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How to find cheap broadband deals
Do you need fibre?, top picks, how to switch & much more
Millions blindly overpay for broadband and line rent as costs rocket when promo deals end. So if you're out of contract, check now if you can save £100s/year by switching to our top picks below, or try our Broadband comparison tool tool to find the best deal in your area.
To benchmark, those out of contract typically pay BT £52/mth and Virgin Media £44/mth for fibre.
11 broadband need-to-knows
These are the golden rules to give you chapter and verse, but if you just want a quick comparison, try our Broadband Unbundled tool.
Keep on top of your broadband bill
Wanna know what you can do to cut broadband costs – and when to do it? The MSE App has a new tool called Bill Buster – give us a few details about your bill & we’ll track it, alert you when your contract's ending, then show you the cheapest deals based on the speeds you can get in your area.
Try it in the MSE App – available in Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store.
Top deals: Fibre broadband with line rental
We've got our pick of the best fibre broadband deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area and compare further options, try our Broadband comparison tool.
Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. We'll highlight upcoming hikes where we know the details, but be aware 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises during the contract.
Fibre broadband (30-99Mb) – what we'd go for
Our top pick is this 67Mb Vodafone deal via Broadbandchoices. It's £24 a month, but you can claim (don't forget) an £65 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher within four months. Factor it in and it's equivalent to £21.30 a month over the 24-month contract.
But right now, you can currently get faster speeds for less via the table below.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
67Mb Top pick |
'£21.30/month' | Cheapest fibre with 'OK' service. Via this Broadbandchoices Vodafone* link, you pay £24/month, then claim (don't forget) an £65 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher within four months. Factor that in, it's equivalent to £21.30/mth over the 24-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Mon 16 Sep. |
Zen 31Mb |
'£32.84/month' |
Not the cheapest, but scores 9/10 in our customer service poll. Go via this Zen link and it's £15 upfront, then £32/month. Factor in the upfront, and it's equivalent to £32.84/month over the 18-month contract. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Top deals: Fast fibre broadband
Fast fibre broadband, commonly referred to as 'fibre to the premises' (FTTP) or accessible through cable networks like Virgin Media, is available to most households now. If you've never had it before, you might need an engineer to look at the externals of your home.
We've got our pick of the top fast fibre deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area and compare other options, try Broadband comparison tool.
Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. We'll highlight upcoming hikes where we know the details, but be aware 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises during the contract.
Fast fibre broadband (100Mb - 499Mb) – what we'd go for
At this speed, our top pick is this Broadband Genie Virgin Media 132Mb deal. It's £26.50 a month for broadband and line, but you'll automatically get £95 bill credit added to your first bill. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £21.23 a month over the 18-month contract.
If you can't get Virgin Media in your area then there's this 150Mb Vodafone deal via Broadbandchoices. It's £26 a month for broadband and line, but you can claim (don't forget) a £90 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsburys or M&S voucher. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £22.25 a month over the 24-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
132Mb Top pick |
'£21.23/month'
|
Cheapest fast fibre with 'OK' service. Via this Broadband Genie Virgin Media* link, you pay £26.50/month for broadband and line. But you'll automatically get £95 bill credit added to your first bill. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £21.23/mth over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 19 Sep. |
Vodafone* 150Mb Top pick |
'£22.25/month' | Cheap fast fibre with 'OK' service. Via this Broadbandchoices Vodafone* link, you pay £26/month, then claim (don't forget) a £90 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher. Factor that in, it's equivalent to £22.25/mth over the 24-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Mon 16 Sep. |
BT* 145Mb |
'£24.75/month' | Not the cheapest, but some prefer a big name. Via this Broadband Genie BT* link, you pay nowt for the first three months, then £33.99/month. But you can CLAIM (don’t forget) a £70 shopping voucher from Broadband Genie and a £50 prepaid Mastercard from BT. Factor those in, and it’s equivalent to £24.75/mth over the 2yr contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 19 Sep. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Top deals: Superfast fibre broadband
Like fast fibre, superfast fibre broadband is also delivered through 'fibre to the premises' (FTTP) or accessible through cable networks like Virgin Media, is available to most households now. If you've never had it before, you might need an engineer to look at the externals of your home.
We've got our pick of the top superfast fibre deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area and compare other options, try our Broadband comparison tool.
Important. Most firms have yearly price rises written into their contracts. We'll highlight upcoming hikes where we know the details, but be aware 18-month or 24-month deals will likely see multiple rises during the contract.
Superfast fibre broadband (500Mb+) – what we'd go for
Our top pick is this 500Mb Vodafone deal via Broadbandchoices. It's £30 a month but you can claim (don't forget) a £90 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £26.25 a month over the 24-month contract.
Alternatively, there's this Sky deal via Broadbandchoices. It's £33 a month, but you'll be able to claim (don't forget) a £95 prepaid Mastercard or shopping voucher. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £29.05 a month over the 24-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
Vodafone* 500Mb Top pick |
'£26.25/month' | Cheapest 500Mb+ with 'OK' service. Via this Broadbandchoices Vodafone* link, you pay £30/month, then claim (don't forget) £90 Amazon, M&S, Tesco or Sainsbury's voucher. Factor that in, it's equivalent to £26.25/mth over the 24-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Mon 16 Sep. |
516Mb |
'£28.44/month' | Cheap 500Mb+ with 'OK' service. Via this Broadbandchoices Virgin Media* link, you'll pay £33.99/month, but you'll get an automatic £100 bill credit from Virgin Media. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £28.44/month over the 18-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 12 Sep. |
Sky* 500Mb Top pick |
'£29.05/month' | Cheapest 500Mb+ with 'OK' service. Via this Broadbandchoices Sky* link, you'll pay £33/month, then claim (don't forget) a £95 prepaid Mastercard or shopping voucher. Factor that in, it's equivalent to £29.05/mth over the 24-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Thu 19 Sep. |
Note: Some firms increase prices in line with inflation annually, so prices could change mid-contract. (1) To compare, we use 'equivalent prices' – adding all fixed costs, deducting any promo cash/vouchers and averaging over the contract. |
Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
It's often possible to grab extra cashback on top when you sign up for a broadband contract. To get it, you need to sign up via a specialist cashback website rather than directly with the provider. Cashback websites use affiliate links to generate revenue, so if they get paid when you sign up, you'll get paid.
Unfortunately, this cash is never guaranteed, as sometimes cashback sites don't track deals in progress, and they don't pay out on top of other offers that might be available (such as our Blagged deals). So if there are no cheaper deals about elsewhere, it's generally best to pick the right package first and view any cashback as an added extra. To find out more about how these sites can pay you, and how you can make the most of them, read our Top Cashback Sites guide.
How to complain about your broadband provider
The broadband industry doesn't have the best customer service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include installation dates not being met, limited service or slow speeds, incorrect billing and more.
It's always worth trying to call your provider to sort the issue first, but if not then you can use free complaints tool Resolver. The tool helps you manage your complaint, and if the company doesn't play ball, it also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Ombudsman (or CISAS if you're complaining about Vodafone or Sky).
Broadband FAQs
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