Hull ISP KCOM Puts £10 Calls Cost Cap on its Social Phone Line Package

The incumbent telecoms provider for Hull in East Yorkshire, KCOM, has improved their social access phone package (SAP) for low income households by introducing a price cap, which means that customers will never pay more than £10 per month for any voice calls made outside of their allowance.

Customers using the package will now pay a monthly charge that covers line rental, 20 local calls and 60 minutes of calls to numbers beginning 084 or 087 each month (additional calls are charged for on a pence per minute basis up to the £10 cap and thereafter they become free). The monthly rental has also been reduced slightly from £5.12 to £5.10.

The cap will apply to all calls, including international and premium rate calls. In addition, KCOM has removed early termination fees from the SAP tariff (i.e. you can cancel at any time without penalty) and they’ve also introduced monthly billing.

Existing SAP customers can expect to receive a retrospective credit for charges over £10 during any monthly period from 1st March 2017.

Cathy Phillips, KCOM’s Chief Marketing officer, said:

“We are committed to doing everything we can to help our customers keep in touch with their friends and family and to provide a range of packages to suit different needs.

These changes to our Social Access Package are designed to help people who want to have the convenience and benefit of a home phone without the worry of unexpected bills.”

The change is a welcome one, although it’s worth pointing out that BT announced a similar adjustment to their own ‘Basic‘ social tariff in December 2016 (here).