Be Paid £20 For Free Calls via OneTel

MSE_Martin

Update Note: This was originally a Feb only offer, then was extended to March, and now its been extended to close on 30/4/05. It would be easy to assume it is going to be continuous, but it's more likely its trying to fill a quota of sign ups.

BE PAID £32.50 TO MAKE FREE CALLS.

There's currently a way to beat the very best buy home phone system. Be quick though as it's only available during Feb.

In a nutshell

One.Tel* has a special offer for new customers signing up during Feb. Usually it charges £3.99 for its 'free landline calls evenings and weekends' package, yet sign up this month and it's available for no charge (actually what it does it charges you then gives you a £3.99 credit)

Plus it'll give you a £20 call credit to be used as well (and existing customers may be able to switch over to this too, see note later)

Whilst One.Tel isn't cheap for other calls, it can be used in conjunction with my normal recommendation call18866 to really go absolutely unbeatable!

Two Steps to doing this

Step 1. Use call18866 or call1899 for calls

The cheapest UK calls provider is Call18866 or Call1899. Hopefully most regular MoneySavers will already be using them. If you're not then do read the 'UK's cheapest calls provider article' which explains all.

Step 2. Set up the One.Tel offer

One.Tel is a Carrier Pre-Select (CPS) service so when you set it up, even though you retain your BT line, when you dial any call it is routed through One.Tel automatically and it bills you for the call. There's no need to dial a prefix to access it.

So set up the package as described above from One.Tel*.

After that use this package for all calls to UK landlines in the evenings and weekends as they are free yet use call18866 or call1899 for all other calls (including daytime calls to landlines) as they're much cheaper. (Except directory enquiries calls, which are free on One-Tel)

To do this simply dial the prefix from your phone (e.g. 18866) and then you're on its system - there is no problem with doing this even once you've converted to One.Tel.

How to use your call credits

The 'free' £20 is in the form of call credits rather than just discounts. So if you use One.Tel only for the free calls and then call18866 for others, you'll never feel this call credit benefit.

There's an easy work around though . While One.Tel isn't competitive for calling mobiles, the difference between it and 18866 is smaller here. So each month just use One.Tel to call mobiles to use up your call credit (either by a rough estimate or to be really accurate use its online bill checker).

Advanced MoneySavers Note. Build the gain even further

Both Greasypalm and Rpoints, two of the cashback shopping sites, will pay £12/£12.50 to you if you sign up for a new One.Tel account via them. If you don’t know what these are, please first read my internet shopping, cutting edge time and MoneySaving techniques article – which has a full explanation.

For those who already have accounts set up the following links should help you. Greasy Palm One.Tel Link*, Rpoints One.Tel link*

I hope you save some money

Martin



UPDATE NOTE FOR EXISTING CUSTOMERS

One-Tel has confirmed existing customers are not eligible for this offer, it is only a new customer promotion. However it seems its 'customer retention' department has the power and authority to give this to existing customers if they kick up a fuss about how unfair it is - and how they are considering leaving.

Thought that may be a useful piece of info - by the way its customer service phone number is 0800 957 0357. THough of course just because it has the power to do so doesn't mean it will.... it may end up being a waste of time.

Of course it's impossible for existing customers to get the Rpoints or Greasypalm cashback as there's no new transaction to earn it.







*Affiliated link: If a link has a star, then clicking via it means a contribution is made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay ad-free, sponsorship-free and free to use. This in no way impacts any editorial decisions (what I write), costs you anything or changes the product. For an identical link which doesn’t help the site go to www.onetel.co.uk, www.greasypalm.co.uk or www.rpoints.co.uk. For more on how it works and the site’s non-profit driven ethical and financial policy read this.

sergeant121

The GreasyPalm OneTel cashback is £12 and, unfortunately, appears only to be available to new OneTel subscribers.

Ticklemouse

Whilst I like the sound of the cashback, I don't know if it will be worth it for me or people like me.

I am currently with Talktalk, getting free evening and weekend calls as well as calls to USA, Canada and Australia. I do have family in Canada, so have used this occasionally. This should be £4.99 per month but I have it free for 12 months (until Oct I think). I also use 18866 during the day and have 120 mins anytime with Orange, for £15 pcm which some months I struggle to use so have plenty of mobile minutes available. If I knew how long the Talktalk offers were going to last, I might chance switching, just for the £12 from Greasypalm. They keep saying that the offers going to finish "this month" but it still seems to be going (at least last time I looked). Anyone know?

My last phone bills were, together, under £2 for the month, and only because I have some 0845 numbers to call, so don't get included in the free calls. And I spend lots of time on the phone:D

MSE_Martin

Quite right TM. This deal is very similar to the time Talk Talk was offering something similar (a few months ago if i remember, it was in the tip, i'm assuming you signed up to it then?). For those people it's worth sticking with - but for anyone else - this is an absolute bonaza

martin

Anon

Interesting to see on the other thread that one existing customer reports managing to sign up for it - yet another and I, as an existing customer of many years standing was rejected (by the system, and by a follow up e-mail). The advert says "Join Onetel ..." - is this what they will be using to prevent existing customers signing up (annoyed as I have not had any incentives for Onetel - joined in the years when they didn't pay you to join and when offers like this were not on offer .

Is there a work around for this please? As I have two lines on my account, could I cancel one then "join" with the other again?

Anon

MSE_Martin

I'm speaking to onetel at the moment about existing customers

sergeant121

MSE_Martin wrote:

UPDATE NOTE FOR EXISTING CUSTOMERS One-Tel has confirmed existing customers may switch to this package but it isn't available yet as a function on its website so instead call 0800 957 0357 to do it.

Strange, it certainly seemed as though there was a route for existing customers on the website a couple of nights ago - and my package has updated from StandardUKTalk to LeisureUKTalk.

I'll have to keep an eye on the online itemised list of 'Unbilled Calls' for a while .......

Anon

Website says that it is applied as a £3.99 credit each month. It will not show on your unbilled evening/weekend calls as they would be free with this package anyway? It is the monthly fee that is being refunded and should therefore show on your bill (think they appear online on 15th with dd being taken on 25th).

Anon

koru

I just tried to sign up and found that I count as an existing customer even though I closed my account with them a couple of years ago. They told me I would have to sign up over the phone, so no rpoints.

sergeant121

Anon wrote:

Website says that it is applied as a £3.99 credit each month. It will not show on your unbilled evening/weekend calls as they would be free with this package anyway?
Anon

Doh! Of course! Thanks for jogging the addled old brain on that Anon.

So, I phoned OneTel on the number Martin suggested (got through to what sounded like an Indian call centre) and was told that the offer IS available to existing subscribers BUT ONLY IF A NEW LINE IS BEING ADDED (i.e. for all intents and purposes, for a new OneTel connection).

The offer is NOT AVAILABLE on lines already subscribed to OneTel (i.e. just changing packages).

Snottogram en route! :mad:

MSE_Martin

Trust me on this (i've an inside source) while yes it is avail if new lines are being added, customer retentions has the power to give it to existing customers. There are no guarantees, and you don't have a right to get it, but it does have that power.