Martin Lewis urges four million people on benefits to check for ‘special’ £20 broadband deals

Linda Howard

15 January 2025 at 5:37 am·5-min read

The first Martin Lewis Money Show Live of 2025 was a ‘bill-busting’ special to help households across the country save money at the start of the new year. The consumer champion urged everyone to look at their mobile phone contracts to make sure they don’t overpay once the contract ends, their energy bills to ensure they are on a fixed tariff below the current price cap and their broadband package to haggle for a better, cheaper deal.

The financial guru said the key to finding cheaper deals is to either haggle politely with your current provider, or use an online comparison website to find the best deal that suits your budget and household needs. He also explained how up to four million people on Universal Credit - that’s more than half of all 7.2m claimants - can slash their monthly broadband bill to between £12 and £20.

Martin told ITV viewers: “If you are on Universal Credit, or in some cases other benefits like Pension Credit, there’s a thing called ‘social tariffs’. Special, cheaper tariffs for people in those situations, up to four million people are missing out.

“They’re not the fastest speeds, but they are a much lower price of £12 to £20 a month. It is really important you check out if you can get one of those so see if your provider offers it.”

He explained how Ofcom has a full list of providers offering a social tariff, which includes BT, Vodafone, Virgin, Now and Sky - see the full list here.

Martin added: “If your provider doesn’t offer one, switch to a provider that does.”

Switching to a social tariff could save you hundreds of pounds over the coming year. Deborah emailed the show to share how she helped her mum save £903.60 by switching to BT’s social tariff.

Deborah said: “I recalled your TV programme on social tariffs and after a lot of effort, l eventually got through to someone who knew of the social tariffs at BT (Home essentials package) and got my mum on a social tariff at £15 per month. A saving of £903.60 a year.”

MoneySavingExpert.com has a full guide to switching broadband tariffs and a list of the latest deals, you can view them here.

Social Tariffs in a nutshell

A social tariff could bring savings of around £200 each year. The quickest way to find out if you might qualify for a social tariff is to contact your supplier directly and ask - even if you do not qualify, they may be able to offer other ways to reduce your broadband bill.

It can be quite confusing knowing if the benefit you are claiming is eligible for a social tariff so we have compiled a list of all the social tariffs available and the benefits that qualify for them.

A system put in place in 2022 makes it quicker for broadband providers' to check eligibility by accessing a special Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) IT system - with the claimant's permission.

Benefits the DWP’s system will be able to verify entitlement for are:

Universal Credit
Pension Credit
Income Support
Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-Related Employment Support Allowance

Benefits and social tariff for broadband

The providers listed below are taken from the latest guidance on social tariff broadband packages from Ofcom. You can get direct links to the broadband provider websites here.

The broadband providers listed may not be available in your area, we’ve marked those that cover the entire UK as ‘UK’.

Universal Credit

BT - UK
EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK
4th Utility - UK
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
NOW Broadband - UK
Sky Broadband - UK
Virgin Media - UK
Vodafone - UK

Pension Credit

BT - UK
EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK
4th Utility - UK
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
NOW Broadband - UK
Sky Broadband - UK
Virgin Media - UK
Vodafone - UK

Attendance Allowance

Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) / Adult Disability Payment (ADP)

Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
Vodafone - UK

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Vodafone - UK

Income Support

BT - UK
EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK
4th Utility - UK
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
NOW Broadband - UK
Sky Broadband - UK
Virgin Media - UK
Vodafone - UK

Jobseeker's allowance

BT - UK
EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK
4th Utility - UK
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
NOW Broadband - UK
Sky Broadband - UK
Virgin Media - UK
Vodafone - UK

Employment and support allowance

BT - UK
EE Basic (Now offered through BT) - UK
4th Utility - UK
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
NOW Broadband - UK
Sky Broadband - UK
Virgin Media - UK
Vodafone - UK

Care Leaver's Support

Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales
KCOM
Housing Benefit
Hyperoptic - Scotland, England and Wales

Reduced Earnings Allowance

Vodafone - UK

10 social broadband tariff deals

Here are 10 to give you an idea of monthly costs, speeds available and eligibility.

BT Home Essentials (No Income)

Monthly cost: £15
Average broadband speed: around 36mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

BT Home Essentials (Unlimited 36Mbps)

Monthly cost: £20
Average broadband speed: around 36Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

BT Home Essentials (Unlimited 67mbps)

Monthly cost: £23
Average broadband speed: around 67Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

EE Basic (Now BT Home Essentials)

Monthly cost:from £15 - see BT social tariffs Average broadband speed: around 36mbps Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Lothian Broadband Social Tariff

Monthly cost: £19.99
Average broadband speed: 100 Mbps
Eligibility: open to all

Sky Broadband Basics

Monthly cost: £20
Average broadband speed: 36Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

NOW Broadband Basics

Monthly cost: £20
Average broadband speed: 36Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Virgin Media Essential Broadband

Monthly cost: £12.50
Average broadband speed: 15Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Virgin Media Essential Broadband Plus

Monthly cost: £20
Average broadband speed: 54Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

Vodafone Fibre 2 Essentials

Monthly cost: £20
Average broadband speed: 73Mbps
Eligibility: various benefits, see above list

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