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Compare broadband deals

Compare leading broadband providers

  By Esther Shaw,  Author
Jan 10, 2022

How To Find Cheap Broadband Deals

Broadband is now an essential utility for the vast majority of households, yet millions of us continue to overpay on our bills each year. But it’s quick and easy to compare broadband deals and find a cheaper package to switch to. 

Here’s how to get started.

Make sure you’re out of contract

Before you look for a cheaper broadband package you’ll need to check whether you’re out of the minimum contract term of your existing deal.  

Terms typically last between 12 and 24 months and after that point the monthly cost of your broadband package will jump significantly.  

There’s no need to pay these higher rates as once the minimum term has come to an end, you’re free to switch to another deal without paying a penalty.  

If you’re a keen haggler, this is the perfect time to try to negotiate a better deal with your provider – and then set that offer against what’s available elsewhere.  

Consider what broadband package you need

Choosing the best broadband deal isn’t always about just finding the cheapest option. As well as price, you’ll need to consider what type of deal would suit your household most. It’s useful to ask yourself the following questions:

1. What broadband speed do I need?

Download speeds (and to a lesser extent, upload speeds) largely determine the kind of experience you’ll have online. The general rule of thumb is that the faster your download speeds, the less time you’ll spend waiting for things to load. 

The fastest download speeds are available through full fibre and cable connections, but not every household is able to access them.

Download speeds are measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) and represent how much data your computer or mobile can pull in, per second, over your internet connection. A ‘bit’ is the smallest common measurement of data, and consists of either a 1 or a 0.

These 1s and 0s combine to form a computer language known as binary. A Megabit is equivalent to one million bits. So, 1Mbps means your connection can transfer one million bits of data every second. At 32Mbps, you could download a song in just one second.

Standard fibre broadband connections tend to top out at speeds in the low hundreds, whereas full fibre speeds go up to around 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps), which is equal to 1,000Mbps.

This is because full fibre connections transfer data via fibre optic cables all the way to your home, whereas fibre connections carry data over fibre optics to your nearest telephone exchange, and over copper telephone cables from there to your home. 

Since the copper cables are subject to electrical resistance, data transmission is limited. Fibre optics use pulses of light rather than electricity, and so there’s no resistance to slow you down.

Download speeds are important because certain tasks require minimum speeds. For example, you need speeds of at least 25Mbps to stream video in 4K Ultra-HD resolution. But using your email or Twitter doesn’t require such speeds.

Below is a table outlining the top 10 full fibre ‘ultrafast’ broadband deals, based on download speeds.  However, bear in mind that the best deal for you will depend on factors such as the size of your household and your internet usage.  

Always compare deals to check you are getting the best value for money for the broadband package you require, factoring in considerations too such as flexibility of contract.

Package Contract Length (Months) Highest Average Speed (Mbps) Price
Virgin MediaGig1 Full Fibre Broadband + Home Phone Volt
18
1130
£64.00
Community FibreGigafast (12 Month Contract)
12
920
£27.50
Hyperoptic12 Month Minimum – 1GB Fibre Broadband Only
12
900
£42.00
Gigaclear Hyperfast 900 With Smart WiFi
18
900
£49.00
BTFull Fibre 900
24
900
£54.99
SkySky Broadband Ultrafast Plus
18
500
£42.00
DirectSave TelecomUltrafast 330MB Broadband
12
300
£54.95
TalkTalkFibre 250
18
288
£40.00
XLNUnlimited 76Mb Fibre Broadband & UK Calls
18
76
£14.95
PlusnetUnlimited Fibre Extra & Line Rental
18
66
£23.95
Data from Comparison Technologies, January 2022

2. What broadband data allowance do I need?

This is the amount of data you can upload and download each month without being penalised. Most packages are now unlimited but it always pays to check.  

3. What type of broadband do I need?

There are three main types. ADSL is the most common and cheapest broadband connection and works over the same copper wires as your home phone. It’s also the slowest option.

Cable offers faster download speeds and is delivered via fibre and coaxial cables. It is less widely available than ADSL, with Virgin Media being the sole main provider.  

Fibre optic broadband is the fastest type of broadband you can buy. It’s also the most expensive and it’s not a given that it will be available in your area.  

4. How long do I want to tie for?

Contract length is another important consideration. Typically you can choose between 12-month, 18-month and 24-month contracts. Lengthier deals tend to be cheaper but you’ll be tied in for longer too, when a penalty will be charged to leave. Check also what the cost rises to once this minimum term is over.  

