There are different types of packages available. We will take them in turn:
Pay as you go
With a pay as you go type package, you pay for all of your calls. There are no free or inclusive minutes. This kind of package is ideal for low users.
Free evening and weekend calls
With this kind of package, you can call UK landlines (01 and 02) on weekends and/or evenings for free. Often you will have to pay a monthly fee for this package, but some providers will offer free weekend calls with no monthly fee. The free calls do not include mobiles, international numbers or non geographic numbers such as 0845, 0870 or 0900 calls. This would suit a medium user who is not home during the day and makes most of their phone calls during the evening or weekends.
All inclusive
All inclusive packages include all your UK landline calls for a fixed monthly fee. This means you can call anyone in the UK at any time of the day and this will not effect your bill. You will still have to pay for mobiles, international numbers or non geographic numbers such as 0845, 0870 or 0900 calls. This would suit a heavy user who will make phone calls throughout the day.
International
Some providers offer packages that offer very low cost international calls. If you make a lot of international calls, it is best to look out for one of these packages.
Bolt ons and Extras
Some providers have features that are "bolted on" or added to the basic package. These typically offer discounted mobile calls, international calls or frequently called numbers. They normally incur an additional monthly fee.
Bundles and combos
A bundle, or combo, is a combination of products from the same provider. This is often a home phone package combined with a broadband package.
Some providers such as ntl, Telewest and Homechoice offer a combination of three products known as "triple play". Typically these products are home phone, broadband and digital television. It is also possible to combine a mobile package with broadband and/or home phone. This is available with providers such as Toucan and TalkTalk.
In the future "quad play" will be available which will include home phone, broadband, digital television and mobile in the same bundle.
There are two main advantages of a bundle. Firstly, the provider will normally offer a discount to take multiple products. So taking more than one product from the same provider is often cheaper than taking individual products. Secondly, you only have to deal with one company and will normally receive only one bill. A word of warning though, you may still be better by taking the cheapest products individually from different providers.
