BT Basic, the low cost line rental deal for those on certain state benefits, will be going up slightly in price in 2013.
From the 5th of January onwards, BT Basic will jump by 15p, from £4.80/month to £4.95/month.
Slightly more expensive but perhaps not welcome news for those on benefits who are already having to face the confusion wrought by the Government’s introduction of the Universal Credit system.
Universal Credit has caused no end of head scratching. Despite the plans to make things simpler and easier to understand, it’s looking to be anything but.
Thankfully BT is making it easier for customers on benefits by keeping things more or less as they are. BT’s statement says:
“In order to keep BT Basic, which is a subsidised scheme, aimed at the most vulnerable customers and in line with universal service, we are proposing that customers on Universal Credit with zero earnings will be eligible for BT Basic going forward.
We were keen to make sure that any changes to the scheme were simple to communicate, simple to administer and where possible avoided collection of personal income or earnings data. We believe that the zero earnings limit will meet these objectives.”
So, if you were eligible for BT Basic before then you’ll be able to get it under Universal Credit too.
Compared to BT’s price increases elsewhere, the BT Basic hike is small beans. It’s also worth nothing that BT Broadband can be combined with BT Basic line rental, though the standard prices apply.
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