Home Phone and Landline Plans: 8 Useful Tips

Swiss landline plans can be expensive. Here, moneyland.ch lists key tips for home phone users.

Tip 1: Terminate unnecessary connections

Many consumers do not know that they do not need a landline connection in order to get an Internet connection. If you do not actually use your home phone, you can terminate the connection and save the monthly charges.

If you want to make and receive landline calls as well as using the Internet, note that various telecom service providers now off broadband plans which include home phone calls at no extra fee.

Tip 2: Use all-inclusive plans for local phoning

If you like to talk over your home phone and use it intensively, you should consider taking out a plan which includes unlimited phone calls. Many telecom service providers now offer all-inclusive plans. You pay a flat, monthly fee and can make unlimited calls to Swiss landlines. Depending on the plan you use, calls to local mobile numbers or to foreign phone numbers may be covered by the monthly fee as well. An all-inclusive plan is generally the cheapest option for high-volume phone users.

Tip 3: Use all-inclusive plans for international phone calls

Some telecom service providers offer all-inclusive plans for international phoning. However, you should make sure that a plan matches your specific needs before signing up. Some service providers offer plans which only include calls to foreign landlines, while a few include calls to foreign mobile numbers as well. Important: Calls to countries outside of Europe generally do not fall under all-inclusive plans. Consider using alternatives like Voice over IP (VoIP) apps or make calls using mobile services providers like Lebara, Yallo, Mucho and others which specialize in International calling.

Tip 4: Use WhatsApp und Skype to call for free

Free alternatives to landline calls: You can use software like WhatsApp or Skype to phone for free, as long as the recipient also uses the software and you both have access to the Internet. The only downside is that the call quality is not always optimal and depends on the speed of your Internet connections.

Tip 5: Use VoIP apps

VoIP is the abbreviated form of Voice over IP – streaming voice over the Internet. Many, mostly smaller telecom service providers will provide you with the information necessary to connect your phone plan to VoIP. You can then make and receive calls using your phone number through any VoIP app which supports the SIP standard. In this way, you can remain reachable at your home phone number while away from home – even when traveling outside of Switzerland.

Tip 6: Per-minute or per-second billing?

Many landline service providers earn extra money by playing the billing game. Normally, whether or not calls are billed on a per-minute or per-second basis only shows up in the fine print. Depending on the billing method used, you may pay for more calls than you actually make.

For example, if you make a 61-second call and your plan uses per-minute billing, you will pay for 120 seconds (2 minutes). Swiss landline service providers use per-minute, per-second and per-10-centime billing methods. The method used by each plan is shown in the moneyland.ch landline comparison.

Tip 7: Be aware of minimum call charges

Minimum call charges are additional fees which you pay for every phone call you make in addition to the standard call rates. Some telecom service providers apply minimum call charges which are higher than the per-minute call charges. To help you avoid plans which make use of this cost trap, moneyland.ch clearly lists minimum call charges in its landline comparison.

Tip 8: Compare total costs

In conclusion, if you need or want a home phone, make sure to choose the most affordable plan for your specific phoning needs. The unbiased home phone plan comparison on moneyland.ch lets you compare Swiss landline plans. It accounts for per-minute prices for calls to various networks, additional fees and charges, billing methods and both stand-alone offers and package deals.

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Swiss landline plan comparison