BT Basic – how can it help me?

A quick guide to BT Basic

How much does BT Basic cost?	£14.40 every three months (this includes £4.50 to spend on calls)
How often do I need to pay?	Every three months.
Who can get BT Basic?	You can usually get BT Basic if you're claiming one of these benefits: Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Employment Support Allowance (Income related) or Pensions Credit (Guaranteed Credit) You must be the named account holder to apply

Please note: If you get benefits with similar names, this does not mean you will be eligible for BT Basic. Also, not everyone on these benefits will be able to get BT Basic. You can see a full list of conditions in the BT Basic guide.

If your circumstances change and you are no longer in receipt of one of these benefits, you must notify BT so we can review your entitlement to BT Basic.

What do you get with BT Basic?

1. Pay a low line rental and get a call allowance every three months. You will also get free weekend calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers up to 60 minutes.
2. Check your bills. If you'd like to know how much you've spent since your last bill, you can use our free Call My Bill service on 0800 44 33 11. When you phone, choose option one, followed by option two, and make sure you have your account number with you.
3. Bar or restrict certain calls. BT Basic has a free Call Barring option so you can stop certain calls being made from your phone. You can bar various types of calls for example, to international, mobile or Premium Rate numbers (such as chatlines or TV shows).
4. Stay flexible. There is no minimum contract period for BT Basic. This means you can change from BT Basic to any of our other calling plans and packages at any time.

Your call allowance

Calls up to the value of £4.50 (including VAT) that are included	Calls not included
Local and national UK phone numbers that begin '01', '02' or '03' International calls	Calls made through the operator Calls to UK mobile phones Premium-rate numbers 0845 or 0870 numbers The internet If you do make any of these calls, you'll be charged at our standard BT Basic calling plan rates. You can find details of these rates on our website at www.bt.com/personal/pricing

What happens if I go over my call allowance?

If you go over your call allowance, you'll pay 10.7p a minute (plus 3.1p for each phone call) for all normal UK calls. All other calls are charged at our standard BT Basic calling package rates.

I haven't used up my call allowance, can I carry it over?

No. If you don't use all of your call allowance within three months, you can't carry it over to the next three month period.

Can I have broadband with BT Basic?

Yes. We recognise the importance of the internet in today's world and BT Basic has been designed to allow broadband on the line. If you do take a broadband service the cost of this will be added to the BT Basic line rental.

Applying for BT Basic

Call us on 0800 800 864 (8am-6pm Mon-Fri) to request a BT Basic application form. You must be the named account holder to apply. We'll talk to you about the calls you make so that you can be sure that BT Basic is the best package for you.

You will need to fill in the application form (and return within 14 days) and give us some personal information, including your date of birth and your National Insurance number. We need these details so we can check your records with the Department for Work and Pensions. These records help us to find out whether you are eligible for BT Basic.

If we need any more information, we will contact you. If we have everything we need, we'll tell you whether your application is successful within one month. If you don't qualify to get BT Basic, we will write to you to let you know and confirm what will happen next.

Completed application forms should be returned in the envelope provided with the form, or alternatively sent to the address detailed below;

BT plc
BT Basic
Durham
DH98 1BT

You can find more help on filling in the application in our BT Basic guide.