
How to get cheap broadband
Do you need fibre? 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 Unbundled tool to compare the best broadband, line and TV deals available in your area.
To benchmark, those out-of-contract typically pay BT £52/mth and Virgin £44/mth for fibre.
10 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.
Top deals: Standard-speed broadband & line rental
We've got our pick of the best deals for new customers of each firm below, but to find out what's available in your area – and to compare more options – try Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.

Standard-speed b'band (10-29Mb) – what we'd go for
If you just want standard speeds, with nothing to claim, then there's our blagged Shell Energy deal that's £19.99/mth, but you'll get three months free (£59.97 bill credit within three months of joining). Factor it in and it's equivalent to £15/mth over the 12-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
Plusnet* 10Mb |
£14.83/mth | Go via this Broadbandchoices Plusnet* link and it's £18.99/mth, but you can claim a £50 prepaid Mastercard, almost as good as cash. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £14.83/mth over the 12-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Wed 27 Jan. |
Shell Energy* MSE Blagged Top pick |
£15/mth | Via our Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £19.99/mth, but you'll get three months free (£59.97 automatic bill credit within three months). This makes it a total outlay of £179.91 over the 12-month contract, equivalent to £15/mth. Ends 11.59pm Mon 8 Feb. |
Post Office* 11Mb |
£17/mth | Via this Post Office* link, you'll pay a straight £17/mth on a 12-month contract. Ends 11.59pm Sun 31 Jan. |
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 & 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 Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
Shell Energy* 35Mb MSE Blagged Top pick |
£17.25/mth | Via our Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £22.99/mth, but you'll get three months free (£68.97 automatic bill credit within 3mths). This makes it a total outlay of £206.91 over the 12-month contract, equivalent to £17.25/mth. Ends 11.59pm Mon 8 Feb. |
Virgin Media* 54Mb |
£19.06/mth | Go via this Broadband Genie Virgin Media* link and you'll pay £26/mth, but you'll get £75 bill credit automatically applied to your first bill. Plus, you'll be able to claim a £50 Amazon voucher. If you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and the cost is equivalent to £19.06/mth over the 18-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Sun 31 Jan. |
Plusnet* 36Mb |
£19.73/mth | Via this Broadbandchoices Plusnet* link, you'll pay £22.50/mth, but you can claim a £50 prepaid Mastercard, which is almost as good as cash. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £19.73/mth over the 18-month contact. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Wed 27 Jan. |
BT* 50Mb |
£25.49/mth | Not the cheapest, but some users prefer a big name. Via this BroadbandChoices BT* link, you'll pay £9.99 upfront, then £27.99/mth, but you can also claim an £70 prepaid Mastercard from BT, which is almost as good as cash. When factored in, it's equivalent to £25.49/mth over the 24-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Thu 28 Jan. |
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 & line rental
If you're happy to pay more, you can get fibre with speeds from 55Mb. Let's make no bones about it, this is the luxury end of the market and isn't usually MoneySaving, but if you've a large family with many devices, or you're into streaming 4K content – or just impatient – this could be for you.
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 Broadband Unbundled, our broadband, phone line and TV comparison tool.

Superfast fibre b'band (55Mb+) – what we'd go for
For us, this Shell Energy deal (via Broadband Genie) stands out. Go via its link below and you'll pay £29.99/mth for broadband and line, but you get an automatic £89.97 bill credit from Shell within three months (essentially three months free). Plus you can claim a £100 Amazon voucher from Broadband Genie within four months. Factor both of these in and it's equivalent to £19.44/mth over the 18-month contract.
If you want faster speeds and don't need a phone line, then there's this Virgin Media deal via BroadbandChoices which is available to 52% of households. You'll pay £24/mth over the 18-month contract, but you'll be able to claim a £75 Amazon voucher within four months of joining. If you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and the cost is equivalent to £19.84/mth over the 18-month contract.
PROVIDER & AVG SPEED | EQUIV COST (1) | HOW IT WORKS |
Shell Energy* 63Mb Top pick |
£19.44/mth | Via this Broadband Genie Shell Energy* link, you'll pay £29.99/mth, but you'll get three months free (£89.97 automatic bill credit within three months). You can also claim a £100 Amazon voucher from Broadband Genie. Factor in the bill credit and claim the Amazon voucher and the cost is equivalent to £19.44/mth over the 18-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Fri 29 Jan. |
Virgin Media* 108Mb |
£19.84/mth | Go via this Broadbandchoices Virgin Media* link and you'll pay £24/mth for broadband only (no phone line). You can also claim a £75 Amazon voucher – if you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and the cost is equivalent to £19.84/mth over the 18-month contract. See how to claim. Ends 11.59pm Sun 31 Jan. |
TalkTalk* |
£19.84/mth | Via this Broadbandchoices TalkTalk* link, you'll pay £24/mth and a £4.95 one-off delivery fee, but you'll be able to claim an £80 prepaid Mastercard, which is almost as good as cash. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £19.84/mth over the 18-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Wed 27 Jan. |
Vodafone* 63Mb |
£20.92/mth | Go via this Broadband Genie Vodafone* link and you'll pay £23/mth, but you'll be able to claim a £50 Amazon voucher. If you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and the cost is equivalent to £20.92/mth over the 24-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Thu 28 Jan. |
Plusnet* 66Mb |
£22.22/mth | Via this Plusnet* link, you'll pay £24.99/mth, but you'll be able to claim a £50 prepaid Mastercard, which is almost as good as cash. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £22.22/mth over the 18-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Wed 27 Jan. |
BT* 67Mb |
£27.83/mth | Not the cheapest, but some users prefer a big name. Via this Broadbandchoices BT* link, you'll pay £9.99 upfront, then £31.99/mth, but you can also claim an £110 prepaid Mastercard from BT, which is almost as good as cash. When factored in, it's equivalent to £27.83/mth over the 24-month contract. How to claim. Ends 11.59pm Thu 28 Jan. |
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. |
Are you desperate to stay with BT?
If you're already a customer, it's worth using the tips above to benchmark the best deal and then try to haggle to knock down your price. BT is one of the easiest firms to haggle with. In our most recent haggling poll, 80% of its customers who tried to haggle had some success. For top tips on how to do it, see our Haggle with service providers guide.
Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
As an extra boon, members of specialist cashback websites can be paid when they sign up to some financial products. Do check that it's exactly the same deal though, as terms can be different. And remember the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.
Full help to take advantage of this and pros and cons in 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 first, but if not then…

Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
If the complaint isn't resolved, Resolver can escalate it to the free Ombudsman Services (or CISAS if you're complaining about Virgin Media).
Important: if your issue is about a voucher or incentive that was part of an MSE Blagged deal, then instead just let us know by emailing voucherhelp@moneysavingexpert.com as that's usually quicker.
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