Virgin Media cuts price of broadband for households on benefits – check if you can get it and how it compares
Virgin Media has cut the cost of its 'Essential' broadband tariff for households on universal credit, from £15 a month to £12.50 a month – making it the cheapest social tariff on the market. The price drop is effective immediately for both new and existing customers. The provider has also launched a new faster plan, available from today (10 November), which costs £20 a month.
The move from Virgin comes after the telecoms industry regulator Ofcom urged providers to do more to advertise their broadband social tariffs as it found 70% of eligible customers were not aware these deals existed.
Ofcom also called on Virgin to offer a faster social tariff – and so the firm has today (10 November) launched a new 54Mb plan costing £20 a month, alongside the current 15Mb plan - see our table below for more on how these tariffs compare and how to get them.
Some 4.2 million low-income households are eligible for these special discounted broadband packages, according to Ofcom. But the regulator says millions (97% of those eligible) are still missing out on average savings of £144 a year.
For more info on how to cut broadband costs, including what to do if you're struggling financially, see our Cheap broadband guide. Of course, just because you qualify for a social tariff doesn't mean you can't get a cheaper deal elsewhere – so always use our Broadband Unbundled tool first to compare offers (we're working on providing better links to information on social tariffs from within the tool).
Existing Virgin Essential customer? You'll get the price cut automatically
If you're already on Virgin's Essential tariff, you'll be moved to the new, cheaper plan automatically without having to do anything. This means you'll pay £12.50 a month going forward (instead of £15).
You can upgrade to the faster 54Mb plan - though if more speed's what you want, you can get this cheaper elsewhere, as shown below. If you do decide to leave Virgin, you can do this penalty-free, as Virgin doesn't charge any termination fees on its Essential plans.
Virgin's social tariff is now the cheapest on the market – but it's also the slowest
As shown in the table below, Virgin now offers the cheapest social tariff at £12.50 a month. But it's also the slowest, at 15Mb. This speed is perfectly fine for most online tasks, but might not be enough if multiple people in your home will be using the internet at the same time (for example, if one person is streaming TV and another is making a video call or gaming online).
If you need more speed, have a look at some of the other options below. For example, BT offers a much faster package at 36Mb for £15 a month (plus a one-off £9.99 connection fee), which is widely available as it runs off the Openreach network. Alternatively, Hyperoptic is just one of the providers offering a 50Mb plan for £15 a month (with no connection fees) – but it's only available in certain areas.
Provider and tariff | Monthly price | Speed | Eligibility (in receipt of the following benefits) | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
£20 | 100Mb | - No set list; contact Air Broadband directly to check if you're eligible | Call 01223 606 828 or email support@airbroadband.co.uk. You'll need to provide a proof of benefits letter (or equivalent) | |
£15 + one-off £9.99 fee | 36Mb | - Employment and support allowance (income-based)- Guarantee credit element of pension credit- Income support- Jobseeker's allowance (income-based)- Universal credit | Apply online at BT or in store. You'll need to provide your National Insurance number | |
£20 + one-off £9.99 fee | 67Mb | |||
£15 | 50Mb | - Employment and support allowance (income-based) - Guarantee credit element of pension credit - Income support - Jobseeker's allowance (income-based) - Universal credit | Call 0163 353 0519. You'll need to provide your National Insurance number | |
G Network Essential Fibre (London only) | £15 | 50Mb | - Employment and support allowance (income-based) - Guarantee credit element of pension credit - Income support - Jobseeker's allowance (income-based) - Universal credit | Call 0808 196 3661 or email essentialfibre@g.network. You'll need to provide evidence of your benefits |
£15 | 50Mb | - Attendance allowance - Care leavers support - Employment and support allowance (income-based) - Housing benefit - Income support - Jobseeker's allowance (income-based) - Pension credit - Personal independence payment - Universal credit | Call 0203 318 3209 or email support@hyperoptic.com. You'll need to provide evidence of your benefits | |
£25 | 150Mb | |||
KCOM Full Fibre Flex (East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire only) | £14.99 | 30Mb | - Attendance allowance - Care leavers - Employment and support allowance (income-based) - Housing benefit - Income support - Jobseeker's allowance - Pension credit - Personal independence payment - Universal credit (and out of work) | Apply online (enter your postcode then click the 'Flex options available' link). You'll need to provide evidence of your benefits |
Now Broadband Basics (existing Now broadband customers only) | £20 | 36Mb | - Pension credit- Universal credit | Call 0333 759 5056. You'll need to provide evidence of your benefits |
Sky Broadband Basics (existing Sky broadband customers only) | £20 for 18 months (ii) | 36Mb | - Pension credit- Universal credit | Call 0333 759 3881. You'll need to provide your National Insurance number |
£12.50 | 15Mb | - Universal credit | Existing customers: Fill in online formNew customers: Apply onlineYou'll need to provide a screenshot of your online universal credit account | |
£20 | 54Mb (iii) | |||
TalkTalk | Free for 6mths (iv) | 38Mb | - Jobseekers on universal credit who don't have an internet connection | Job centre staff will determine eligibility |
(i) BT also offers a landline only package for people on benefits for £10/mth. (ii) At the end of the 18 months your contract will revert to a standard rate, but you can call and cancel penalty-free beforehand. (iii) For an additional £20 one-off fee, you can also get Virgin Media's TV streaming box, which usually costs an upfront £35. (iv) At the end of the 6mths you can either choose to take out a new contract with TalkTalk or end the service penalty-free.
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3 December 2024
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