This topic

line rental discount?

simonriddler — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 16:53:57 GMT

got an email saying my line rental discount is no longer going to be honoured. Does this mean my BB bill will increase by over £20/ month from the date the line rental ends?

If so, can anyone recommend an ISP that gives better value? Ive been told Cuckoo is reasonable?

Re: line rental discount?

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 16:59:30 GMT

@simonriddler

No, the discount is only equivalent to one months line rental saving and is no longer available. Line rental is included in all broadband packages, as you need a line to carry the broadband connection.

The discussion of other ISPs is not permitted on this BT Retail forum.

Re: line rental discount?

imjolly — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 17:14:38 GMT

@simonriddler

From your post you must have paid a lump sum upfront commonly known as line rental saver which gave you a reduction over the next 12 months saving you about £20 over the year. LRS is no longer available so you now just pay the package price which as @Keith_Beddoe posted includes cost of renting the line whether that is copper or fibre. Without 'the line' you cannot get broadband or phone

Re: line rental discount?

stanian — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 18:51:24 GMT

Your line rental saver term must have come to an end, mine is still being honoured and will finish in March at which time my bill will increase by £19.99

Re: line rental discount?

iniltous — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 21:06:26 GMT

Just to reiterate, that’s £20 a year ( not per month ) , so if you no longer have LRS ( line rental saver ) you no longer pay £220 upfront to receive 12 x £20 credits 1 per month ,so the overall effect is that you don’t get £20 off per year for the upfront £220 payment, so although your payment may go up by £20 per month , you have £220 in the bank that previously you would have paid in a lump sum

Re: line rental discount?

allanraymond — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 23:32:54 GMT

In answer to the first part of your query you monthly bill will rise by £19.99 per month.

I think some of the other anwers are complicating the issue.

Re: line rental discount?

iniltous — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 10:09:06 GMT

To simply state that that the OP bill will go up by £20 a month and that any anything complicates the issue is idiotic, without adding some context ( what you claim is complicating the issue ) a totally misleading impression is given , baldly stating your bill goes up £20 a month without LRS technically true means the bill likely goes up from £10 ( with the £20 discount removed) back to an industry average of around £30 , the true loss of LRS is around £1.66 a month , although this may be enough for the OP to consider a different ISP anyway , but given the OP was speculating the removal of LRS was significant enough to consider a different ISP , suggests they ( and other contributors) did not really understand the scheme in the first place , its demise is probably a good thing given that there still appear to be some that never actually have understood it .

Re: line rental discount?

BAFlyer — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:15:30 GMT

I think the OP has realized, like I have, that the LRS psychologically soothed the actual cost of broadband over the last few years. Now that that it’s been stopped, I’ve realized that the time has come to look at all ISP options, given a great many do not charge for ‘line rental’ now, rather than accept the current status quo. What also dismayed me was when I last started a new contract with BT, the price offered was £35/month which clearly didn’t include line rental as I was already paying LRS. If that price did include line rental then, clearly I’ve been paying line rental twice over the last 18 months. In addition, the annual price increase in March of inflation plus 3.9% is, in my opinion, unacceptable these days as, again, a number of ISP’s do not have in contract price increases. I have had BT services for 35 years and have been very pleased with their service but now is the time to move on to a competitor who will supply me with 6x the download speed, which is also symmetrical and Wi-Fi 6 capable. Now I understand that this speed is far greater than my current needs, but it does future proof my internet connection and is less than half my current monthly cost. In addition, the home phone cost is only £3/month with free evening and weekend calls.

Re: line rental discount?

gg30340 — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:20:54 GMT

If you take out a BT Broadband package line rental is included in the price. There is no separate charge.

Re: line rental discount?

imjolly — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:40:32 GMT

@BAFlyer

when you first took out LRS by paying a lump sum upfront the cost of broadband was separate from the line rental so you paid Broadband + line rental and received a fixed reduction as you had paid LRS in advance ( I had this) when packages changed to be all inclusive broadband and line rental you had 1 package cost less the monthly LRS. as there was now no longer a separate cost of line rental the LRS should have stopped then but BT in their wisdom continued LRS leading to total confusion confirmed by your post and many others over the recent months

so the package you agreed was that £35 so you bill showed package price per month less LRS or was your cost £35 after reduction for LRS

as has already been posted the cessation of LRS (no £220 upfront )results in your annual package cost increasing buy about £20

Re: line rental discount?

BAFlyer — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 14:43:25 GMT

I appreciate that’s the current position but my in experience its clearly not the case. I took out a broadband package, i.e. new contact in August 2021, "best they could offer" and have been charged line rental on top for the last 18 months. Still, no matter, I accepted costs but have now decided to move on to a new ISP who will offer me better customer service, they answer the phone within one minute, and more advanced technology.

Re: line rental discount?

imjolly — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 15:00:17 GMT

@BAFlyer

you still don't get it about LRS

here is a previous post which hopefully will help clarify

https://community.bt.com/t5/Bills-Packages/Confusion-over-renewal-amp-whether-line-rental-saver-will-still/m-p/2321224

Re: line rental discount?

BAFlyer — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 15:21:17 GMT

@imjolly

I do, and did, fully understand LRS, thank you, and was happy to make use of it. My missives above may not have given that impression. Given its discontinued and my monthly cost is now very clear, one tended to ignore about the lump sum LRS payment until it was required again :-). BT are no longer competitive, in what is a changing market, and I've decided to accept the forthcoming issues of changing to a new ISP, in order to save a great deal of money over the next 2 years. My choice, but I iterate I have been very pleased with BT over the past 35 years.

Re: line rental discount?

simonriddler — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 16:07:23 GMT

Gosh, this doesn't clarify anything!

I unders6totally the need for an actual bit of wire to connect to BB in my home, irrespective of phone use. What I am trying for find out is this - will by monthly payment for my BB ( approx £35/month) increase to approx £55/ month now my line rental has ended ( discounted or not)?

If so, I think it may be time for a change, after 25 years with BT 😏

Re: line rental discount?

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 16:17:11 GMT

@simonriddler

What broadband package do you have?

Re: line rental discount?

simonriddler — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 16:40:59 GMT

Think it's called halo1

But they talked digital voice on ( which Ive never used but they won't remove without cancelling contract ( ££££)

Also have 2 mobile SIM only . Happy enough with them at £10/month.

Had a lot of BB outages in last 6 months tho but think this is due to them upgrading our town to cable so accept that even tho it's f***** annoying!

Rant over!

Re: line rental discount?

allanraymond — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 16:41:50 GMT

simonriddler

As I mentioned in my earlier one liner response, what ever you were paying for your BB package prior to LRS being removed will increase by £19.99 after LRS removal.

For example my Broadband package plus "add ons" bill on was £17.00 per month when I was paying LRS. When my LRS was discontinued my bill went up to £36.99 (which is £17.00 plus £19.99).

Re: line rental discount?

licquorice — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:07:19 GMT

Oh for goodness sake, can't anyone understand simple maths.

The scheme simply gave a £20 discount for paying a proportion of a years costs as a lump sum.

That £20 discount no longer applies and the lump sum previously paid is now paid in 12 installments.

Re: line rental discount?

allanraymond — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:19:49 GMT

licquorice

It isn't clear who your comment is addressed. As for me I fully understand the LRS concept, if it was addressed to somone else a little patience is required if they havn't grasped the implication of the removal of LRS.

I have exhausted my contribution to this thread.

Re: line rental discount?

licquorice — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:25:27 GMT

@allanraymond Yes, I agree that you understand it, but you are confusing those that don't by talking about an increase of £20/m without qualifying it with no longer paying the lump sum up front giving a false impression.