People on Universal Credit and other benefits could lower broadband bill to £12.50 before New Year
The festive season is one of the best times of year to make sure you are not overpaying for broadband by checking to see if you may be eligible for a cheaper deal or a social tariff to give your household budget a boost in January. A broadband social tariff can reduce bills to as little as £12.50 per month.
If you are planning to contact your broadband provider, make sure you look at their website first to get an idea of the deals on offer as these are often only available to new customers. However, if you speak to them and ask for a cheaper deal, it’s worthwhile highlighting any current offers, especially if you find one that has the same speeds and service you are paying for, but at a lower price - this is known as haggling.
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Consumer champion Martin Lewis is a big believer in haggling for cheaper broadband and streaming subscription services - if you don’t ask, you don’t get. However, while that mighty bring the monthly cost down considerably, checking if you qualify for a broadband social tariff is an even simpler solution and could save you up to £200 over the coming year.
State Pensioners on a low income claiming Pension Credit, or those claiming benefits such as Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, Income Support, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) may be able to switch to a social tariff. A full list of participating providers can be found on the Ofcom website here.
Social Tariffs in a nutshell
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
