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On benefits? You may be due cheap, long-term 'social tariffs'

  • Check below to see if your current provider already offers a social tariff or use our broadband comparison tool to see how they stack up against standard deals.
  • The standard deals will generally have cheaper headline prices due to newbies' sign-up incentives. So they usually win for regular switchers. Yet if you want to stick with a provider for more than a year or so, then social tariffs are likely to be the cheapest route.

TalkTalk broadband (no line) – six months free

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 5/10

  • FREE average 38Mb speed broadband only (no line) for six months

Who can get it? Technically not a social tariff, it's for jobseekers on universal credit who don't have an internet connection. Eligibility is determined by Jobcentre staff.

Vodafone Essentials broadband & line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 6.1/10

  • £12/month (£9.99 upfront) for average 38Mb speed
  • £20/month (£9.99 upfront) for average 73Mb speed

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: jobseeker's allowance or universal credit, employment and support allowance, disability allowance, pension credit or personal independence payment.

Things to look out for: Vodafone will carry out a credit check as part of the application process and reassess if you're still eligible every 12 months.

BT Home Essentials broadband & line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 6.6/10

  • Home essentials (for those with no income) - £11.99 upfront then £15/month for up to 36Mb plus unlimited minutes calling plan
  • Home essentials - £11.99 upfront then £20/month for up to 36Mb
  • Home essentials - £11.99 upfront then £20/month for up to 67Mb

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: universal credit, income-related employment and support allowance, pension credit (guarantee credit element), income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance.

Things to look out for: As part of the application process, BT will carry out a credit check and you may have to pay a security deposit which is refundable. Also, after 12 months, BT will run another eligibility check to see if you still qualify for Home Essentials.

Virgin Media Essential broadband (no line)

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 4.6/10

  • £12.50/month for average 15Mb speed broadband only (no line)
  • £20/month for average 54Mb speed broadband only (no line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving universal credit and living in an area Virgin covers (55% of the country).

Shell Energy Essentials broadband & line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 3.0/10

  • £15/month for average 11Mb speed broadband & line
  • £20/month for average 38Mb speed broadband & line

Who can get it? To qualify, you'll need to be receiving one of the following: employment and support allowance, jobseeker’s allowance, income support, pension credit, universal credit

Right now, you can only apply by calling Shell Energy on 0330 175 9942.

Sky Basics broadband & line

Existing Sky broadband customers only | Broadband customer service: 6.0/10

  • £20/month for average 36Mb speed broadband & line over an 18-month term
  • Once you have Sky Basics, you are also entitled to a free 3GB/month Sim with Sky Mobile

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving universal credit, pension credit, income-based employment support allowance, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income support. You must also be an existing Sky broadband customer.

Now Basics broadband & line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: 7.4/10

• £20/month for average 36Mb speed broadband & line

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving universal credit, pension credit, income-based employment support allowance, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income support.

Only available in limited areas of the country:

KCOM Full Fibre Flex broadband & line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £14.99/month for average 30Mb speed broadband and line

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: universal credit (with zero earnings), jobseeker's allowance, income support, income-related employment and support allowance, pension credit, housing benefit or personal independence payment. You’ll also need to be living in an area KCOM covers (Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire).

Hyperoptic Fair Fibre Plan broadband optional line

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £15/month for average 50Mb speed broadband only (£3/month extra with line)
  • £20/month for average 150Mb speed broadband only (£3/month extra with line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you'll need to be receiving one of the following: universal credit, income support, pension credit, income-related job seekers allowance (JSA), housing benefit, personal independence payment, attendance allowance, care leavers support or income-related employment and support allowance (ESA). You’ll also need to be living in an area Hyperoptic covers.

Community Fibre broadband (no line)

New customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £12.50/month for average 35Mb speed broadband only (no line) over a 12-month term

Who can get it? Unlike other providers, Community Fibre won't make you prove eligibility so any new customer can get this package. Check your postcode on Community Fibre’s website to make sure the service is available in your area. Though do bare in mind, this is a 12-month contract.

Truespeed (no line)

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £20/month for average 30Mb speed broadband only (no line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: Income support, pension credit, housing benefit, income-related job seekers allowance, personal independence payment, attendance allowance, universal credit, care leavers support, income-related employment and support allowance (mostly Bath and other rural areas of Somerset)

G.Network Essential Fibre broadband (no line)

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £15/month for average 50Mb speed broadband only (no line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you'll need to be receiving one of the following: universal credit, income support, pension credit (guarantee credit element), income-related job seekers allowance (JSA) or income-related employment and support allowance (ESA). You’ll also need to be living in an area G.Network covers (parts of London).

Country Connect Broadband (no line)

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £15/month for average 50Mb speed broadband only (no line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: employment and support allowance, jobseeker’s allowance, income support, pension credit (guarantee credit), universal credit (all claimants) and live in an area Country Connect covers (Newport, Wales)

Lightning Fibre (no line)

New & existing customers | Broadband customer service: No score - not enough votes

  • £15/month for average 50Mb speed broadband only (no line)

Who can get it? To qualify, you need to be receiving one of the following: employment and support allowance, jobseeker’s allowance, income support, universal credit and live in an area Lightning Fibre covers (mostly Eastbourne, Hastings and Bexhill and other parts of East Sussex)

 Once you’ve benchmarked prices, do a normal broadband comparison to see what’s best for you. 

Our top need-to-knows

1

Who we do and don't compare

This tool looks at 23 of the biggest providers, including the giants of BT, Sky and Virgin. Plus special deals we've found or blagged that we think are top picks. Yet there are also many small providers we can't list - which occasionally have cheap deals - so it's always worth checking direct with any local provider you know of. Let us know if you find a top deal we've missed and see which providers this tool covers.

2

Switching can save you £100s

Many get a cheap promo deal for broadband, line rent and/or TV, and stick with it when it ends, usually paying £100s/year more than they started with. Don't let it be you - compare now and see if you could save

3

Fast advertised speeds don't mean faster broadband

Providers only have to advertise the average speed received by at least 50% of customers between 8pm and 10pm. Your actual speed can depend on a host of factors - see the full checklist of tips in Broadband Speed Boosting.

4

Consider your need for speed

If it's just you and the dog, you're likely to be fine with standard speeds averaging around 11Mb. If you share a house, or you use the web for movie downloads, streaming or gaming, you may want to opt for faster speeds in excess of 30Mb.

5

Beware of mid-contract switching costs

Usually you'll pay for the rest of the contract plus termination fees. If your provider increases prices mid-contract and didn't warn you before you signed up, you can switch penalty-free within 30 days of notification of the price hike.

FAQs

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