Switching Home Phone Guide

Many people want to make savings on their BT home phone bills by changing to a new supplier but for various reasons they never make the jump.  It's quite natural to have concerns about the standard of service, the cost and the hassle of moving to a new provider. YourHomeBills.com have put together a short guide to answer your questions and help you to make a decision, one that could end up saving you lots of money each month.

Will my line stop working during transfer?
Once you have provided some of your details online, your new supplier will contact you as well as notifying your existing supplier that the changeover is in progress.  You will have a cooling-off period of around 14 days during which if you change your mind you may cancel the transfer. The company taking on your calls will send you a letter notifying you of the date for switchover and BT will also send you a letter to confirm this. From this date your calls will be charged by your new supplier and you won't need to do anything else.  Your line will continue to work throughout this changeover and there will be no difference to your line.

Will I have to change my telephone number?
No. You can keep your existing telephone number when you change calls provider or change home phone supplier (line rental & calls).
If you switch your calls but not your line rental, then all your existing services such as call waiting remain in place with BT. If you change line rental supplier then features can be kept by having them added again by your new supplier.  It's worth checking the cost of these services with the new supplier to see what they charge for the line features that you want - mostly they are equivalent or cheaper than BT.  You can view a list of all call providers and line rental suppliers in the YourHomeBills.com home phone calculator.

Will I lose my existing broadband connection?
No. You can choose to switch your broadband at the same time as your home phone. Your new broadband supplier will confirm the date for both services to switch over, however if you are moving from cable to another provider you may need a new BT line (this can be supplied by your new provider).
If you choose to keep your broadband with your existing supplier then you will simply receive separate bills for each service.

What happens if I currently have a bundle from my existing provider?
With your current home phone supplier you may already have a bundled broadband and phone package and be tied into a contract of some sort. If you are in this position and you do want to swap home phone suppliers then you may need to pay out any remaining months of the contract if you are still within the minimum contract period. However, if you are outside your contract period then you should be able to switch your phone to a new supplier without any hassle. To compare home phone suppliers, simply use the YourHomeBills.com home phone calculator.

I don't have a bundled home phone & broadband package...
If you don’t currently have a bundled package, or have separate broadband and home phone suppliers, then you can switch either service. To compare home phone suppliers, simply use the YourHomeBills.com home phone calculator.

Does it cost me anything to switch?
No - it's free to switch providers and YourHomeBills.com doesn’t charge you a penny.  There may, however, be an installation charge for switching from cable broadband to standard ADSL.

Will I get the same level of customer service?
The majority of home phone companies provide fantastic levels of service but you can always look at customer reviews on this site and on the internet if you are unsure

Will BT still send me a bill?
If you choose to take your line rental through your new provider then you will not receive bills from BT for your home phone. If you change call and line rental provider you may find that you save more money as the new provider may offer a discount when compared to BT. If you only choose to change your calls then you will receive two bills - one for calls from your call provider and one from BT for line rental.
You can view a list of all call providers and line rental suppliers in the YourHomeBills.com home phone calculator.

Can I choose to pay my bill by Direct Debit?
Yes. Paying by Direct Debit is hassle free and prevents you from being charged administration or late payment fees.  This also allows suppliers to pass these savings on to you.

Will my phone number appear in the phone book?
Yes, but if you normally have this as ex-directory then this will remain in place.

YourHomeBills.com home phone calculator