What phone companies are available in the UK?

When it comes to your home phone tariff, the options are overwhelming. The choices can put you off doing anything about it, leaving you with the same old deal you have always had. But, with our free comparison service, there’s no excuse for paying more than you should.

Compare UK phone suppliers and switch to a better deal.

One bill, one love

In the olden days (before 1984), when everyone was wearing shoulder pads and had their phone line with BT, you paid one phone bill for your line rental and your calls. You may still do that. You may still wear shoulder pads too.

But, the times they are a changing. Now, thanks to market deregulation, you have choices. You can rent your phone line from BT, but make your calls through another phone company (a secondary supplier). It means you pay two bills, but save money overall by paying less for your calls. There are three options for using a secondary supplier, which are outlined below.

Or, thanks to campaigning by the industry regulator, Ofcom, you can rent your phone line AND make your calls through another supplier therefore getting one bill. This is called Wholesale Line Rental and is already used by more than one and a half million UK customers*.

Save with a secondary supplier

If you choose to use a secondary supplier for your calls and keep your line rental with BT, there are three ways of connecting to the secondary supplier.

• Carrier Pre Selection (CPS) – Five million UK customers already use CPS* to save on their calls. You keep your line with BT, but all your calls are automatically routed through another supplier.
• Autodialler – You need to plug a small device (an autodialler) into your phone socket. This then reroutes your calls through another supplier. While CPS is only available with BT line rental, you can use an autodialler with BT or a cable supplier (ntl or telewest).
• Prefix number – The final way to redirect your calls through another supplier is by dialing a prefix number before the number you’re calling. It’s usually a four-digit number. If you are with a cable supplier (ntl or telewest), then you need to call an 0800 number instead. You are only charged the secondary supplier’s rate when you use the prefix number.

Other ways to cut call costs

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a great way to save money on calls, especially when calling overseas. VoIP lets you make calls over broadband internet at a low rate and is free when you call someone with the same company. You can’t switch to VoIP with us, but you can always use it in conjunction with a cheaper plan.

Find a cheaper phone company for your household.

* uSwitch.com Market Analysis, Source: Ofcom