Best way to pay TV licence ?

innovate

I did read what you wrote, Becles, and I am afraid, you are plain wrong, according to the TV Licencing website.

I am not going to re-type information I posted earlier, and everybody can go to the website and see for themselves what the payment options and licence expiration dates are if you set up a direct debit today.

Becles

innovate wrote:

I did read what you wrote, Becles, and I am afraid, you are plain wrong,

I know I am right when I say there is no additional charge for paying for a TV Licence by monthly direct debit. I would not use the scheme myself if there was and would return to annual payments.

You have misunderstood their website. It clearly states:

These payments will always add up to the same amount as the annual licence fee.

I am not going to argue over this. If you wish to believe what you have written, then please go ahead and do that.

innovate

Yes, I have seen the statement on the website "These payments will always add up to the same amount as the annual licence fee."

But nowhere on the website does it state that 'the same amount as the annual licence fee' for monthly direct debits will actually buy you a 12 month licence. When you use the DD calculator, and want to give the DD authority, you will find it buys you an 11 month licence.

Now, their calculator may be wrong - but even if it were so, the fact remains that the website is entirely intransparent about Direct Debit payments.

Anyway, I am bored with this discussion now - you pay by monthly direct debit and I pay annually in advance with cashback card, and we shall both live happily ever after

Becles

whatever :rolleyes:

gromituk

innovate: there may be a discontinuity when you join the scheme, but forever after you pay exactly the same amount by d/d as you do in a one-off payment. I have my licence in front of me and the total is £126.50.

gromituk

superscotsman wrote:

Tsk! Tsk!
There you are, you poor people, squabbling about how to pay this stealth tax.

OK Mr Clever - how do you avoid paying ITV and Sky's stealth tax every time you buy a tube of toothpaste? Slightly more stealthy than a TV licence!

superscotsman

gromituk
You thought you were being clever. You thought you could outsmart auld Superscotsman.
How do YOU avoid paying ITV and Sky's stealth tax every time YOU buy a tube of toothpaste?
You failed to mention the cost of all those single parents in jail for not paying their fines, watching colour television all day, and the cost of keeping their kids in homes while their mammies are serving their sentences. Now that's so stealthy, you never even noticed it, did you, gromit?
I hear they're putting the price of the TV licence up again by more than the rate of inflation. Dig Deep, Gromit. Hope you enjoy Dr Who, and those groovy gardening programmes and come dancing.
You pay £126.50 a year more than I, so that you can watch your moron box. They don't call me Superscotsman for nothing.
Up, Up, and Awa'!

Pink.

Please can we keep this thread on topic and as always, remember to be nice to other moneysavers. :xmassmile

:xmassign: Pink



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MORPH3US

KTF wrote:

"One payment of £32.89 and three payments of £32.87 will be collected from your bank or building society account every three months. If you choose this option, your licence will be paid for in arrears;"

Can someone please explain that bit to me?!?!

Surely if you want your TV licence to run from 1st Jan 06 to 1st Jan 07 then you pay the first payment on 1st Jan which covers you for 4 months (which is as good as paying upfront) then 1st May 06 you pay for another 4 months (May to August) then 1st September you pay the last 4 months (again in advance).

Where does the arrears come from?!?!

M

gromituk

Because the licence lasts for a year, so unless you pay for it in its entirety when you buy it, you are paying some of it in arrears, just like if you bought anything else on hire purchase. The second and third payments are not in advance of four month licences, they are in arrears of a yearly licence.

I guess you are saying that you are paying in advance for receiving television for four months. I understand the argument, but the four-month and monthly payments evolved from the only traditional payment, which was annually. You can only buy TV licences in units of one year, as far as I know. If you switch over to the four month payment, I think you are essentially having a payment holiday (because you are paying only a third of what you'd have paid at the same time next year) so it is not unfair to expect to pay extra for this.