BT Call Charges Increase 10%
BT, the UK’s telecommunications giant, says that they plan to put a 10% increase on call charges and a 50p rise on their monthly line rental starting this October. Most of the company’s customers will be told of the decision in a letter that will be sent and received this week.
The current price for connecting a call is 9.9p, but this will go up to 10.9p, while the daytime rate will increase from 5.9p to 6.4p. Consumers that sign up for a one-year contract to begin with will be able to avoid the rising charges.
BT says that they have estimated that the impact of the changes will be about 1p per day, as their average customers make only 80 seconds of calls during the day every day. Plus, over 50% of their subscribers are signed up with inclusive packages. Calling plans allow customers to avoid the charges for most calls and set-up fees, they added.
This means that, starting in October, BT subscribers will pay £13.29 per month for a landline rental or £12.04 a month if they get their bill by email. These changes are part of a move by the telecoms giant to get customers to sign up with longer-term contracts and special packages. Those that do will pay cheaper rates.
After the first of October, if will cost £159.48 for a standard landline, while subscribers that pay for the entire thing upfront will only be charged £131.88. However, those that sign up before the end of October will only have to pay £113.88, which equals £9.49 per month. To help customers with the changes, BT says that they are happy to talk to them about inclusive packages so that they can reduce their bills. They are also happy to discuss different payment options.