Check your BT bill

[Deleted User]

I'll admit, i don't really look at my bills. For once, i took a look at my BT bill and noticed we were paying £71 a month.. considering we only had 45p of phone calls and broadband, it seemed excessive.

So, phoned them up and they're now giving me back £300 in overpayments! yay

New monthly bill - £11 (and i've now dropped their £26 broadband package for the £7.50 O2 package)

Check your bill people!

Ypaymore

I dont know about other members but i think that checking all your bills regularly is a integral part of money saving.:D

[Deleted User]

See.. i'm mid-20s, not in debt, have a home, i have enough money left over each month to get by nicely and save for holidays.... I have considered doing a SOA for myself, but i've just not got round to it. I'm MSE in my heart, maybe not in all my actions

I though that BT just billed me for what i used.. didn't know they took a fixed amount each month

Heinz

ringo_24601 wrote: »

I though that BT just billed me for what i used.. didn't know they took a fixed amount each month

They don't if, like most of us, you go onto Whole Bill Direct Debit.

jinkssick

im angry to pay £33 line rental per 3 months. so you must be well off to be paying £71 a month and not noticing. At least you got a refund.

BritBrat

My daughter had something like that, I contacted a BT worker that posts here to ask what it could be.

He said "Sounds to me like she has a Monthly Payment Plan," I don't think she knew what she agreed to and was lots in credit, but now its sorted.

[Deleted User]

haha, just remembered, i think i've got the exact same thing with my gas and electricity bills. Ho hum, should soak up some of the 15% increases coming soon.

junkssick - why get angry about paying bills, it's just life. If you don't want a phoneline, don't have one.

far

Heinz wrote: »

They don't if, like most of us, you go onto Whole Bill Direct Debit.

However the Monthly Payment Plan option is very useful for those of us who can't afford to pay the whole bill in one go. Our phone bills average around £120 per quarter (including line rental - we make an awful lot of International Calls and yes paying as little as possible for those!) so setting up a Monthly Payment Plan has meant we pay £40 or so a month rather than £120 in one go.

Note that Payment Plan payment amounts can be adjusted online (if you have online account access) or via the automated service on 150 too.

IWasWondering...

I pay monthly by DD to BT. Not so long ago they gave me a refund without being asked. The paperwork said it was because I was more than 3 months in credit on my DD. Nice surprise to get some money back (even if it was my own)!

Steve_xx

far wrote: »

However the Monthly Payment Plan option is very useful for those of us who can't afford to pay the whole bill in one go. Our phone bills average around £120 per quarter (including line rental - we make an awful lot of International Calls and yes paying as little as possible for those!) so setting up a Monthly Payment Plan has meant we pay £40 or so a month rather than £120 in one go.

Note that Payment Plan payment amounts can be adjusted online (if you have online account access) or via the automated service on 150 too.

But in the end you still pay the £120 bill! In effect, you give BT the cash upfront, (unless you consistently use more per quarter than your monthly payments) and therefore BT get the interest that you would have gotten had you left your money in your bank account.

That method of payment upfront is only really good if you think you're likely to spend the cash.

far

Steve_xx wrote: »

But in the end you still pay the £120 bill! In effect, you give BT the cash upfront, (unless you consistently use more per quarter than your monthly payments) and therefore BT get the interest that you would have gotten had you left your money in your bank account.

That method of payment upfront is only really good if you think you're likely to spend the cash.

We don't (at least in our case). Our next bill is due on the 20th of March and by then our balance will only just be back down to £0 following Direct Debits taken on the 2nd of February and 2nd of March. Let's assume our bill on the 20th will be £120. We'll set our Direct Debit at £40 so payments will be taken on the 2nd of April, 2nd of May and 2nd of June. By the time our next bill arrives around the 20th of June, our balance will be clear again so in fact we earn interest on the money - not BT!