Want to ditch landline and keep Internet and email address

[Lillyann]

Cannot really afford this. How much would a package cost for Internet only, keeping Halo Connect, and ditching the landline?   I need to keep my BT email address. I have just joined Community, hope it's okay to ask. Only have a mobile phone pay-as-you-go with O2. I have no contract and can pick up emails from home hub on the mobile. Thinking of getting another mobile for my husband who is in his 80s. Land line has been down in our area since 21st September and down for at least another week, they keep moving the goalposts!

I hate ringing BT they just want to sell me extra packages more expense, and I can't hear all they say due to a hearing problem. Advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you

Housebound OAPs paying approx £87 a month - we are not even on fibre optic yet! Still old copper wiring.

Broadband package £72 06

Fibre Halo 3+.   

700 minutes calling plan £8.58

Voice mail with call protect £4 03

[imjolly]

the difference between broadband only and broadband with phone is about £2/5pm + you would save on the call packages which you no longer require.

you cannot just move from broadband with phone to broadband only without starting a new contract

if you expect to save on 'landline' then that is not going to happen as you require a line for broadband whether that is fibre or copper.  this is covered at length on the forum using search facility

[Lillyann]

Thank you for your reply, sounds as if we are tangled in the loyalty trap, been loyal customers for 40 years! It is sickening when so many cheap deals are offered to new customers. I remember somewhere reading it's possible to keep BT email address if we change to Sky? I don't know how that works when it's BT copper wire. Apparently fibre optic connections are close to us, would they still be installed if we went to sky? Many thanks for your help.

[iniltous]

If you can do without a landline ( so no phone number associated with the broadband, no incoming or outgoing calls possible, including 999 ) then you would save £8.58 for the now un-required call plan and another £5 for having standalone broadband, no voicemail required so another saving of £4.03 , so £17.63 off whatever you currently pay , but the majority of your costs presumably are the Halo 3+ ( which you apparently want to keep ) .

Personally, unless you are within a minimum term and ETC would be payable , then BT F1 ( 55Mb ) standalone broadband is around £33 , no Halo benefits with this , but half what you pay .

[rbz5416]

Looks like you're being royally screwed. As @iniltous said, if you're out of contract you can either recontract or move suppliers. I believe that if you move you can still retain the email address but only access it via webmail. But someone in the know would have to confirm

Do you qualify for the social tariff by any chance?

https://www.bt.com/broadband/home-essentials

[Lillyann]

 Thanks everyone for your help. We are only still online thanks to a hybrid connect that switches over to pick up EE 4G mobile signal, although it's a very weak signal only one bar blue .I googled regarding changing to sky, but they only offer similar 4G device to business users.

We don't mind about losing landline if I can still send and receive BT emails from the webpage on desktop computer. I searched and found it becomes basic email, so assume I can still reply to emails that come in.

I am in my 70s and not tech savvy, and I find broadband etc confusing after having been with BT for what seems like forever!

[gg30340]

Regarding your email. If you move to new provider your email account would be downgraded to the BTEmail Basic account. This can only be used with web browser and not with an email client/ app.

[Lillyann]

Many thanks, I would be able to log onto BT webpage and send and receive emails via Google Chrome?

[Weerab1983]

Google Chrome is a web browser so that should work in theory

[Lillyann]

Thanks again for your help