During the current crisis, more and more households are dependent on their broadband connection, however, many people are struggling with financial demands and some do not have home broadband. Here’s some advice on entry level packages for people on benefits, or how you could save money on your home broadband if you already have a connection.
Social tariffs from BT
For those households on benefits, BT has launched the BT Basic + Broadband package to try and help tackle the challenges of being without digital. This package is £10 per month and gives you 15GB of data, Wi-Fi, BT Virus Protect and BT parental controls. This package is only for people receiving:
- Income support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Pensions Credit (Guaranteed Credit)
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related)
- Universal Credit (and are on zero earnings).
Also check your current telecoms service provider for any social tariffs they have. For example, Virgin Media offers free calls to older and vulnerable people – find out more.
Already have home broadband – shop around for the best deal
One way you can make your broadband more affordable is to shop around for a better deal when you’re out of contract. Find the cheapest deal for the service you want on a price comparison website and then challenge your current provider to match the price. Alternatively, just switch provider – it’s easier than ever before. Visit uswitch to see how much you could save
But, make sure your new broadband package matches your speed needs
With many of us using more broadband speed than ever before, make sure your new broadband package matches your speed and bandwidth needs. Streaming services like Netflix need a certain amount of speed and you may have several people in your home using the internet at the same time. Know the difference between standard, superfast and ultrafast broadband – find out more
Make sure your new service is adequate for the people in your household – slow broadband can be very frustrating!