BT Home Essentials terms and conditions
These terms and conditions apply to customers who signed up before 10 November 2023 and to customers joining 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 packages and one phone line only package available for customers to choose from. These are:
|
Home Essentials Unlimited Fibre Essential plan |
Home Essentials Unlimited Fibre plan |
Home Essentials Call Only Plan |
|---|---|---|
|
Fibre broadband with average speeds of 36mbps |
Fibre broadband with average speeds of 67mbps |
N/A |
|
700 inclusive anytime minutes a month to UK mobiles and 01,02,03, 0845 and 0870 numbers excluding the Channel Islands |
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 |
|
£15 each month |
£20 each month |
£10 each month |
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 here http://www.bt.com/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 and wants their Plan to continue, we’ll renew their Plan for another 12 months.
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 our alternative broadband and phone package which will be priced at £5 more each month than their current Home Essentials Plan unless they contact us to tell us they’d like their service to end.
Our Fair usage policy applies. For the 700 Minutes Calling Plan: Maximum 150 calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers in a month. For the Unlimited Minutes Calling Plan: Maximum 1000 minutes or 150 calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers in a month.
The 700 Minutes and Unlimited Minutes Calling Plan 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)