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BT Introduce Cheaper Simpler Call Packages

BT has today called on its customers to take advantage of the biggest ever cuts to its inclusive call packages. The call comes after a comprehensive review and widespread changes to a range of different tariffs.

BT Together Option 2 and 3 customers will see prices slashed by almost a third. From tomorrow, the monthly price for the evening and weekend call package (Option 2) will fall by 28% to £3.95 and anytime calling package customers (Option 3) will see a 31% cut to £9.95.

Meanwhile, BT is also introducing price changes that will be offered to all its customers. From 15th August, BT will be offering a year’s free UK evening and weekend calls if they sign-up to BT for 18 months.

Also, from the end of the year, all BT’s 16 million customers will be offered a 25p discount to their monthly line rental, if they opt to receive bills online.

From October the cost of calling many non-geographic numbers is also being cut. 0845 and 0870 numbers now account for a quarter of call time and the changes make BT less than half the price for these calls than some competitors.

BT is also encouraging the adoption of new technology by cutting the cost of voice calls made over the internet (VoIP). From tomorrow, customers who have their phone plugged into their BT broadband connection with Broadband Talk will be able to make anytime UK* calls for just £4.95 a month – a 29% saving on the previous price.

The price cuts follow a number of other initiatives in recent months. In June, BT introduced free UK* evening and weekend voice over internet calls and reduced the price of wifi calls, generating an estimated £152 million of savings for all its consumer broadband customers. Also this year, BT reduced international direct dial rates and introduced Friends & Family Auto-Update, an initiative which could save customers around £50 million.

BT is also aiming to make life easier for customers by simplifying some of its tariffs. From October, it will introduce just three rates for calls from landlines to mobiles, replacing the previous twenty. Rates will be 13p per minute during the daytime, 8p during the evenings, and 5p during the weekend, including VAT.**

Ian Livingston, CEO BT Retail, said “We’ve reduced prices by over £1 billion in the last decade and now our customers have the chance to save even more. We’re not stopping at offering just a great price though – we want to always offer the best overall value. The simplification of our tariffs combined with very popular services like Privacy and Voice Text mean that you’ll get much more for your money if you are a BT customer”.

* Call to numbers beginning 01 and 02, excluding Channel Islands

** excluding Hutchinson 3G