BT Home Essentials terms and conditions
These terms and conditions apply to new Home Essentials customers joining from 2nd May 2025, and to previous Home Essentials customers that joined before 2nd May 2025 (except Home Essentials customers that are in-contract for their previous Home Essentials plan). Separate terms and conditions apply for customers who are in-contract for any previous Home Essentials plan, and customers who joined with a voucher for Home Essentials.
What is Home Essentials?
Home Essentials is our low-cost broadband and phone packages for people who are in receipt of some state benefits.
What Home Essentials Plans are available?
There are two broadband and phone packages, two broadband only packages and one call only package available for customers to choose from (subject to eligibility requirements). The packages are:
|
|
Home Essentials Unlimited Broadband* |
Home Essentials No Income plan |
Home Essentials Fibre Essential plan |
Home Essentials Fibre 2 plan |
Home Essentials Call Only plan |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Broadband plan |
Broadband with average speeds of 16mbps |
Fibre broadband with average speeds of 36mbps |
Fibre broadband with average speeds of 36mbps |
Fibre broadband with average speeds of 67mbps |
N/A |
|
|
Calling Plan |
Unlimited anytime calls to UK mobiles and 01,02, 03, 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding Channel Islands |
Unlimited anytime calls to UK mobiles and 01,02, 03, 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding Channel Islands |
N/A |
N/A |
Unlimited anytime calls to UK mobiles and 01,02, 03, 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding Channel Islands |
|
|
Monthly cost (including VAT) |
£15 each month |
£16 each month |
|
£24 each month |
£10 each month |
*This plan will only be available where fibre broadband is unavailable.
With the two broadband only packages, the following calling plans are also available for customers to take:
|
|
Pay as you go (PAYG) |
Unlimited Minutes |
|---|---|---|
|
Calling plan |
With this plan you pay the monthly cost below and then only pay for what you use. Check the BT Consumer Price Guide for the pence per minute rates for all UK landlines, UK mobiles and 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding Channel Islands |
Unlimited anytime calls to UK mobiles and 01,02, 03, 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding Channel Islands |
|
Monthly cost (including VAT) |
£2 each month |
£10 each month |
The monthly price of the Home Essentials package will not increase from March every year by a monetary amount. However, if you have TV the monthly price for your TV service will increase every March by £2. The price of all out of bundle charges will increase from March every year by 5%. See bt.com/prices for details.
Who can get a Home Essentials Plan?
Home Essentials Plans are available for anyone on one or more of these state benefits:
- Universal Credit (all claimants)
- Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit)
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
You need to be receiving income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance to qualify for Home Essentials. People on contribution-based only JSA are not eligible. If you receive both income and contribution-based JSA, your income-based JSA must be higher. - Employment and Support Allowance
You need to be receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance to qualify for Home Essentials. People on contribution-based only ESA are not eligible. If you receive both income and contribution-based ESA, your income-based JSA must be higher.
The person in receipt of one of the above state benefits must be the BT Account Holder of the Home Essentials Plan.
Are there any eligibility checks?
Yes, anyone wanting to take one of the Home Essentials Plans will need to pass an eligibility check, this will involve providing BT with some personal information (e.g. your surname, date of birth, and National Insurance number) so we can check your eligibility for Home Essentials.
We’ll process this information in accordance with BT’s privacy policy, details of which can be found in our Privacy Policy.
What’s the contract term for Home Essentials Plans?
Our Home Essentials Plans have a 12 month duration. However, a customer can choose to leave or swap their plan at any time, there are no cancellation or early termination charges. When a customer reaches month 11 of their Home Essentials Plan, we will contact them by email/letter to let them know that they’re nearing the end of their price guarantee under their Home Essentials Plan and inform them we will run another eligibility check on the 12 month anniversary of their Plan.
How frequently will BT check that I’m eligible for a Home Essentials Plan?
We’ll run an eligibility check every 12 months. If a customer is still eligible for a Home Essentials Plan, then we’ll send them an email/letter to notify them and inform them that we’ll renew their Plan for another 12 months unless they contact us to tell us they’d like their service to end.
Following each renewal, the customer will be moved to the equivalent latest Home Essentials package we offer at that time (either broadband and phone package, broadband only package and any calling plan, or call only package, as relevant) and the monthly price of their package will change to the price of that equivalent latest Home Essentials package as well. See the BT Consumer Price Guide at bt.com/tariffguide for current pricing of our Homes Essentials Plans.
Remember a customer can choose to leave or swap their plan at any time without any cancellation or early termination charges.
What happens if I’m no longer eligible for a Home Essentials Plan?
If a customer is no longer eligible to take one of our Home Essentials Plans, then we’ll send them an email/letter to notify them and inform them that they’ll be automatically moved onto the equivalent latest standard (non-Home Essentials) package we offer at that time (either a broadband and phone package, broadband only package and any calling plan, or a call only package, as relevant) unless they contact us to tell us they’d like their service to end.
The monthly price of the customer’s package will change to the lowest available price for the equivalent latest standard package we offer at that time. See the BT Consumer Price Guide at bt.com/tariffguide for pricing of our standard plans.
In addition, if you're no longer eligible for Home Essentials, the monthly price for your broadband package will increase by £3 on 31 March each year. Out of bundle charges will increase by 5%, and the cost of other services you take from us may increase or decrease. See bt.com/prices for details.
The equivalent latest standard package will have a 30-day rolling minimum term and a customer can choose to leave at any time without any cancellation or early termination charges.
Our Fair usage policy applies. For Unlimited Minutes Calling Plans: Maximum 1000 minutes or 150 calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers in a month.
PAYG and Unlimited Minutes Calling Plans are for your personal use only. If we think you may be using your plan for non-personal use, we may call you to discuss and may move you onto an alternative plan.
These terms and conditions apply in addition to the BT Home Phone and BT Broadband terms and conditions for your service (available at bt.com/legalstuff)