Last updated April 12, 2019
Saving money is a goal for all of us these days. Yes, we are in a time of austerity! One way to do this is to save on line rental by getting a bundled package. These bundled packages will include your broadband and phone in one monthly cost.
Depending on the provider you are looking at you may be able to bundle your TV package in as well. Of course it is more common for people to simply bundle both phone and Internet together. Not only will you be getting a better rate, all of your services will be with a single provider, which makes them more accessible.
Are you getting confused?
To get customers, providers put out a plethora of promotions and deals on their bundles that can make it all very confusing. There are a few questions that you should ask yourself when you look at these bundles. Are you really going to be saving money and time? Would you be better off using cheap separate providers for each service? The fact is that bundled packages do offer very competitive rates. However, as with all new services you must consider all the factors before you sign a contract.
What to consider
While saving money is the ultimate goal there are certain things you should not compromise on. Cheap broadband does save you money but you have to ask what the cost really is. Research done by consumer groups has found that the most important aspect of broadband is not the price but the reliability. What is the point of having cheap Internet if you can never actually get? The second most important aspect of broadband was found to be the speeds that you can download and upload at. Low speeds will slow down then entire process of being online. In this research cost actually came in at third place.
You need to look at your personal needs when deciding what to do. We all want to save money but what are your other priorities? You have to consider what you want and how you are going to be using it. You should also look at the customer and service support offered by the providers as well. How good do you need your support to be may be related to how technical you are…
Are you saving on your line rentals?
To get your attention marketers will also put the most attractive price in big bold letters. These costs are not always what you will actually be paying. Additional costs will often be included in the line rentals and these are seldom included in the bolded costs. To see if a bundle will actually be saving you money you should add what the packages costs to any additional costs like line rentals. When you do this you may find that the offer is still very competitive but not quite as eye catching as it once was.
The call rates
Before you sign anything you need to check all of the details. The call rates are one of these details that should be checked, but many people either forget to do so or just don’t bother. It is imperative that you take the time to look into this as this is one area where companies make their money back. The cuts that they have made to make the big bold price will often come back to you in call rates.
When looking at these rates you should consider how much you actually use your phone. If you use the landline for frequent or long calls, or even just moderately, you may be better off taking a more expensive bundle. This is due to the fact that the cheaper the overall bundle cost the more the call rates are likely to be. If you don’t often use your landline then you could work around the high call rates of the cheaper bundles.
It is not only how much you use the phone that should be looked at. When you use the phone is also important. Calls cost different amounts depending on the time of day you are calling. If your calls are generally made during the day you are in the highest cost bracket. If this is the case you will want to look for bundles that include more anytime calls.
Broadband at the speed of light
If your main priority is not the phone line then it would most likely be the broadband. If you are looking for high speed broadband that is reliable then there are a number of options. The best kind of broadband you want to go for is fibre optic. Fibre optic broadband is generally faster than ADSL as the cabling can transfer data at a faster rate. An added bonus of fibre optics is that you do not actually need a landline for the Internet. While this takes away part of your bundle you will be saving on the line rental. If you do not use the landline very often this is the perfect option and you may want a VoIP solution instead.
A new phone and broadband
If you are in a newer house then you may not actually have a phone line. If you are going for ADSL broadband you will need to have a phone line installed. Of course those using cable broadband will not need a phone line. There are some providers who are willing to install the phone line for free when you take their broadband packages. However, there are other providers who charge a fee to install the line. Watch out for providers that offer free installation but then charge when you are leaving the contract to recoup their investment.
Building your own bundle
If you find that none of the bundles on the market are working for you then try creating your own. Identify what it is that you want and see which providers are offering the best options. The people who benefit most from this option are those who want high speed Internet with cheap phone and line rentals. When you are looking at the providers for this option you need to see exactly what they are offering you and whether the combined total is actually less than other bundle deals.
Sam Jones was looking to save money on his various line rentals and consider a bundle package. He managed to find a great deal after shopping around, with price comparison site uSwitch proving to be very useful.