Line rental used to be just a small part of a home bill, but now more and more people have moved their calls either to their mobile or their internet connection, line rental has actually become much more important. For many people having a phone line at home at all is only really useful for the internet, so finding the absolute cheapest, no frills home phone line offer has become something that’s pretty important for many people. However, while the big companies are everywhere and always advertising their offers and deals, they don’t always offer the best value for money when it comes down to phone line rental, ignoring the cost of actual phone calls.

While BT used to hold a monopoly on home phone line rental, these days it’s much easier to pick up a cheap phone line deal away from BT. Companies can now buy line rental from BT and then charge their customers whatever they want, so you’re no longer stuck just trying to figure out what BT package you might need – there’s a ton available. Of course, the more choice you have the more confusing it can get to try and compare these deals and find one that’s right for you. There are a large number of providers that can now offer you both basic line rental and a calls package to go on top, such as well known names like The Post Office and TalkTalk and lesser known budget brands like Primus and Direct Save which can offer great value for money for those looking to switch.

So how do you choose between all these different providers? Well, there’s no single answer for the best – it depends how you’re going to use your phone line. There are a number of different questions to ask yourself before choosing a provider.

How do you want to pay? You can normally choose to pay through credit card or direct debit. There may be other ways to pay, but these are the only options were you won’t be charged extra for the privilege.

How do you want to be billed? Opting for paper less billing can make paying and viewing your phone bills much easier, particularly if your phone line rental service updates the phone bill costs in real time. You’ll normally save money by going the paperless route, too.

What package do you need? For most people, the most basic line rental packages that cover free weekend calls may be enough, especially if you plan on using your mobile or a service like Skype instead of your actual home phone to make calls. If you do need more time, other packages are available, but full ‘anytime’ packages may be a waste of money for all but very regular phone users.