Looking for the best broadband deals? We’ve got you covered. Each week, we pick out five of the best for every budget. Read ahead to find out which suits you best.
It’s easy to be put off by the overwhelming number of deals to choose from, but you could be locked into a deal for 18 months or more and you want to be certain you’re getting the best deal.
If you haven’t switched your broadband provider for some time and are out of contract, then it is easy to switch as you will not be charged a penalty and are not obliged to stay with your existing provider.
As broadband prices have shot up, switching could save you money and even get you better service.
Ultimately the best broadband deal for you will rely on some key factors:
- your speed and download needs,
- whether you want to include a landline phone or TV,
- and your location.
Here are the top deals available now. Remember, some of them are only available for a limited time. We also explain below what to look out for when picking the best deal for you. You can check the availability of the deals in your area by comparing broadband deals on our site.
Fibre broadband deals this week
Best broadband deal for 30-40 Mbps internet speed
As an extended Black Friday deal, Shell is offering standard broadband of 38Mb per second for £21.99 per month. If you consider the £9.95 upfront and £60 Amazon voucher, your effective monthly cost would be £17.82. This is a really cheap deal, but the one below is even cheaper for more Mb per second.
Deal expiry: 10 December
Best broadband deals for 60-70 Mbps internet speed
If you’re looking for a cheap broadband deal with good internet speed and a short-term contract, this is one to consider. For 12 months, you would effectively be paying just £17.32, taking the £9.95 upfront cost and £90 Amazon voucher into account. This is one of the cheapest deals we have seen for this internet speed.
Deal expiry: 10 December
Sky Superfast Broadband | 61Mb per second | £25 per month | 24 month contract | Plus £50 Reward Card
Sky is offering 61Mb internet speed for £25 per month. There is a £5 upfront cost and a £50 reward card, which will bring down your monthly to around £23.12. In Ofcom’s latest report, Sky had the least complaints for broadband, so you know you’ll be in good hands.
Deal expiry: 7 December
Best broadband deal for 130-140Mbps internet speed
Virgin Media M125 | 132mb per second | £26.50 per month | 18 month contract | Plus £70 bill credit
With Virgin Media’s £75 bill credit, your monthly bill goes down to £22.62. There is no installation fee or upfront costs and you get a good internet speed of 132mb per second. This is a really good internet speed if you’re working from home or need internet for daily use, streaming and downloads.
Best broadband deal for 300Mbps internet speed
Plusnet Full Fibre 300 | 300Mb per second | £29.99 per month | 24 month contract
With Plusnet Full Fibre 300, you get a lightning-fast internet speed of 300Mb per second. There is no upfront cost and you get a 165Mb minimum guaranteed speed. This is a good deal for a large household or a student accommodation if you love gaming or do remote work.
How to choose the best broadband deal
There are plenty of factors to bear in mind when comparing broadband packages, to help you find a deal that’s right for you. You can compare deals via our sister site GoCompare – but here are some of the things to look out for.
1. Speed
The speed of your broadband connection is crucial if you do a lot of streaming or play video games online. The last thing you want is for your film to constantly lag, meaning it takes twice as long to actually watch it.
Also, if the whole household is relying on a broadband connection to work from home, this is key to look out for.
There are websites, like MyBroadbandSpeed, that allow you to test the speed of the connection that you currently have. You can use that as a benchmark when comparing other deals.
2. Location
Unfortunately, there is a real postcode lottery at play when it comes to broadband. Not all broadband providers operate across the country. For example, if you live in Hull, you can make use of KCOM. But, the firm isn’t going to be available to you if you live in Hampstead or Hereford.
What’s more, some locations won’t have access to fibre broadband services. This means you miss out on some of the fastest deals available. Check the GoCompare site and input your postcode to see what works best in your area.
3. Contract length
The length of your broadband contract will impact the price you pay. You could be able to secure a lower monthly bill by signing up for a longer-term deal. However, remember you are then locked in for longer.
That could be problematic if you find that your broadband package is no longer delivering what you need. This is why it’s important to check any exit fees you might have to pay. The other option is to opt for a short-term contract like 6-12 months if you know you’re likely to swap.
4. Setup fees
Some deals will come with one-off extra charges at the outset. This covers the cost of getting your service up and running.
It’s important to include these when comparing deals to get a better idea of how much it will cost you overall. Note, this is only for some providers, there are others that don’t charge a set-up fee as part of their package, so look out for this.
5. Additional services
Your broadband deal may be bundled up with other services, like a phone line or pay TV. You’ll have to determine for yourself how essential those other services are when comparing deals. For example, common ones include Netflix or Disney Plus as part of a package subscription to a TV service like Sky.
6. Incentives
It’s not uncommon for providers to include a host of added incentives to try to win you over, like cashback, vouchers with certain retailers, or even free gadgets like an Amazon Echo. Again, these will need to be factored in when comparing deals.
Do I need a landline?
Broadband packages often come with a landline phone service.
You might not really want a landline phone ‒ many people make all of their calls using a mobile, for example ‒ so it can seem counter-intuitive to pay for a service you don’t actually plan to use.
However, this can be important for two reasons. Firstly, it’s just a matter of choice. You generally have more deals open to you if you’re including a landline service in the package. Some suppliers don’t offer broadband-only deals.
What’s more, most providers require you to have a proper, working landline in place for their connection to work. As a result, even if you don’t ever plan on using it, you will need to have an operating line to make use of.
However, there are other areas of a broadband package where you need to think carefully about whether you’re paying for more than you need. For example, there’s no point paying extra for a superfast connection if the promised speeds simply aren’t achievable in your home.
Similarly, there may be a premium to pay for unlimited downloads, but if you only occasionally download items then this may be an unnecessary added cost.
Customer service for broadband providers
As well as comparing the main features of a broadband package, it’s also important to do your homework on the provider itself. After all, there’s no point signing up for a deal that appears to have everything you need, only to find that the service is unreliable and the customer service is non-existent.
A good place to start is the quarterly complaints figures published by the regulator Ofcom. These break down how many complaints each of the main providers receives, as well as the areas that tend to spark those complaints.