5. Will I have to pay any fees?

To avoid paying more than you need to, check the small print for fees. How much would you pay to get out of your deal early, for example? Are there any connection fees for setting up your broadband? Make sure you factor these costs into any wider budget.

6. Could a broadband bundle be more cost effective?

Bundle deals wrap your broadband together with other services, such as your TV and/or home phone which can often work out cheaper than paying for each one individually. 

It can also make bills easier to manage. Not only will you only have one payment to make each month, you’ll also only have just one provider to liaise with.  

The downside of broadband bundles is that you can end up paying for services you don’t need, so really consider whether it’s the right choice for you. As always, it’s worth running several quotes and comparing the cost of broadband only versus bundle deals.  

7. Are there any incentives for switching?

Many broadband providers offer incentives such as free gifts, vouchers for certain stores or cashback. If you’re stuck choosing between more than one deal, this could be the deciding factor. However, don’t base your decision solely on the freebies.

Make your switch

Once you’ve chosen a broadband package to switch to, you’ll need to get in touch with your new provider to set the ball rolling. It’s also a good idea to contact your old supplier to make sure your direct debit payments are stopped.

The switching process is slightly more straightforward if both your old and new provider use the Openreach network – this includes BT, Sky, EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone.  

Your new provider will take care of the switching process and inform your old provider of the move. Notification letters will be sent out from both providers to confirm the switch.

If you’re switching to or from a provider on its own cable network, such as Virgin Media, you’ll need to contact both providers. Your old provider will cancel your contract, while your new provider will arrange the switchover.  

If you change your mind you have 14 days to cancel before the start of your new contract.  

Tips to get cheap broadband 

To ensure you stay on the best broadband deal, try the following:

  • Make a note of when your existing contract ends and get ready to switch as the date approaches
     
  • Haggle with your existing provider to see if you can save money
     
  • Use a comparison service to seek out the best deal
     
  • Check whether you’d save money with a broadband bundle 
     
  • Only pay for what you need – if you won’t use the services a bundle has to offer or you don’t need a particularly fast connection speed, don’t pay for them
     
  • Check whether you’ll get a discount if you pay by direct debit – this could be around £5 a month. You might also save if you pay upfront at the start of your contract
     
  • Check the small print for set-up and other fees 

Find out more from our broadband guides

Finding the best broadband fibre deals

Find out more

Business broadband deals

Find out more

What is cable broadband?

Find out more

Finding the right broadband for your home

Find out more

How to get broadband without a set-up fee

Find out more

Broadband for working from home

Find out more

What are the best broadband deals?

The best broadband deals for you depend on a range of factors. These include what you use the internet for and how often, how many people in your household need to connect and what kind of connection you’re able to get in your area.

For example, depending on where you live, you may not be able to get a fibre broadband connection, meaning the best broadband deal for you will be different to the best deal for someone in a fibre-equipped area. The same goes for cable broadband.

Generally speaking, the best deal will be the one that offers you the fastest possible connection with the highest download limits (or no limits at all) for the lowest price. Often, the best deals are bundled with phone and sometimes television services, but there are plenty of great deals to be had whatever your needs.

A price comparison service such as ours is the best way to establish the best broadband deals for you. By answering a few simple questions about yourself, you’ll be able to see what’s available and how much it’ll cost.

To be more specific, the best broadband deals offer download speeds of around 60 Megabits per second (Mbps) and no download limits, for less than £30 per month with no set up fees.

What is my broadband speed?

Broadband speed is the rate at which you can download data to your computer or mobile device, and upload data from your computer or mobile device to another computer via the internet.

Broadband speed is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). This represents the number of Megabits that can be downloaded or uploaded via your connection each second. A Megabit is a unit of data equal to one million bits, and a single bit is the smallest unit of digital information – either a 0 or a 1.

So, Mbps represents how many millions of these zeroes and ones you can transmit over your broadband connection every second.
In theory, the higher your rate of Megabits per second (Mbps), the faster you’ll be able to download and upload files, videos and any other content you consume over the internet.

It’s easy to find out your current broadband speed using a broadband speed test. These speed tests measure the time it takes your computer or device to download and upload a small amount of data, and give you a result in Mbps. Google offers one of countless speed tests you’ll find online.

What broadband speed do I need?

If you want to stream the highest-quality, 4K Ultra-HD video or play video games against others online, you’ll need consistent broadband speeds of 38Mbps and above.

If you just want to stream film and television programmes in high definition (HD) via streaming services like Netflix, you’ll need speeds of around 10Mbps-38Mbps and above. At those speeds, particularly at the top end, downloading apps, files, websites and the like should be quick, and video should stream without too many buffering interruptions.

