Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert urges all broadband customers to check bills now – you could cut your costs in half

MARTIN Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert (MSE) is warning customers to check their bills – they could end up saving half for better service.

In its latest weekly newsletter, the consumer experts reveals certain deals to get up to 10 times the speed for half the price.

Following Black Friday last week, the site says many broadband providers are advertising short-lived deals – and some were already running beforehand.

In fact, if you’re one of seven million people out of contract and free to move around, you could be overpaying by about £300 a year for what you get.

Below we list the top deals recommended by MSE, but it’s important to still shop around for the best broadband deal.

You can use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available – Broadband Genie, MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.

Do bear in mind that these deals are for new customers – so if you’re not new, you might not get as big a discount.

Virgin Media

You can get a 264Mb (extremely fast) fibre broadband 18-month contract for £18.40 a month from Virgin Media.

Keep in mind it’s for new customers only.

Usually it would be £23.85 a month, but you’ll get an extra £100 in bill credit thrown in when you switch – which means you won’t need to pay anything for four months.

But if you’re wanting to switch out of an existing contract you, you could face a penalty for leaving it early.

Read here for more on the rules of subscriptions and contracts, and when you could be owed money back.

Shell Energy

There’s a Shell Energy deal on right now for both 38Mb (megabites) and 67Mb (fast) fibre – but it ends on December 4, so be quick.

If you apply via Broadband Genie, you’ll only need to pay £4.95 upfront then £22.49/month (38Mb) or £23.99/month (67Mb).

To compare, there is a Sky Broadband Black Friday deal on at the moment which offers 36Mb for £23 a month, on an 18-month contract.

MSE says new customers are also be offered a £110 Amazon voucher within four months which would save you from needing to pay anything for three months into your contract.

Make sure you enquire about that – because after deductions it would equate to £12.91/month for 38Mb, and £14.16/month for 67Mb.

Vodafone

Vodafone offers altogether 67Mb (fast) fibre and decent service for £22/month for a 24-month contract.

But with an added £130 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury’s or M&S voucher for new customers, it then becomes just £16.59/month.

There’s also a BT deal on right now for new customers that we found on MoneySupermarket – 67Mb for £25.16 per month, plus a £110 reward card which would again make the first three months free.

However this is average speed rather than fast fibre.

Now Broadband

You can get a 12-month contract with Now for normally £20.42 a month and 63Mb (fast) fibre/good service.

There’s no voucher available with this one, and you do pay £5 upfront, but it’s the cheapest 12-month contract with good service we’ve found.

Other ways to get cheap broadband

Millions on certain benefits including Universal Credit can get a mobile phone contract for £12 a month with EE.

The provider, owned by BT, has launched a new social mobile tariff exclusively for customers on low incomes.

The “EE Basics”; package is SIM only, comes with 5GB data, unlimited calls and texts and the contract lasts 12 months.

Plus, you’ll get 25Mbs internet speed.

Companies often offer customers so-called social tariffs which means you pay less if you’re on certain benefits.

Millions could be eligible for social broadband deals but aren’t claiming.

Figures from Ofcom in October revealed the number of households who had moved from social broadband tariffs had risen from 55,000 to 136,000 since January.

However, it means millions are still missing out – and it could cut their bills by hundreds.

Vodafone, for example, also has a social tariff for customers on low incomes.

Customers can get unlimited 5G data, calls and texts for £10 a month for up to six months if they are getting certain benefits on the VOXI For Now tariff.

So for the same amount of data, calls and texts you’re actually paying £2 less a month.

It might not seem like a lot, but that’s £24 over the course of the year – enough to stash away for a Christmas present.

Plus, you can get the social tariff if you receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP) which you can’t on EE’s new tariff.

You must be receiving certain benefits if you want to purchase a social tariff.

They are:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit element only)
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

People on contribution-based only JSA are not eligible.

However, if you receive both income and contribution-based JSA, you will be eligible if your income-based JSA amount is highest out of the two.

Households on contribution-based only Employment and Support Allowance are also not eligible for the tariff.

But again, if you receive both income and contribution-based ESA, you will be eligible if your income-based ESA amount is highest out of the two.

Broadband customers can move to the tariff if they’re eligible. However, if you are Flex pay customer you cannot.

Once the 12 month contract has finished, you can continue with the plan if you’re still eligible.

You can apply for the tariff by calling your preferred provider.

A member of staff will then carry out an eligibility check. You’ll also have to pass a standard credit check if you’re a new customer.

You’ll need your National Insurance number to hand when you apply.

Plus, they will ask for your personal information, including surname and date of birth.