How to find the best broadband and phone deals available

In a time of seemingly ever increasing bills, now is the perfect time to make sure you have bagged one of the best broadband and phone deals around. Use our broadband comparison tool to find the best deal with the fastest possible broadband speeds at the lowest possible price in your area.

By adding more than one service from a provider you can often save money. So if you were going to get a landline anyway, choosing a deal that includes broadband and phone could get you faster broadband without spending more. If you’re also looking to get a TV package though, it’s worth looking at the best broadband and TV deals as you can save even more with a bundle like that.

So, what do you need to look out for? Speed is the main concern. As a rough guide, Netflix says you need a 25Mb line to enjoy 4K and UHD streaming of its video content. So if you’ve got a few people doing that in your home then add a bit more bandwidth.

But with video chat and smart home gadgets more common than ever, it’s always best to go for the fastest line you can afford to ensure you don’t need to think about speed again – as it all just works smoothly.

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Do broadband and phone deals include line rental?

Since 2016 broadband companies have been required to advertise their costs as inclusive. That means they can no longer put a price for the broadband and then have a hidden line rental cost that gets added on. Now what you see should be what you get. So if your deal is for broadband and phone, the price you're quoted will include line rental.

One way some companies get around this is by adding on a large installation fee at the start. However, as you'll see from all our deals here, this isn't the case with many free to set up and the highest fee on an average length contract being a seemingly pointless £5 charge.

Since the company may still incur costs for offering a landline, you may simply find that the overall price of the deal is higher than if you went for a broadband only deal instead. But this is not always the case as you'll see in the next point below.

Why is broadband and phone cheaper than broadband only?

The most simple way to explain why it's cheaper to get broadband and a phone line is because it's more difficult to cancel. This means you have to cancel two services, not just one. As such these contracts, when ended, can revert to a higher price.

This used to be a way these companies caught people out to make more money but rules have changed and they're now required to notify customers if their deal prices are going to jump up after their contracts end. Some people still don't change though, so it clearly must still work in the company's favour, hence the lower price.

So, if you remember to cancel or change your deal once it ends, getting a phone line – even if you don't use it – could save you money.

How do I switch broadband and phone provider?

Legislation in recent years has made switching across providers easier than ever for the customer. Now all you need to do is sign up for the new package and that new company will deal with making the switch over from your old provider. Yup, you don't even have to contact your provider as you once did. It's all handled for you.

All this applies only if you've completed the length of your contract with your current broadband provider. If you're still in the contract period then you'll have to contact your broadband company and potentially pay a fee to exit early.

Can I get broadband and phone without a contract?

There are very few options but you can get a broadband and phone deal without a contract. These are ideal for students or anybody that can't or doesn't want to commit to a longer term payment. That freedom to leave whenever you want will cost you though as the up front amount will be higher.

So expect higher setup costs, potentially higher monthly fees and no special offers like you may have got for signing up to a contract. But with the ability to switch to a cheaper deal whenever you want, it has its advantages.

Most of these deals are found in the form of rolling monthly contracts which auto renew but allow you to leave month to month with a 30-day notice period.

One example is the Now Broadband Super Fibre + Free Anytime Calls deal, which gets you a 63Mb line on a rolling monthly basis. This is charged at £22 per month but requires an initial £65 setup fee.

A pretty good deal when you consider the freedom this represents.