Hi,

after years on NTL, I am having to switch to BT. Obviously I will have to pay BT my line rental.

How much is this?

Also, I would want caller display. Would this be through BT? How much?

What CPS carriers call plan would suit my needs best?

I was on TU24 which was national and local landline calls free 24/7 though I could live with evening/weekend.

I also call mobile phones, mainly o2 and THREE. These calls are usually short, i.e. a minute or two.

BT line rental (BT Together Option 1) costs £10.75/month (after £1.50 discount for paying by DD and 25p discount for opting for paper-free billing);

Caller Display is (almost) free - BT will charge you £1.75/month (£5.25/quarter) for Caller Display if you don't make 2 chargeable calls per month (if you're billed monthly) or 6 chargeable calls per quarter (if you're billed quarterly).

Similarly, BT will charge you £1/month (£3/quarter) for 1571 if you don't make 2 chargeable calls per month (if you're billed monthly) or 6 chargeable calls per quarter (if you're billed quarterly).

So, that's either 2 x 5½p calls (11p) or 6 x 5½p calls (33p) if you make sure those calls are evening or weekend calls of less than an hour to UK 01/02 numbers. These can be the same 2 (or 6) calls.

In summary, the cost of both (not each) is 33p per quarter. But PLEASE don't use 1571.

My workaround is to have the number of my local Indian takeaway (which doesn't open until 6pm) programmed into one of my DECT phones with a 1280 prefix (I easily pass the 6 calls per quarter threshold!).

As to the best CPS for your needs, please see HERE.

Personally (but I don't make many peak calls), I use Primus Saver Option 2 (free evening and weekend UK 01/02 calls of up to 90 minutes for no monthly fee) and 18185 for my peak UK 01/02 calls,. my calls to UK mobiles and my calls to Spain.
Last edited by Heinz : 28-04-2007 at 19:02

What an excellent post that is.. definitely given me an insight into my options.

Is that research up to date?

1 question about going with SKY instead of Primus (may be less hassle as I already subscribe to SKY), would I be tied into a new 12 month TV contract if I join? I ask as I think this is the case if I decide to join their BB service.

Also, if I don't want to use a prefix (e.g. 18185), what's better for daytime? SKY or Primus?

So if I go with SKY, are my calls billed to BT or to my SKY account?

And what about mobile phone calls?

Finally, you say that BT's line rental cost contains 1571 free.. so when I switch to BT, will it be on by defauly and I will need to turn this off?
Last edited by TheGame7 : 29-04-2007 at 13:35

At the moment, Sky Freetime, Sky Unlimited, Primus Saver Option 2 (and many, many others) are CPS only packages. It is rumoured that Sky will be offering its own line rental in the near future and Primus have just started doing so.

In all such cases, I would advise NOT moving line rental from BT (i.e. keep BT line rental and use a CPS which best meets your needs).

IMHO, moving your line rental away from BT is like handing over a blank cheque - you put yourself at the mercy of the new provider and whatever it wants to charge for calls.

UK 01/02 peak calls on Sky Talk Freetime CPS are 3p/minute whereas they're 2.5p/minute on Primus Saver Option 2. In both cases, call charges (unless you use the 1280 prefix to 'hop back onto BT' for particular calls) will be billed by the CPS provider, not BT.

Calls to mobiles are almost as expensive as on BT (Sky boast a 5% discount on BT rates and Primus charge, for example 22.3p/minute to call a '3' mobile or 12.8p/minute to call an Orange mobile peak).

As 18185 charges 6p/minute weekdays and 2p/minute weekends, I learnt very quickly to remember the code (before I got an Orchid, that is).

On a new BT line, you'd have to dial 1571 and follow the instructions to turn the 'free' service on - if you don't, it remains off.

May I recommend the MSE Callcheckers to help you decide how to make 0845, 0870, mobile and international calls most cheaply.
Last edited by Heinz : 29-04-2007 at 14:16

I've always followed your advice Heinz. Thank you.

Just wondered what your opinion is on Vodafone at home? Recently, after much thought and research moved over and found the service excellent.

It's my understanding they are just a rebranded BT(both phone & BB). Therefore any faults should be rectified easily???

I've no personal experience but I was under the impression that the Vodaphone At Home package was not CPS - you had to move your line rental to Vodafone as part of the deal.

The Vodafone at Home site appears to show the basics - the 18 month contract, £25/month for 'up to 8mb' broadband, landline rental and inclusive UK 01/02 calls of up to 60 minutes - and the additional requirement to maintain a Vodafone mobile contract - or else the cost goes up to £35/month.

If so, subscribers would have to make all their calls via them, at their prices (i.e. use of the likes of 18185, 1899 can be barred).

Are you saying you're on Vodafone At Home but still pay your line rental to BT?
Last edited by Heinz : 29-04-2007 at 16:04

No, they have my line completely.

I always think I made a good move until reading your posts regarding faults etc!

Faults probably (my fingers are crossed on your behalf) won't be a problem - the inability to choose how to route your calls is the main drawback IMHO.

Thanks for that.

Hopefully I haven't just talked it up! Touch wood...

When I ring a mobile phone it is usually by selecting the number from my DECT's phonebook.

Could I put the prefixes in front of these? Or are they numbers that you call up, hear an automated message and then ring the phone number you want.

With 18185 (recommended for calling UK mobiles from a BT landline), the mobile's number is dialled immediately after the 18185 prefix (no pause).

I used to program my DECT handset (which allowed more than the 16 digits necessary) with mobile numbers including the prefix - until I changed to using an Orchid, which now does that job automatically.
Last edited by Heinz : 29-04-2007 at 17:12