BT Basic Line Rental: Get a landline for Ј4.50/month

A question about : BT Basic Line Rental: Get a landline for Ј4.50/month

What's this about?

BT has recently launched a new social tariff, BT Basic, aimed at cutting the costs for those on certain benefits. It costs £4.50/month (compared to the usual £10.50/month line rental). This gives you line rental and includes £1.50 worth of calls each month. If you're eligible this can be a serious saving.

This tariff will eventually replace its Light User and In Contact Plus schemes.

Who's eligible?

To be eligible you must get one of the following benefits:
Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Guaranteed Pensions Credit
You needn't be an existing BT customer but if you don't have a BT landline you may have to pay to get one installed.

The cost of calls...

Calls outside the £1.50 allowance (which doesn't roll over each quarter), are charged at 10p/min plus 3p/call connection fee so on the surface it's only worth it for people who make limited calls from their landline.

You can get details of how close you are to your call allowance by ringing 0800 44 3311 or viewing your bill online. For full info on override providers and how they work read the Cheapest Home Phones article.

Exceptions to the eligibility criteria

There are also a few exemptions even if you do get the above benefits. If you have one of the following you won't be able to get it:
A phone service provided by another company (either directly or not directly).
An Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - this is a phone network system that digitally transmits voice, text and images.
A business, temporary or payphone line.
Any of the inclusive Calling Plans, Friends & Family, Mobile Saver or International Saver.
BT Pay&Call, a pay as you go service where you pay for your phone service as you use it.
A phone line that doesn't let you make calls (it only lets you receive them) or one that you only use for a burglar alarm (this does not apply to lifeline alarms or monitoring systems).
More than one phone line - whether these are at the same or different addresses. (Unless you're registered as disabled or suffering from a long term illness).
Broadband & override providers

You are allowed broadband with this line rental, unlike BT's older social tariffs. However you can't use override providers with it.

How to apply

You may already have been contacted about BT Basic; if not the named account holder can ring 0800 783 1675 and request an application form. You'll be told within one month if you have been accepted or not.

Update Note 27 Oct 08

Some MoneySaver not on BT have reported getting a similar deal to this from their provider. Simply call up your provider, mention the BT Basic details and see if it will price match. Click reply ro report your successes below.

Related Articles: Cheapest Home Phones, Calling Mobiles Cheaply, Cheapest Broadband

This Forum Tip was included in MoneySavingExpert's weekly email
Don't miss out on new deals, loopholes, and vouchers
FAQs
Privacy Policy
Past Emails
Unsubscribe

Best answers:

• My mum a pensioner just had her phone installed and cost her almost Ј140 I carried on as there was a line in the house, but they would have none of it, I'm ringing up tomorrow for an application form.
• This will be very interesting to my pensioner parents! One question though, does this tariff allow them to keep ADSL on the line?
• What if someone who isn't on benefits lives with someone on benefits, but is the account holder - can the account be transferred in the name of the person on benefits, and can the whole household be put on that tariff then?
• MSE Archna.
  1. You would not be able to avail yourself of the BT Ј29.99 connection offer because this this Special Offer is only available to eligible residential customers between 1st October 2008 and 31st December 2008 (inclusive) who agree to take Unlimited Weekend Plan, Unlimited Evening & Weekend Plan, or Unlimited Anytime Plan for a minimum period of 18 months.
  2. Surely if you use an override provider you dont qualify.On the grounds you are using a phone service indirectly provided by another supplier.
• They 'helpfully' don't mention broadband (ADSL) in their FAQ at all. Probably don't allow us poor people to access such luxuries at reduced prices, as who'd need that? ;-)
  Ј4.50 + Ј7.50 = Ј12PCM for a BT phone line and O2 broadband? Virgin Media might just have to take their Indian call centre, script-reading tech support and over-subscribed services back then...
• That's the combination I'm hoping would be possible, but it's almost too good to be true. They'd never use the BT line at all in that case, a semi-regular Ј10 O2 topup lasts them months.
• Well if they can do it for people on benefits, why cant they offer it to everyone ?
• morning
  well i just rang them
  broadband no problem,but the fact i go through primus and 1899 is lol
  so i dont know if its worth switching as its 10 a minute with bt basic after your free Ј1.50
  that would soon mount up
  hmm dont know what to do
  anyone else think its worth changeing
• Well...if you call your family for a chat once a week say for 1 hour...
  That's 60 mins x 10p = Ј6.00
  Doesn't take many weekly calls to yer mum before you've exceeded the BT option 1 Ј11.50 pcm fee eh?
  But...if you hardly ever use your landline...Go For It!
• hmm
  at the mo i pay 10.50 line rental(sometimes increased to cover caller display) barely Ј1 a quater to primus
  and around Ј5 a quater to 1899
  i quite like kmowing i can sit on phone for just 5p conection
• Yet another case of BT giving with one hand and taking from the other one!!! :rolleyes:
  Call charges will be 10p per minute on this tariff!!!!
  That's more expensive than using a mobile phone!
• Pity it doesn't cover those on disability benefits - wonder what the rationale behind that is?
• Do they check continuously if you are still receiving the benefits?
  ie if you sign up for this, and then stop getting the benefit say 3 months later, what happens?
  Cheers, Des.