Put A Cap On It Say goodbye to bill shock. We can help you cap the amount you spend each month
Ever looked at your phone bill and received a nasty shock? Those days are now a thing of the past, thanks to bill capping.
What's bill capping?
A bill cap lets you set a monthly spend limit to your bill. Add a bill cap to your chosen deal, and you'll never accidentally spend more that each month.
For example, if your monthly bill comes to £20 per month, and you add a £5 bill cap to cover any extra services you may use, your monthly bill will never rise above £25.
What's covered by a monthly bill cap?
- Premium rate calls and texts such as phone votes
- Sending picture messages (MMS)
- Calls to directory enquires numbers and international numbers
What monthly bill cap should I choose?
The bill cap you should choose depends on how much you use your phone, and what you use it for. For example, if you make a lot of international calls, a bill cap would make sure you don't overspend on them.
Answer a few questions below and we can suggest a monthly bill cap that meet your needs.
1. How often do you vote on television programmes such as X-Factor or Dancing On Ice?
Question 1 of 6
5. How often do you call premium rate numbers beginning with 09, 118, 084 or 087?
Question 5 of 6
6. How often do you go on holiday outside of Europe and make calls, send texts and use data?
Question 6 of 6
Based on your answers we recommend...
A monthly bill cap from £0 - £5
You rarely use any services that might cost extra, and almost never spend more than you'd expect on your monthly bill.
We recommend: For added flexibility, a £5 bill cap, may come in handy just in case want to send the odd MMS picture message or two.
Why shouldn't I choose a £0 monthly bill cap? Choosing a £0 bill cap means you will never pay more than the price of your tariff, which is great if you want to be careful about how much you spend. However, some of the services you use sparingly could be unavailable to you.
A monthly bill cap from £5 - £25
You only use a few services that might cost extra on top of your monthly bill.
We recommend: With a £5 - £25 bill cap you won't spend too much extra on top of your monthly bill, but you can still use the same additional services that you do at the moment.
A monthly bill cap from £25 - £60
You currently use a lot of services that cost extra on top of your monthly bill.
We recommend: With a £25 - £60 bill cap you won't pay more than this amount on top of your monthly bill, and you can still use the services you currently enjoy.
A monthly bill cap from £60 - £120
You regularly use services that cost extra on top of your monthly bill.
We recommend: With a monthly bill cap of £60 - £120, you can continue to enjoy all of the services you currently use while staying in control of your bill.
A monthly bill cap from £120 - £200
You currently spend a lot of money on services that cost extra on top of your monthly bill. A large bill cap would keep those costs in check.
We recommend: A bill cap of £120 - £200, will give you the freedom to enjoy all of the services you currently use on a monthly basis.
No monthly bill cap
You often use additional services, and you don't want any restrictions on how much you can use them.
By selecting 'No monthly bill cap' there will be no limit to how much your bill could come to each month after using additional services such as calling premium rate numbers and picture messaging (MMS).
However, if you wish to limit your spending each month with less restrictions, we'd still recommend choosing the highest monthly bill cap available to avoid overspending on your monthly bill.
What happens when I reach my spend limit?
Your network provider will send you a text to let you know if your usage has reached 80%. This will happen before your monthly bill comes around.
Your provider will also let you know once you've reached the limit. Once the limit is reached you won't be able to use any services that carry an additional charge.
Can I change my monthly bill cap?
Yes, just get in touch with your network provider. They'll let you:
- Choose a monthly bill cap if you don't have one
- Change your current bill cap
- Remove your bill cap
- Remove a bill cap for a temporary period e.g., such as a holiday when you might want more freedom to use different services
Network
Every network we sell now offers bill capping on Pay Monthly and SIM Only mobile contracts. This means that you’ll never pay more than you expected.
FAQs
It’s all about giving control back to customers, and so you don’t get a shock when the bill comes in. With a bill cap, there’s a limit on how much you can pay, which should mean no nasty surprises.
No, we can sort that out for you. Here at Carphone Warehouse, we’ll help you arrange a bill cap when you’re getting your new contract.
No, you can opt out of this completely if you like. Or on some networks, you can choose from a range of amounts at which to limit your spending – just choose a level that suits you.
Yes, you can change your bill cap whenever you like. Just get in touch with your network provider
You can get a bill cap whenever you want. If you want to leave it a bit, then set one up, that’s absolutely fine. Or if you didn’t want one at the time, but have changed your mind, that’s fine too. Get in touch with Carphone Warehouse, and we’ll put you in touch with your network to get a bill cap set up for you.
In this case, you'd have to contact your network provider as each network has different guidelines.
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