No Contract Broadband vs Traditional Contracts

Many broadband purchases include contract lengths of 12, 18 or even 24 months. Being locked into a monthly payment for this amount of time doesn’t work for a lot of people, which is where no-contract broadband, or rolling contract broadband, comes into play.

In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons you may want to find a no-contract broadband package, whether they represent good value for money, and how you can find the best no-contract broadband deals.

Why you may need no-contract broadband

There are many reasons why a long-term broadband contract may not be right for your situation.

Students

If you’re a student and living away from home, typically you will only be renting for around 9 months. Signing up for a 12-month contract will mean you’re committed to at least 3 months of payments for broadband you won’t be using. 

Renting

Not all rental contracts are long-term, so your broadband shouldn’t be either. If you’re signed up to a 6-month lease, you won’t want to be committed to a broadband contract for longer than that. For example, you may be staying in rented accommodation while waiting for your house move to go through, and only require broadband for a couple of months.

Relocating

Your job may require you to work away from home and live elsewhere for a short period of time. In this instance, you don’t want to sign up for a long-term broadband contract that will commit you to paying for longer than is necessary. 

Staying with family

If you need to save money or are moving to a different part of the country, you may stay with family for a short time. And if they don’t have broadband, you’ll need to sign up to a new contract. A year-long broadband contract would be unnecessary, so you’ll be more likely to benefit from no-contract broadband.

Flexibility

As well as your living situation, no-contract broadband allows you to be more flexible in financial aspects too. If your current broadband deal has expired, you may want to avoid the resulting price increase and bide your time while you wait for a good deal on a long-term broadband contract. Signing up to a cheaper rolling contract broadband package can help you out.

If you’d like to find the best deals on broadband contracts, both short and long-term, check out our free price comparison tool.

Is no-contract broadband good value for money?

Depending on what you’re looking for and your circumstances, no-contract broadband could work out to be good value for money. By only committing to rolling contract broadband, you can leave when is best for you, without having to pay any outstanding months.

But before you decide to look for a no-contract broadband deal, weigh up the pros and cons:

Benefits

• There’s no commitment, you can cancel your contract whenever you like.

• There’s no cancellation fee when you do leave, just whatever payment is outstanding for the current month.

• Cancelling whenever you please makes it quicker to switch if you find a cheaper deal.

• You get the same service and speed as the equivalent long-term broadband contract.

Downsides

• Generally, no-contract broadband packages have higher set-up fees than long-term contracts.

• No-contract broadband deals can also have higher monthly costs than their equivalent long-term packages.

• You’re unlikely to receive any special offers, such as free gifts, discounts or cashback, with rolling contract broadband.

Only you can decide if the benefits from no contract will outweigh the downsides, so be sure to think about what works best for you before signing up.

Who provides no-contract broadband deals?**

Most broadband providers will now only sell 12 to 24-month packages. Even 6-month broadband contracts are very rare. But there are still companies in the UK that can provide you with great no-contract broadband deals.

**All deals listed below were correct at time of writing. Use our comparison tool for the latest offers.

Hyperoptic

Offering between 50Mb and 900Mb average speeds, unlimited downloads and a £29 set-up fee, Hyperoptic has one of the biggest ranges of no-contract broadband deals in the country. 

You can find up to 8 deals for Hyperoptic on our site, with prices ranging from £26 to £52 a month for broadband-only packages. Check our free tool to see if Hyperoptic is available in your area.

NOW Broadband

From 11Mb standard broadband for £18 a month to 63Mb fibre broadband for £23 a month, NOW Broadband is on the cheaper end of no-contract broadband deals.

We have up to 3 packages on our site for you to choose from, all including unlimited downloads, free anytime calls and a £65 set-up fee. Use our free tool to compare the deals on offer.

Cuckoo

Cuckoo broadband is a little more expensive than your other options, but they do donate 1% of your bill to charity. Each of the 3 fibre broadband packages on offer also includes unlimited downloads and a £60 set-up fee.

Prices range from £29.99 a month for speeds of around 67Mb, to £54.99 a month for speeds up to 950Mb. Compare the right deal for you by using our free tool.

G Network

With speedy fibre broadband starting at £27 a month for 150Mb all the way up to £54 a month for 900Mb, G Network’s no-contract packages are very competitive even in comparison to long-term contracts.

Throw in unlimited downloads and zero set-up fees, and G Network could be the no-contract broadband you’ve been looking for. Check out the latest deals on our website.

Find the best no-contract broadband deals with Free Price Compare

Free Price Compare makes it easier than ever to find the best no-contract broadband deals across the UK. Use our free tool to quickly find the best deal for you.

For more advice, check out our detailed guides.