Fibre 2 to Fibre With Halo 1: what's the catch?

[jrawle]

My latest bill said my broadband deal ends soon (it's actually August), click here for new deals. I am currently on Fibre 2 (which I knew as Infinity 2). They are offering me Halo 1 for £5 less than my current deal. The speeds quoted are the same, so it must be an 80/20 package, and seems to have no usage limits. Apart from a 24 month contract, are there any catches? Will the broadband service be identical to the one I have at the moment? The reason for my scepticism is that BT are always sending me junk mail about Halo that always involves paying extra for it!

[imjolly]

Halo is an add-on giving some extra benefits

https://www.bt.com/help/bt-halo/learn-about-bt-halo/what-is-bt-halo-and-how-can-i-get-it-

[jrawle]

Is the catch that I will lose my weekend calls package? There is no mention of changes to calling packages on the page with my offers, only of broadband, so it'll be slightly underhand if they do change it.

I do use my landline to make calls at the weekend, but there's not a chance I'm going to pay 20p/minute plus over 20p set up fee, when I have unlimited minutes on my mobile. Can anyone confirm whether I'll lose free weekend calls (I've read other threads but they give conflicting information). Thanks.

[jrawle]

I think I can answer this myself. I added the new package to the basket and it then offered me calling packages: Pay as you go, which includes nothing, or 500 minutes for £5. I do think this is very bad practice. Nowhere does it explicitly say my current call package will be lost. The table comparing my current package and my new one should have included calls if it was going to change. I have always found BT's packages and billing particularly bamboozling and I feel this is deliberate in order to pull wool over people's eyes.

I expect I'll be using my mobile for all calls from now on. BT are killing the landline, which perhaps is the plan. It's a pity as I still find using a landline phone more comfortable and clear, but not worth £5 per month extra!

[AlisonM]

@jrawle 

You are quite right that you will lose your free weekend calls if you change/renew/upgrade your deal.

However, do check the following BEFORE you change your deal.

Go to

MyBT > Your products - Manage > Landline - Manage

to see if they are still offering the My Anytime Calls add-on with loyalty discount for existing customers.  The normal cost is £9 per month, but low users can get it for as little as £1 and it is a 30-day rolling contract.

As long as you add the plan before you renew your broadband deal you will be permitted to carry it forward to any new deal.

[jrawle]

@AlisonM  Thanks a lot for that, they indeed are offering Anytime for £1 (with £8 loyalty discount). Does such a discount last in perpetuity? I suppose I could try it, and if they scrap the discount I can cancel and be no worse off than I would be had I not taken it.

I really just have to decide whether to forget about the landline and go over to mobile entirely, as I already do on weekdays. I'm thinking of getting a Bluetooth retro phone handset that would let me use my mobile through a traditional-looking telephone receiver... It does annoy me to have to pay ~£20 per month line rental but then not be able to use the line to make calls.

[jrawle]

The latest in this saga is that I logged in again today, and now the offers have changed. Instead of Halo 1 for £5 less than I currently pay, it's now £1 more. For the same price as I currently pay, I can stick with Fibre 2, but still no mention of inclusive calls. There's simply no way I am going to pay a higher price than they've previously offered me. I used to dial the 0800 number for retentions to get a new deal. Is there any point doing that in the current climate, or is it impossible to get through? Or should I just wait until next month, given that my discount is until August?