Are Cheap Broadband Deals A Good Idea?

How Do You Define Cheap Broadband?

For many, the term “Cheap broadband” relates only to the monthly price, however when taking out a broadband package, there is so much to consider that the monthly price alone may not be representative of value. A truer picture can be gleaned by considering the whole offering:

• What broadband speed do you need?
• How many people in your household will be using the internet?
• What length of contract are you willing to tie in for?
• Do you just need broadband or are you interested in bundling landline, mobile phone, energy and pay TV too?

By asking yourself these questions, and entering the information into Free Price Compare, you will be able to narrow down the market to find the most appropriate deals for your individual circumstances. Once you’ve been presented with a selection of deals that match your requirements, there are a few more important things to check:

• Does the company have a good customer services rating? Hopefully, you won’t experience any issues and will not, therefore, need to contact them, but if you do, a company which is independently rated good in terms of customer service is far more likely to resolve your issues and get you back online quickly. The Independent has published a list of Internet Service Providers, ranked in order of service which you may find useful. [1]
• Do any of the deals offer sign up incentives such as money off vouchers, loaded credit cards, or goods which when taken into account with the rest of the deal, make it stand out as best value for money?
• Can you haggle? If it turns out that the best deal is through your existing supplier, there is no harm in phoning them up and trying to negotiate a better deal. More about this later! So in short, don’t look for the cheapest broadband, look for the broadband which offers the best overall value to you.

What Broadband Speed Do I Need?

Determining the required broadband speed is the first priority when looking to take out a new broadband deal. As a guide, a single person only using the internet for social media on evenings and weekends will probably get by with broadband which offers 10-11Mbps on a standard ADSL line.

However, if you are part of a family, work from home, make regular video calls or use the internet for gaming and streaming movies, you would be better off with a fibre broadband service. The good news is that with almost every broadband provider offering fibre broadband, competition in the marketplace is fierce which offers users a wide range of comparable prices. If fibre broadband is available in your postcode area, you are bound to find a cheap fibre broadband option.

The cheapest fibre options usually offer speeds of about 35Mbps and above which is generally fast enough to stream HD TV and play online games without a hitch.

It may be useful to know that if you do sign up for a broadband package that’s not suitable, your provider will allow you to upgrade to a faster service (but it may not be comparable in price so it’s best to get this right first time).

Should I Choose An Unlimited Usage Package?

When comparing fibre broadband offers, you will often come across the terms “Unlimited Broadband” and “Truly Unlimited Broadband”. If you will be using the internet regularly, you definitely want to take out a package which offers unlimited broadband, as this will allow you to use your internet as much as you like without incurring additional charges or facing any restrictions on its use, however, there is a subtle difference between the two.

With unlimited broadband, your provider is allowed to implement traffic management during peak hours to allow all users in your area similar speeds. With truly unlimited broadband, there is no traffic management and your speed should not slow down at peak times.

If you decide against unlimited broadband, familiarise yourself with your provider’s traffic management and fair use policies because exceeding the limit on a data-capped service could result in additional charges which would eliminate any savings you’d made by choosing the deal.

What Contract Length Should I Go For?

Once you’ve decided on the minimum acceptable broadband speed for your household, you will need to decide on the minimum term contract that you wish to go for. Most providers offer contracts on a 12, 18 or 24 month basis and generally, tying yourself in with a supplier for longer (18 or 24 months) will provide you with access to their best rates.

However, if you choose a 12 month contract, it allows you to negotiate or switch your provider or deal sooner.

Some providers offer rolling monthly and 9 month contracts which are often more expensive but popular with students who may not stay at the same address year-round or who require more flexibility.

What’s A Bundle?

When you think of an internet bundle, you probably think landline and internet as the two are intrinsically linked in our memories. But there is much more choice available now, including pay TV, mobile phones and even energy such as gas and electricity. Some energy providers offer attractive discounts when you sign up for both services.

Often by bundling your broadband requirements with other monthly bills using the same supplier, you can save money but always check that you won’t lose out on anything that is vital to you before you do so. It is also important to check that the bundle price is actually cheaper than having the bills with the existing separate companies.

Even if you decide that you only want broadband and do not need energy or pay TV, it is wise to compare the costs of standalone broadband against cheap broadband and phone deals as often these work out cheaper than the standalone packages. Even if you are sure you won’t use your landline to make calls, it is still worth considering as most of these deals are “pay as you go” so you won’t incur any additional costs if you do not use the line.