To find the best home phone package you need to identify what it is exactly that you want.

In the past choosing a home phone provider meant choosing BT. But now the home phone market has grown and there are many more phone companies out there just waiting for you to take up their latest offers. As well as shopping for mackerel fillets at Tesco, you can now add in a decent home phone package to your basket.

Here are some questions and answers to help you find the best home phone packages

Q: Do I need a landline?
A: To get a home phone via a landline you need to have a BT landline installed in your home. If you don't have a landline you can either get BT to install one for you (which may be subject to a connection charge) or you could go down the cable route with a supplier such as Virgin Media and get home phone via their fibre optic cable network. However that will depend on whether Virgin Media cable is available in your area.

Q: Can I change home phone provider and still keep the same number I had before?
A: Yes in most cases you can. Many home phone providers allow you to keep your existing number so you avoid all the fuss of having to tell everyone you have a new home phone number!

Q: Do I still need to pay line rental?
A: Yes. Home phone providers often include line rental in the price of there home phone packages.

Q: What benefits can a home phone package give me?
A: Home phone packages come with lots of great offers, just make sure that when you choose a home phone package you are getting what you need and not paying more for services you won't make use of.
For example if you never make international calls then don't buy a home phone package that provides cheap international calls but charges you more for UK landline numbers.

Q: What sort of offers can you get from a home phone package?
A: You can get many different offers from home phone providers. Here are some current Post Office home phone service offers:

Home phone from the Post Office:

• Inclusive line rental - no need to pay BT;
• Inclusive evening and weekend calls - to UK landlines and 0845/0870 numbers;
• Inclusive weekend calls - to UK mobiles and the Post Office top 40 international destinations including Spain and the USA;
• Inclusive calls anytime - to other home phone customers;
• 10 per cent off calls to your nominated 'loved ones' plus a free 60 minute call on their birthdays and Christmas day.

Q: What extra costs could I face with a home phone package?
A: If you don't have a landline installed at your home the prices for a new installation can vary.
If your landline is old but still active or needs activating you shouldn't have to pay an installation charge.

Also look out for home phone packages that don't offer 0870 numbers as part of inclusive minute call packages. A call to an 0870 number can be costly if it's not inclusive in your home phone package. BT now offers 0870 and 0845 numbers as part of their home phone inclusive call packages but many home phone providers don't. Sky currently charges 10p a minute for a call to 0870 numbers during the day.

Other things to consider

Find out if your home phone package comes with offers such as free evening or free weekend calls and if you can bundle broadband internet and digital TV. Bundling your home phone with broadband internet and digital TV could save you money and make things easier having all your services from one provider.