Cutting call costs: website aims to find you the best deals

HOUSEHOLDERS could save hundreds of euro a year in their phone and internet bills from today thanks to a new version of a cost-cutting website.

The www.callcosts.ie website works out the best deals for consumers by analysing how many phone calls they make, how long they talk for and where they ring to.

Householders can find out the best broadband deals in their area through the site, which is run by the Government’s telecommunications watchdog ComReg.

ComReg said the website was designed to help consumers cut through the confusing amount of phone and broadband deals on offer.

A spokesman said: “Information is out there but there is a lot of it in different places and it is too confusing.

“This website puts all that information on one screen so consumers can make an informed choice about the best package for them.

“They could find that if they make regular calls, say, to the UK or Australia then there could be another phone company that offers them better value for money.”

Visitors to the website are asked a series of simple questions about their landline phone usage and are then shown a list of the best deals in rank order.

For instance, callers who mainly use their phone at weekends can enjoy unlimited local and national calls with Eircom talktime weekender for €25.99 a month including line rental.

But callers signing up with UTV Talk could get a better deal if they ring the North or Britain frequently as calls are free in the evening and at weekends.

Line rental costs €24.18 and UTV say customers can save 10% on Eircom’s standard daytime and international rates and 5% on calls to mobiles.

Smart Telecom’s off-peak package costs €35.99, including line rental, and offers unlimited evening and weekend calls inside the Republic and to Belfast as well as discount international rates.

The callcosts.ie website also helps consumers pick out the best broadband deals by quizzing them on their monthly internet usage.

Consumers who log on briefly every day to check their email can pay as little as €19.99 a month for broadband from Eircom but they still face line rental and telephone charges.

For a monthly fee of €14.99, excluding line rental, users can subscribe to UTV’s Clicksilver Lite service, which also offers free off-peak telephone calls within Ireland and to Britain.

Smart Telecom, however, is offering heavier users of the internet a monthly €45.99 deal including line rental and unlimited local and national calls.

The callcosts.ie website was launched last November initially for callers seeking the best mobile deals and has proved popular among consumers, say ComReg.