Pick up a broadband cut price within the gross sales: Save cash and rise up to £150 in vouchers
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You may be feeling stuffed after the Christmas splurge but your bank balance could be looking slim, so picking up a broadband bargain can pay off and save money for the whole year ahead.
Earlier this month, research from GoCompare revealed you might be overpaying for broadband by opting for faster speeds than you need, which means trimming your internet bill could be the gift that keeps on giving.
Spending the time to compare broadband deals* now can help you save a good deal of money over the longer term, because contracts usually last for 18 or 24 months.
We’ve put together our pick of the best broadband offers this Christmas and new year, analysing the top deals at different speeds. Some deals below throw in incentives such as reward vouchers, plus you can find packages that include TV streaming.
Just keep in mind that if you’re currently locked into a contract, you’ll need to pay exit fees to leave early. Unless the new provider can cover these fees, it might be best to wait until your current term’s up before switching.
Check whether you’re currently out of contract. If you are, it’s a good idea to find a new deal, because out-of-contract prices are usually far higher than in-contract prices.
> Compare the best broadband deals for you*
A Boxing Day sales bargain that can save you money for the whole year ahead
A pick of the top broadband deals this Christmas
The deals below list the current monthly prices, but check for mid-contract price rises. Providers must be upfront about these when you take out the package – the monthly price usually increases around April each year.
It’s always a good idea to run a broadband comparison* to find deals that are best suited to your needs, but our pick of some top deals is below.
Rise Fibre 150Mbps: One of the cheapest deals going
Rise Fibre is an alternative network provider that actually has broad availability across the UK, because it operates on a number of networks.
This is great value for a speed that should be fast enough for most households. It includes a £6 discount for the first 12 months, so be sure to check with Rise Fibre how much you should expect to pay after 12 months, factoring in any mid-contract price rises.
By comparison, Plusnet’s equivalent Full Fibre 145 package* costs £24.99 a month and Vodafone’s Full Fibre 150 deal (see below) costs £24 a month.
BRSK BetterNet150: Shorter contract with a £95 Amazon voucher
BRSK is another alternative network provider, servicing parts of the Midlands and North of England – including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.
We like options that have shorter-term contracts, meaning you’re not locked into a deal for too long, and you can shop around to save money sooner. This contract lasts for 18 months.
If you can get BRSK at your address, it’s worth considering – with the high £95 voucher, your monthly price drops to just below £15 a month.
Sky Stream, Essential TV, Netflix & Full Fibre 75: Great streaming deal
This package is a good option if you want TV streaming as part of the deal, with Essential TV including Sky Atlantic and Netflix.
Sky Atlantic is home to popular TV shows such as The White Lotus and House of the Dragon.
What we like about Sky is that it’s currently offering various speeds at the same price, with the Full Fibre 150 package also costing £35 a month with Essential TV.
What speed do you need?
Recent research from GoCompare revealed that paying for broadband speeds you don’t need could be costing you up to £120 a year.
According to Openreach, homes of no more than four people that use the internet for basic tasks such as streaming, video calling and working from home need download speeds of about 50-76Mbps.
Faster speeds are beneficial if there’s more of you in the house, or you game online, use virtual reality or stream 4K TV.
For example, Moneysupermarket says that a 100Mbps package should provide a smoother gaming experience.
However, these speeds are usually only available if you can get a fibre to the premises (FTTP) connection at your home, rather than a fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) one.
An FTTP connection is a pure fibre connection, with no copper cables required. An FTTC connection relies on older copper cables to connect your home to the cabinet in your street that provides internet.
FTTC is more widely available than FTTP – although more than 75 per cent of homes now have access to FTTP, according to Ofcom.
> Read more: Our pick of the best broadband deals, updated weekly
