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If you noticed a jump up in your broadband bill this month, you're not alone. Most telecoms increased monthly Direct Debits to subscribers by a fixed pound-and-pence rise this month. While these annual price hikes used to be linked to inflation, recent Ofcom rule changes mean it's now a fixed amount that's spelt out when you sign up for a broadband contract.
Not sure how much extra you'll be paying?
That depends on the brand that handles your full-fibre broadband, but expect to spend between £36 – £48 extra over the next 12 months for the same connection. Telecoms rarely reward loyalty. The longer you stick with the same supplier, the more annual price rises you'll have seen, and the more you'll end up paying without an improvement to speeds, new Wi-Fi kit, or other perks.
It's true — the best way to guarantee the best deal is to switch regularly. You could unlock a cheaper deal, or faster speeds for the same Direct Debit. You might also stumble across a provider that doesn't increase its prices each year.
Want to switch? Unfortunately, if you're not quite at the end of your current deal, telecoms will charge an early exit fee – and the remaining balance of your contract. To incentivise early-switchers, some broadband providers will cover these costs for you in the form of credit when you switch.
Here are the current broadband providers that will pay you to switch —
- Plusnet: Up to £100 reward card
- Three: Up to £200 bill credit
- Sky: Up to £200 bill credit
- Vodafone: Up to £200 bill credit
- Virgin Media: Up to £250 bill credit
- BT: Up to £300 bill credit
- EE: Up to £300 bill credit
If you haven't switched to a new broadband supplier recently, you could save more on your monthly bill by switching to one of the latest deals
| SORA | GB NEWSIt's not just covering the cost of leaving your current broadband deal early, most internet suppliers reserve their best deals for new subscribers, with loyalty rarely rewarded. Even if you're happy with the service from your current provider, it could still be worth switching to cut monthly bills or unlock faster speeds for the same cost. Regularly bouncing between brands ensures you're not being overcharged or missing out.
Following the increased costs, many providers are offering competitive packages. Sky's full-fibre broadband packages have plummeted to their "lowest ever" price. Virgin Media is also offering its "lowest ever" deals on its broadband and TV bundles. And EE's broadband prices have dropped to £0 for the first three months of your plan.
Here's a roundup of some of the best broadband deals you can get in addition to being paid to switch.
Virgin Media will pay you up to £200 to switch to its broadband and TV entertainment package at lowest ever price
Enjoy fast, reliable entertainment with this all-in-one bundle. With speeds up to 362 Mbps, this package is ideal for homes with 4–6 people and 10+ devices. Access 200+ TV channels plus Netflix (Standard with adverts), including your favourite Sky channels and Sky Atlantic from April 1st. Watch at home or on the go, and customise your package with an additional TV box if needed
Virgin Media broadband and entertainment bundle
$34.99
EE will pay you up to £300 to switch to full-fibre 300 broadband deal
Upgrade to an award-winning broadband provider with a full-fibre 300 package from EE, and get 2x the speed for an extra £4, compared to its full-fibre 150 deal. Built with Wi-Fi speeds that can power busy homes, you can stream your favourite TV shows and movies in 4K, take part in online gaming and work from home. EE guarantees 425Mbps download speeds and at least 75Mbps upload speeds.
This package comes with the Smart Hub 7 Plus — capable of powering Wi-Fi 7 — the fastest Wi-Fi standard available for your home or office.
EE full-fibre 300
$32.99
Sky will pay you up to £200 to switch to "most popular" Full-Fibre 500 broadband deal
Sky has just dropped the price of its Full Fibre 500 to its lowest ever — the same price as its Full Fibre 300 offer. These high-performance speeds are great for busier homes and can handle multiple simultaneous 4K streams, lag-free gaming, fast 100GB+ file downloads, and robust remote working
Sky Full-Fibre 500
$28
Full Fibre 500 is available in 60% of UK homes.
With 500Mbps, your home can comfortably support heavy-duty internet use on multiple devices at once. Ultra-HD streaming, online gaming, large file downloads, cloud backups, smart home devices, and video calls can all run simultaneously without slowdown or buffering. It’s an excellent choice for busy households, remote workers, or anyone who simply wants consistently fast, reliable fibre broadband.
Plusnet will pay you £100 to switch to its Full-Fibre 900 broadband deal
If full-fibre 500 speeds still aren't enough for your busy household, Plusnet is offering a £100 reward card for its eye-wateringly fast full-fibre 900 plan. These super-fast download speeds are particularly well-suited for large, device-heavy households, competitive gaming, content creation, and seamless 4K/8K streaming for dozens of devices per month
Plusnet Reward Card
$100
However, if you need even faster speeds in your house, a full-fibre 900 package may be a better fit.
These eye-watering download speeds are particularly well-suited for large, device-heavy households, competitive gaming, content creation, and seamless 4K/8K streaming for dozens of devices per month.
Vodafone will pay you up to £200 to switch to full-fibre broadbandÂ
Upgrade to a Pro Broadband package from Vodafone that ships with its latest (and fastest) Wi-Fi 7 router. You'll also benefit from a backup internet connection, powered by Vodafone's 4G network, if there's a broadband outage in your area. Until now, the fastest router offered by Vodafone shipped with Wi-Fi 6E.
Vodafone Broadband Pro 3
$39
Three will pay you up to £200 to switch to its 5G home broadbandÂ
Get 5G home broadband from Three for half priceThree Home Broadband blasts away the old-school setup drama with genuinely plug‑and‑play, 5G‑powered internet that needs no landline, no engineer and no endless waiting. Order before 8pm, and you’ll have your hub by the next working day — just plug it in, and your home Wi-Fi will be powered by "the UK’s fastest 5G network" in minutes, the mobile network promises. Three UK even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers. Plus, they'll even pay you up to £200 on your last bill when you switch.
Three 5G Home Broadband
$11
Traditional fibre vs full-fibre broadband
Traditional fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables to the street cabinet, then relies on copper phone lines for the final connection to your home. This combination of fibre and copper is older technology, meaning speeds are slower and can vary depending on distance from the cabinet.
On the other hand, full-fibre uses fibre optic cables all the way to your home. This provides consistently faster, more reliable internet, capable of handling multiple devices, 4K streaming, online gaming, and smart home technology.
Openreach is currently ploughing ahead with an ambitious goal to upgrade 25 million premises to full-fibre broadband by December 2026. Earlier last year, the BT-owned firm revealed 17 million homes had been successfully upgraded to the speediest full-fibre internet connection. These next-generation connections offer download speeds up to 1,600Mbps.
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If you're unsure about what broadband speed you need in your home. We've put together the average download speeds for an hour-long television show episode in Standard Definition (SD), roughly 450MB in size.
- 69Mbps, the average broadband speed in the UK: 56 seconds
- 150Mbps, the lowest speed available with most full-fibre packages: 24 seconds
- 500Mbps, widely available from all full-fibre providers: 7 seconds
- 900Mbps, ideal for busy households with multiple devices per person: 4-5 seconds
- 1Gbps (or 1,000Mbps) is not available from all broadband companies: 4 seconds