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TalkTalk's price cut is a great opportunity for cable users as it's scared the pants of the cable companies, who are likely to fight hard to retain their existing customers. This leaves a simple and stark MoneySaving choice.
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For phone services Virgin Media isn't particularly cheap. It's especially costly when it comes to calling mobile phones, with prices of up to 32p/min.
It's much cheaper to use a service based on a BT landline, which includes all the products in the main article (e.g. the TalkTalk package is based on a BT landline solution), to get them you will need to first get a BT line.
Yet this in itself causes a problem, if you don't have a BT line, the standard installation fee is £100. For most people this big one-off lump sum makes the whole thing uneconomical, if that's the case see ‘stick but save' below.
However if you already have a connection or are a very heavy phone user it can still be worth the switch across, simply because the calling costs are high.
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Thankfully for those it makes sense to stick with Virgin Media there are still a few techniques that should cut the cost of your bill:
- Threaten to leave. The launch of the TalkTalk deal has these companies running scared and therefore you've a powerful weapon. Simply call them up and quote the TalkTalk deal (see main article) and tell them you're considering switching to it, unless they can give you a better deal.
When you do this, very often they will discount the price of your package or give you a number of free months. Many have reported successes, so it's worth being persistent. Please report successes/failures here. If you've also got a digital TV package its worth first reading the ‘Cut The Cost Of Digital TV' article before calling, as it follows a similar technique. - Use override providers. These are special phone companies you can use to make much cheaper calls. Essentially they connect you to another phone company's network and tariffs thereby ‘overriding' your phone companies prices. Many of them can be used without the need for an account.
Each override provider will inform you of an 0844 xxx xxxx type number which you simply dial to access their network, then dial the number you're calling. The only cost is for the initial access call, which is charged, like any other call, on your home phone bill; the override provider then gets a cut of this.
For more details and to find the right number for the cheapest provider for each country/call type use the CallChecker which updates daily to find the cheapest.
It's important to be aware though that the prices given in the list are for BT landline users. Virgin Media users should be but aren't definitely charged similar prices, so once you know the access number check via your main provider's price list to see how much the call will cost. It may sound a hassle, but you should only need to do it once for each access number.
In the CallChecker list you will also see ‘prefix dial' companies listed, such as call1899 and call18185. These companies require you to set up a monthly direct debit and you're billed separately for each call. As Virgin Media users can't access the prefix dial numbers, they also offer special normal access numbers (e.g 0207 xxx xxxx) so they can be used, but at slightly different prices (listed directly on their sites). Often they are very competitive for calling mobiles, so it can be useful.