Understanding a 'good deal' from BT

Maz1963

Hi everyone.  I must admit to being a bit baffled with all the broadband/call packages on offer.  I have always had very good service with BT and no problems at all with my connections, so don't really want to switch (having read of problems with other providers!)

My issue is understanding what is and what isn't a good deal from them. At the moment I pay £32.77 a month for broadband (Fibre 2) which apparently includes a £6 a month discount, about to expire. I also pay £7.98 a month for a 700 minutes calling plan, plus £4.03 a month for Voicemail with Call protect.  Total of £44.98 a month.  I am going to have to call them soon to see what they can offer on the broadband after the current deal expires. I know it's not in their interests to reduce my costs (!) so thought I'd post on here.  A quick look on Uswitch tells me that I could get broadband for £22 a month with Vodaphone, so suppose I could mention that in the phone call.  I am also thinking of dropping the calling plan as I hardly ever call out on my landline (unlimited calls on mobile), though I would prefer to keep it as some friends still call me on it.. I may scrap the voicemail too.  Or is it all a great deal and I just don't understand that?

Apologies if the above makes me sound a bit dim. I've read through many posts but still find it hard to understand if what I'm paying is a good deal, fair or a rip off!

Many thanks to anyone who can give me a quick view on this, which I'd very much appreciate.  My thinking at the moment is that I should call them and try haggling, mentioning the other quotes I've had.  I know there's no loyalty reward in staying with them, but don't want to risk switching to another provider to save a few pounds a month, only to have problems, not to mention the hassle of switching.

Archie_Duke

I just got a decent renewal deal for my BT Broadband. I got rid of my landline at the same time, don’t have any use for it so there is a saving there. My contract (Fibre 1) had 3 weeks left to run and I was being tempted by Vodafone deals, but actually haven’t had any issue with BT service.

Fibre 1 (74 Mbps) & phone line rental had been costing me £34 per month this year (service commenced Jan 2021 at £29.99 on a special offer) and was due to rise to just over £40. I looked at the ‘My Deals’ page in the My BT app and contacted the online chat service to compare.

I came away with Full Fibre 100 (est speed 150 Mbps, minimum guarantee 100 Mbps) costing £37.99, but with a special offer discount of £8 per month after I said I’d think about the agents opening offer. 

I’m getting double the speed of my previous service, but no phone line any more, for £29.99 on a 24 month contract. The regraded service was up and running the following day (4 Jan), no engineer call or new equipment necessary (I already had the Smart Hub 2).

making contact and getting a feel for their “best offer” and then letting the agent know that you’re interested but want to think about it usually prompts the ‘I’ll see if my manager can do any better’ response.

iniltous

TBH , the first decision to make is if you want or need telephony, a £12 saving from losing it on your current costs, if you decide to remove telephony, the current new customer price for F2 is around £30 with a period approx half price , the half price offer is worth about £4-£5 a month (over the 24 month minimum term) IMHO , a reasonable target price for you would be around £25.
The best policy is to get a price available from a competitor, and call BT retentions and say you are thinking of leaving for that company and price, they may well attempt to match the price.
If telephony is wanted , but you don’t make calls ( or very few ) don’t go with 700 mins  included , go for PAYG , expect it to add £2-£5 to the price of standalone broadband 
If you are near to your existing deal ending its minimum term , have you checked your on line ‘MY BT’ , there will probably be an offer to renew , but if it’s not competitive, call retentions 

400ixl

I would start with what do you actually need. What speed do you actually get on your Fibre 2 and do you need that level, or would one of the lower speeds work for you? If you only have a 1 or 2 people in the house and do browsing , email etc then Essentials may do you, or if there are only a couple of you and you do a bit of streaming then Fibre 1 may be enough. However if you have a full family, doing streaming and gaming then Fibre 2 could well be best.

They then have options for calls, do you need a package or could you just use minutes with a mobile contract?

Maz1963

Thank you, all that info really helps. I've just come off the phone from BT and this is what they have offered:-

------------------------------

Full Fibre 100
  This package includes:
 
  Stay Fast Guarantee
  Unlimited monthly broadband usage
  UK and Ireland call centres - you will always speak to one of our team based in the UK & Ireland when you call us
  All ETCs will be personalised including any discounts
  Monthly prices and one off payments:
 
  �29.99 a month, then �37.99 from month 25
  �0 activation
  Full Fibre Regional Offer
  24 month contract
  Broadband with Standard Line Rental
  Pay your bill by monthly or quarterly Direct Debit
 
 
  Pay As You Go
  This calling plan gives you access to make and receive calls on your home phone.
  Each call costs a set amount per minute, whether it's to a UK landline number or a UK mobile, day or night. 

-------------------

So £31.99 a month for the total package (£2 extra for the PAYG plan). As my current broadband 'deal' ends in April, I  may leave it a few weeks and call again with some competitor prices to see if I can get more of a reduction on the £29.99.  

flaneurs_lobster

Does this price have an increase to come in April (9.3% is I believe the BT figure).

matelodave

The BT price increase is CPI + 3.9%. It's based on January's CPI which hasn't been released yet, but I'm guessing that it will be around 10% making the increase around 13.9%. I'd love to be proved wrong.

Last year  (2022) the April price increase was 5.4% CPI plus 3.9 = 9.3%

flaneurs_lobster

matelodave said:

The BT price increase is CPI + 3.9%. It's based on January's CPI which hasn't been released yet, but I'm guessing that it will be around 10% making the increase around 13.9%. I'd love to be proved wrong.

Last year  (2022) the April price increase was 5.4% CPI plus 3.9 = 9.3%

Quite right, I haven't yet adjusted to 2023 being this year. The BT rise amount has yet to be announced.

iniltous

Vodafone full fibre 100 (£25) with telephony and WE calls (£4)  is ( using an FTTP address near me  ) £29 so a little cheaper , most providers have the built in annual increase , if your deal ends in April 2023 , you would be probably be advised to leave signing up ( or renewing ) until the increase has been made , then go whoever you decide to use ,
FWIW , I would check customer reviews, IMHO saving £1 or £2 per month may be insignificant if the new provider turns out to be problematic 

Stompa

FWIW I've just renewed my contract with BT. Fibre 1 + Unlimited Anytime Calls for £23.11pm. It was a renewal deal that they offered online, and matches what I'm currently paying. No haggling required.

bristolleedsfan

Customers who pay line rental to BT worth mentioning https://www.bt.com/help/landline/getting-set-up/bt-line-rental-saver/bt-line-rental-saver-discount