If you’re only interested in looking at web pages and perhaps checking your email or social media feeds, anything from 3Mbps to 10Mbps should suffice. The higher speed you have, the smoother your experience will be – but, as you might expect, you pay more for higher speeds.

What broadband speed can I get?

Every broadband provider will be able to tell you, on its website, what kind of speeds you can expect to get. This is generally based on your postcode area, since the provider knows what kind of infrastructure is in place locally and where the nearest exchange is (the further you are from an exchange, the lower the speed is likely to be).

The speed they estimate is not guaranteed. Many factors impact your broadband speed, including the number of people connected in your household, the time of day and week, and even the weather. Most providers will give you a best-case “up to” speed in Megabits per second.

Some areas are faster than others because they have more advanced infrastructure, such as cable, fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) or fibre to the premises (FTTP). Again, providers will tell you what’s available where you live.

What is the cheapest landline and broadband deals?

A price comparison service can help you identify the cheapest landline and broadband deals for you. The broadband market is fiercely competitive, which means the best available deals are changing on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

It’s important to consider more than just the price of the deal when you’re comparing broadband. For instance, you may be able to get a landline and broadband deal for £20 per month but it might have slower download speeds than another deal charging £25 per month. If the cheaper deal isn’t fit for your purposes, it may be a false economy.

Can I get broadband without line rental?

Yes. Some broadband providers such as Virgin Media offer cable service that doesn’t use BT’s phone network infrastructure, and so you don’t have to pay line rental. However, cable service is not available to everyone. For example, Virgin’s cable service coverage only extends to 44% of households at the time of writing.

Cable isn’t the only way to avoid paying line rental for your broadband. A Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) connection runs fibre optic cables directly to your home, bypassing the need for a phone line and line rental.

Though FTTP is the fastest connection type, it’s also one of the most expensive, which means any line rental savings you make could be cancelled out by higher FTTP costs.

There’s also satellite broadband, but this can be more expensive than traditional broadband. It may also be unavailable in your area and offer slower download speeds than a broadband deal with line rental attached.

Finally, there’s mobile broadband. With 5G launching in the UK, mobile broadband is poised to become the fastest available connection type, but it will be a while before coverage reaches the levels of 4G coverage we currently have, and you will probably pay a premium in the meantime.

What can affect your broadband speed?

Firstly, your connection type determines the top speeds you can achieve. An old ADSL connection is likely to top out at around 17Mbps, while a fibre connection could give you anything up to 76Mbps or even beyond.

Next, the number of connections in your household can also affect your broadband speed. If there are several devices connected to your router, each streaming video, music and other media, you’re likely to experience dips in speed.

Your broadband can also slow during times when most people are likely to be online. Research has shown that there’s a ‘rush hour’ for UK broadband users between 7pm and 9pm that can impair everyone’s download speeds.

Can I get fibre broadband?

Most likely, yes. According to 2019 data from Ofcom, the regulator responsible for the broadband market, 95% of households can access superfast broadband of at least 30Mbps.

What’s more, around half of UK households (53%) can access ultrafast broadband that uses a combination of fibre and cable lines to achieve speeds of at least 300Mbps.

Finally, Ofcom’s data says one in 10 homes (three million households) can access full fibre that offers speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps), which is equal to 1000Mbps.

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At ES Money, we offer completely independent and objective information on crucial aspects of personal and household finances. However, this information does not constitute financial advice.

ES Money is free to readers but derives revenue from two main sources. One is on-site advertising where companies pay us to place their adverts strategically on the ES Money website. This advertising does not include all products or companies we may or may not mention within articles. It also has no bearing on the products or companies we reference, or how we talk about them.

The other means of deriving revenue is by partnering with third-party product comparison services which enable our readers – where relevant and useful – to compare financial products and deals. If a reader proceeds to the point of applying and being accepted for a financial product – such as a loan, credit card, energy contract or insurance policy – we are paid a fee by the respective provider.

For credit cards and loans, our comparison partner is Runpath Regulated Services Limited. For domestic energy, broadband and mobile, it is Comparison Technologies Limited. For business energy, our partner is Love Energy Saving, while our comparison journey for travel insurance is powered by CYTI Limited. More products and other comparison services partners may be added as ES Money expands.

While we work hard to ensure all information presented on ES Money is relevant, accurate and up-to-date, we do not make any guarantees relating to this. Nor do we take any responsibility for any action/s taken as a result of information presented on ES Money, including using any one of our partner comparison services.

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