99 out of

Sorry one thing ... with Primus Saver 2 will this have an affect on my BT Broadband ?

I have had alot of problems getting broadband only get it in Feb 2006 !!!! due to the distance from the exchange.

Sorry I should have mentioned this earlier...

Thanks
Mad Hatter

That'll be a 'part quarter' rental - so you only pay the BT Together Option 1 reduced amount for the remainder of the current quarter.

The costs of BT Together Option 1 is usually referred to as '£11 per month' but that is a very slight over-simplification. The actual cost is £28.07 + £4.91 VAT per quarter (£32.98) - which is £11 per month (barring an argument about a penny or two).

Of course, the £11/month is only correct if you pay by Direct Debit. Paying by any other method put the price up to £12/month.
No, using a CPS provider for your outgoing calls will have no effect.

I have BT Together Option 1, BT BB Option 1, Primus Saver Option 2 CPS and regularly use 1899 and 18185 without any problems.
Last edited by Heinz : 08-08-2006 at 11:01

Are you using a Orchid Dialer then Heinz or similar?

Similar - DECT portables with 100 name/number memories. I have entries such as 'COLIN (WKDY)' and 'COLIN (E&W)' pre-programmed. The former has a 1899 prefix entered, the latter has none.

However, I've steered my daughter in the Orchid direction because, with her brood, automation is essential.
Last edited by Heinz : 08-08-2006 at 12:05