Supplier in the spotlight – Plusnet

Plusnet broadband review – an introduction to Plusnet

Plusnet was founded in Sheffield back in 1997 with the primary aim to combine great value broadband packages with excellent UK-based customer service. Plusnet prides itself on its industry-leading customer service and reliable broadband packages and they have won many industry awards over the past 25 years. One of their most recent awards was at the Expert Reviews Best Broadband Awards 2022 and they were awarded the prize of The Best British Broadband Provider [1].

Why do customers choose Plusnet?

When giving positive Plusnet reviews, customers often cite the following points for why they choose Plusnet over other broadband providers:

• All Plusnet packages have unlimited usage
• Plusnet is one of the cheapest UK providers of broadband
• Great customer service
• Plusnet often has free gifts offered with their broadband packages

Plusnet broadband packages

Plusnet currently offers two different broadband packages. They are as follows:

• Plusnet Unlimited Broadband. This is the most economical package that Plusnet offers and it provides an average download speed of 10 Mbps and unlimited downloads. This package also includes free safety software and a free Plusnet router. You can also choose between a 12 or 18-month contract which is a great positive feature as many broadband packages require you to sign up for 24 months. The only problem that we can foresee in the Unlimited Broadband package is that you need a landline in your home in order to get connected. But Plusnet has a solution to this – line rental is included in the price of the package.
• Plusnet fibre optic broadband. Within their fibre optic range, Plusnet offers Unlimited Fibre with average speeds of 36 Mbps, Unlimited Fibre Extra with speeds up to 66 Mbps and Full Fibre FTTP which offers speeds of 74, 145 and a massive 500 Mbps. All these packages come with a Plusnet Hub Two router, unlimited downloads and Plusnet Safeguard internet and online security.

Current Plusnet broadband deals

There is a range of great Plusnet broadband deals which are currently available on the market. These range from the most expensive being Unlimited Fibre Extra & Unlimited UK & Mobile Calls which offers 66 Mb on an 18-month contract and costs £34.27 a month. The cheapest Plusnet broadband deal currently available is Unlimited Fibre with an average speed of 36 Mb on an 18-month contract at £21.99 a month.

It is worth noting that these deals are only available to new customers. Also, some of the fastest speeds are only available in certain areas but you can use our Free Price Compare postcode checker to see the best deals and speeds you can access.

Are there any broadband-only packages available from Plusnet?

As you always need a landline to have Plusnet access in your home, there are currently no broadband-only packages available. All the phone packages that Plusnet offers are either inclusive of all calls or on a pay-as-you-go format so you’ll only need to pay for calls that you make.

Call packages from Plusnet

If you know that you’re going to use your home phone to make frequent calls, it is advantageous to combine a phone package with your broadband contract. This will work out cheaper for you in the long run. Plusnet offers three main phone plans to choose from:

• Unlimited UK and Mobile Calls – This is a great deal as you can call any UK landline as much as you like and also have 2000 free minutes to UK mobile numbers.
• Evening and Weekend Calls plus Mobile Calls – With this package, you can call any UK landline for free between 7 pm and 7 am, Monday to Friday and all day at weekends. Also included are 1000 minutes of free mobile calls on evenings and weekends. The only restriction is that calls must be under 1 hour long.
• International Calls Anytime – If you need to call overseas, this package offers you 300 minutes of calls to 35 countries around the world and includes calls to UK numbers too.

Furthermore, if you call another Plusnet number or Plusnet support, those calls are automatically free with every package. Another great bonus is that the call packages are all based on a one-month rolling contract so you can cancel any time you like.

Plusnet TV packages and BT Sport

Unfortunately, Plusnet TV packages are not available to new customers so there are no deals currently available which include TV and broadband. Plusnet does offer access to BT Sport if you sign up for a broadband deal and pay an additional monthly cost. The only issue with this is that Plusnet does not provide a set-top box so you can only watch BT Sport content on your mobile via the BT Sport app, on a games console or via the BT Sport website on a computer.

Existing Plusnet customers

If you’ve already got a broadband package from Plusnet, they have a number of special offers for you to enjoy. These include:

• A referral scheme so if you get any of your friends or family to sign up for Plusnet, you will be able to get money off your bill every month
• If you sign up for a Plusnet SIM-only deal, you can gain an extra 2 GB of data if you’ve already got a broadband package.
• Plusnet often offers great subscription deals for BT Sport or for their security package, Plusnet Protect if you’ve got a broadband deal already.

Plusnet sometimes also offer reward or gift cards or perhaps a cash-back offer but they tend to save these deals for new customers.

Plusnet broadband set-up and installation

Setting up Plusnet broadband in your home is really easy, so you should be able to complete it yourself without having to have an engineer visit your home. When your router arrives through the post, it should be as simple as just plugging it in, turning it on and you will be ready to get online. The process should take around 14 days from signing up.

However, if you don’t currently have a landline in your home, an engineer will need to visit to install it which will cost around £65. This also increases the time it takes to get online to around 21 days.

Customer service

Plusnet is very proud of the customer service they provide and they have won many awards over the last 25 years from different industry bodies and customer review websites. If you have any issues, the best way to get in contact with their customer service team is to call 500 from a Plusnet mobile phone or by calling 0800 432 0200. Their UK-based customer service agents are available between 8 am-8 pm Monday to Friday, 9 am-7 pm on Saturdays and 9 am-6 pm on Sundays. They also offer an online forum called the Plusnet Community where you can find the answers to a lot of common problems or ask questions to other users.

Plusnet is also always looking for ways to improve its customer service for customers. In 2022, they committed to the Automatic Compensation Scheme whereby broadband customers can automatically get their money back for issues such as loss of service, missed appointments or delays to the start of service [2]. There is a range of compensation amounts that can be claimed if your broadband service is not up to standard.

Plusnet broadband in your area

To find out whether Plusnet is available in your area, you can do a postcode search on our website. You can also do a Plusnet speed test and a Plusnet broadband comparison with all the other main providers on our website, Free Price Compare.

Plusnet broadband reviews – pros and cons

As we come to the end of the Plusnet broadband comparison, what are the positives and negatives of signing up for Plusnet?

Pros:

• Plusnet is one of the cheapest providers currently in the broadband market
• They offer great, award-winning customer service from their UK-based call centres
• Plusnet offers an excellent range of speeds in all their broadband packages
• Great choice of a 12 or 18-month contract, rather than the 24 months other broadband providers offer
• Ability to sign up for a BT Sport package
• Referral scheme so you can sign up a friend or family member for money off your bill

Cons:

• You will need a landline in your home to access all the broadband deals and this will mean an additional cost
• There is no longer a Plusnet TV service available
• There are faster broadband speeds out there on the market from competitors
• So, in conclusion, Plusnet has many great points including its award-winning customer service, great prices and shorter-than-average contract lengths. The only problem you may encounter when signing up for their service is if you haven’t got a landline in your home you may incur extra charges.

References

• [1] www.expertreviews.co.uk
• [2] www.ofcom.org.uk