BT Price changes announced

gt94sss2

Millions of customers are set to benefit as BT today slashed the prices of its Option 2 and 3 call packages by up to 20 per cent. The price cuts mean that BT offers the best value for inclusive call packages, undercutting all its major competitors 1 .

Existing Option 2 and 3 customers will automatically benefit by £34 million in the coming year. Far larger savings are also available as BT is offering free weekend and evening UK2 calls for a year to anyone signing up to Option 2 3. This offer is open to BT’s 11.4 million Option 1 customers as well as to new customers. People signing up will save more than £40 each as BT is waiving the £3.45 monthly fee for Option 2.

This is the second major round of price cuts following Ofcom’s relaxation of price controls last summer. The price of BT's Option 3 package has almost halved in just ten months enabling customers to enjoy unlimited UK landline calls for less than the cost of a first class stamp each day (£7.95 a month)4 . Customers wanting unlimited evening and weekend UK calls with Option 2 will pay 11.5p per day (£3.45 a month).

BT is also offering customers other ways to save money. BT International Freedom is a new package offering unlimited calls to 36 countries for just £5 per month. BT is also offering savings of at least 25 per cent on calls to mobiles with its CallMobile package. This package, already free on Option 3, is now being made available for free to Option 1 and 2 customers5 .

The major price changes from June 1 include:
• Option 3 is cut from £9.95 to £7.95, taking the overall saving over the last ten months to more than 45 per cent
• Option 2 is cut from £3.95 to £3.45, taking the overall saving over the last ten months to 37 per cent
• Line rental is cut by a further 25p a month to £10.50 for customers who choose an environmentally friendly paper-free bill 6.

BT will introduce further price changes from August 1. The cost of calls to UK landlines at evenings and weekends is set to fall by 18 per cent, from 5.5p an hour to 4.5p. This is when people spend the most time making such calls. The cost of daytime calls will change from 3p per minute to 3.25p and there will be a revision to the set up fee for certain calls 7 with this one-off charge moving from 3p per call to 6p. This fee does not apply to weekend or evening calls to UK landlines.

BT is also changing the way it charges for fixed to mobile calls and calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. These calls will move from Daytime-Evening-Weekend rates to Daytime (6am – 6pm) and Evening (6pm – 6am) rates. Calls to mobiles will change from 13p / 8p / 5p per minute to 12.5p / 7.5p (or 9p / 5p for customers using the CallMobile package). 0845 calls will change from 3p / 1p / 0.5p to 2p / 0.5p per minute whilst 0870 calls will change from 7p / 3.5p / 1.5p to 6p / 1.5p per minute.

BT is also set to introduce a new social telephony service this summer. This will benefit the people who need it the most, providing low income customers with a telephone line and an inclusive calls allowance for less than £5 per month. Full details will be revealed closer to launch.

Recent research has shown that 83 per cent of customers prefer to know what their bill is going to be in advance. BT is therefore promoting its call packages from June 1 and writing to all its customers about the price changes. The trend towards such packages was evident last year when more than a million customers moved onto them.

Gavin Patterson, BT managing director Consumer said “BT is listening to its customers. They’ve told us they want better value packages, and what could be better than getting all your calls to landlines for the price of a first class stamp each day. They also said they prefer the comfort of a calls package and so we’re giving them what they want. Why pay per call when you don’t pay per e-mail?”

Patterson added "BT has reduced prices by more than £1 billion in the last decade and today’s cuts show that we offer the best value for call packages. We’ve also made it easy for customers to save money on their calls to mobiles and abroad. For anyone who was tempted away, there’s never been a better time to come back to BT."

BT is also responding to customers’ environmental concerns by further cutting line rental for customers who take a paper-free bill. Customers who opt for this option will now save 50p a month on their line rental.

More here

Regards
Sunil

Heinz

gt94sss2 wrote: »

BT will introduce further price changes from August 1. The cost of calls to UK landlines at evenings and weekends is set to fall by 18 per cent, from 5.5p an hour to 4.5p. This is when people spend the most time making such calls. The cost of daytime calls will change from 3p per minute to 3.25p and there will be a revision to the set up fee for certain calls 7 with this one-off charge moving from 3p per call to 6p.

Or, to put it another way, how to 'spin' increases so they don't appear to be increases.

Where the cost is really being reduced, the word used is 'fall' but where the cost is really being increased, the words of choice are 'change' and 'moving' (the per minute cost is really an 8.33% increase and the doubling of the call set-up fee is, of course, a 100% increase).

JohalaReewi

BT is also changing the way it charges for fixed to mobile calls and calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. These calls will move from Daytime-Evening-Weekend rates to Daytime (6am – 6pm) and Evening (6pm – 6am) rates.

An increase for weekend callers then ??

Heinz

JohalaReewi wrote: »

An increase for weekend callers then ??

Yes, during the day on Saturdays and Sundays, 0845 and 0870 calls will be FOUR TIMES AS EXPENSIVE - they'll will cost 2p/minute instead of ½p/minute and 6p/minute instead of 1½p/minute respectively.

PLUS the 'call set-up fee' will DOUBLE - from 3p to 6p.

Infidel

Damned! Just when i think about going back to BT the prices increase. Doubling the set up fee just makes them as expensive as VM in my eyes (most of the calls made from here are short and sweet and often less than 1 minute).

BritBrat

You can still go back to BT for cheaper calls.

Check out Heinz link here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=1598074&postcount=4

DonnyDave

Heinz wrote: »

Yes, during the day on Saturdays and Sundays, 0845 and 0870 calls will be FOUR TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE - they'll will cost 2p/minute instead of ½p/minute and 6p/minute instead of 1½p/minute respectively.

So they're making Saturday and Sunday daytime the same as weekday daytime? Have I read it right? :eek: :eek: :eek:

And who will realise this? :rolleyes:

utilitybroker

The Call Mobile Package is only available free with Option 1&2 if you take a 12 month renewal contract . During the evenings it will be slightly cheaper to call UK mobiles using it then 18185. 5p a min instead of 6p.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayProduct.do?productId=CON-3284

BritBrat

I feel for you all who work for BT and have to give answers to customers questions, they must give you trianing days to get you updated on all the changes.

Way to complicated.

Drunkstar

utilitybroker wrote: »

The Call Mobile Package is only available free with Option 1&2 if you take a 12 month renewal contract . During the evenings it will be slightly cheaper to call UK mobiles using it then 18185. 5p a min instead of 6p

Bolded the important bit. The deal AUTOMATICLY renews after 12 montsh for another 12 months. Customers get a 30 day warning that its about to renew and you have to ring BT to cancel that.

edit: and yes its bloody complicated.

alan99_2

utilitybroker wrote: »

The Call Mobile Package is only available free with Option 1&2 if you take a 12 month renewal contract . During the evenings it will be slightly cheaper to call UK mobiles using it then 18185. 5p a min instead of 6p.

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayProduct.do?productId=CON-3284

Could someone confirm that :

a) if we can get a further 15% off the Call Mobile Package if one number is elected as Best friend.

b) currently calls to Three (fm6) are more expensive. Will charges to Three decrease from 1 August?

Alan