Pricing guide · 7 October 2026 · 5 min read
BT AI Receptionist pricing explained: what it really costs a UK business
BT Business launched AI Receptionist on 1 October 2026 and sells it by the minute. BT has published how the pricing works, but when we checked its public pages on 7 October 2026 it did not show bundle prices in pounds. This guide explains the pricing model, shows you how to work out how many minutes you would use, and lists the questions to ask BT before you sign up.
The short answer
BT AI Receptionist is billed in monthly bundles of inbound minutes, from 100 to 14,000 minutes, on a monthly rolling contract. BT does not publish the price of each bundle in pounds, so the only reliable figure is a quote from BT for your own call volume. Anyone quoting a pound price without a BT quote in hand is estimating.
What BT has published
These points come from BT's press release of 1 October 2026 and BT's AI Receptionist product page.
- Unit of charge: inbound call minutes handled by the receptionist.
- Bundle sizes: from 100 to 14,000 minutes a month.
- Contract: monthly rolling.
- Usage alerts: the account admin is emailed at 80% and 100% of the bundle.
- At 100%: the service turns off unless you buy more minutes or switch on overage. Overage is off by default and is charged at a higher rate than bundled minutes.
- Onboarding: setup is self-service; an optional one-hour session is listed at £150.
- Pound price per bundle: not shown publicly when we checked.
How to work out the minutes you need
Per-minute pricing only makes sense once you know your own usage. You can estimate it in two minutes:
Calls answered per day × average call length in minutes × days open per month = minutes per month.
| Business | Calls a day | Average length | Days a month | Minutes a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | 5 | 2 min | 22 | 220 |
| Small salon | 20 | 2.5 min | 26 | 1,300 |
| Dental practice | 60 | 3 min | 22 | 3,960 |
These are illustrative examples, not measurements. Use your own phone bill or call log for real figures, and remember that a receptionist that answers every call will handle more minutes than your team does today, because it also picks up the calls you currently miss.
A reference point: RingCentral's own price
BT's product page says AI Receptionist is powered by RingCentral. RingCentral sells a standalone version itself. In its announcement of 5 August 2025, RingCentral gave a UK price of £32 a month including 100 minutes, with further minutes sold in 100-minute bundles.
Treat that as background only. It is RingCentral's price from 2025, it may have changed, and BT sets its own prices. It does suggest that the entry bundle for this kind of product sits in the tens of pounds a month, and that the bill at a busy practice depends almost entirely on the cost of the larger bundles.
Seven questions to ask BT before you sign up
- What is the monthly price of the bundle that matches my minutes, including VAT?
- What is the overage rate per minute, and is overage on or off by default on my account?
- If I hit 100% with overage off, what exactly does a caller hear?
- Can I move up or down a bundle mid-month, and when does the change take effect?
- Do unused minutes roll over?
- Are calls transferred to my staff counted as receptionist minutes?
- Is there a free trial, and what is the notice period to cancel?
Per-minute or flat fee: which suits you?
Per-minute pricing rewards low volume. If you take a handful of calls a day and are happy to set the tool up yourself, a small bundle is likely to be the cheapest way to get your phone answered, and BT is a sound choice.
A flat fee suits businesses whose phone is how customers book. MyAIVoiceAgent charges a published flat monthly fee of £200, £350 or £500 with a one-time setup from £500. We write, build, test and maintain the receptionist for you, and calls are never cut off on a busy day. At low volume that will cost more than a small BT bundle. The difference is that the work is done for you and the bill does not move. Our full BT comparison sets out where each is better.
You can hear ours before you decide: use the Talk to it now button on our homepage, or call the demo line on 01480 775566 and it will answer as your business.
Frequently asked questions
How much does BT AI Receptionist cost per month?
BT sells it in bundles of inbound minutes, from 100 to 14,000 minutes a month. BT did not show the price of each bundle in pounds on its public pages when we checked on 7 October 2026, so the monthly cost depends on a quote from BT for your call volume.
Is there a setup fee for BT AI Receptionist?
BT describes setup as self-service through a portal, with no setup fee stated. An optional one-hour onboarding session is listed at £150.
What happens if I use all my BT minutes?
According to BT, the account admin is emailed at 80% and 100% of the bundle, and the service turns off at 100% unless more minutes are bought or overage is switched on. Overage is off by default and is charged at a higher rate.
Is there a contract?
BT describes the contract as monthly rolling. Ask BT to confirm the notice period for your account.
How many minutes does a small business need?
Multiply the calls you want answered each day by the average call length and by the days you are open each month. Five two-minute calls a day over 22 days is 220 minutes. Twenty calls of two and a half minutes over 26 days is 1,300 minutes.
Is a flat monthly fee cheaper than paying per minute?
At low call volume, per-minute is usually cheaper. A flat fee becomes better value as volume rises, and it removes the risk of the service turning off or the bill rising in a busy month. MyAIVoiceAgent publishes flat fees of £200, £350 and £500 a month.
Methodology and review cadence
Information about BT AI Receptionist was taken from BT's press release and product page, checked on 7 October 2026. The RingCentral figure is from RingCentral's press release of 5 August 2025. We have not tested BT's product and we do not estimate prices BT has not published. BT is a trade mark of British Telecommunications plc; we are not affiliated with BT or RingCentral. We review this page monthly while BT's pricing remains unpublished. If you spot a factual error, email ceo@nothingbutvalue.com and we will correct it within 48 hours.