Dan Howdle | October 1st, 2024
The summer is now definitely at an end, and there's a chill in the air that tells us it must be October. Which also tells us it's time to take our regular monthly look at what we think are the best broadband deals currently available.
This is a deal which we've consistently featured for some time now. Not least because it's proved to be our most popular package, despite only being available to about two thirds of UK households. If you're interested to see if that includes you, check out our broadband availability checker.
This is Virgin Media's bread-and-butter broadband package. Although not the cheapest in their range (that'll be their M50 package), we think this really is much better value. While M125 doesn't get close to the kinds of speeds this premium provider actually can offer, it's still more than adequate for most households. And, unlike some providers, Virgin have always been quite conservative with the labelling of their services, so despite the M125 name, you can actually expect to see average download speeds of around 132Mbps, with uploads at about 20Mbps. More than enough for most, we think.
Virgin Media have a long track record of offering a bit extra with this package, and right now that's in the form of a £50 bill credit. That means you'll start your contract well in the black and so won't have to pay anything until the third month. And even then your bill will be signifcantly reduced. Plus there are currently no added installation costs, so that's another £35 saved too.
We think there's long been confusion between what represents good value, and what's simply the cheapest. And they're very rarely the same thing. So while the package we'd like to highlight here is definitely not the cheapest, we think it may be a great choice when considering just how much you get for your investment.
There are no fancy extras offered with our best value choice this month. No giftcards or free TV's, and definitely no artificially low pricing for a few months, only for the price to hike up after the introductory period. This is just a top notch and very, very fast broadband service at an extremely reasonable price. Vodafone's Full Fibre 500 Broadband will give you average download speeds of 500Mbps, as the name suggests. Coupled with a minimum speed guarantee of at least 250Mbps, and upload speeds of about 68Mbps, we think that only the most bandwidth-hungry households in the UK could possibly want more (and really, they probably wouldn't need it).
For an additional £10 per month you can take advantage of the Vodafone Extra Broadband add-on, meaning you'll have Apple TV 4K, 3-months free Apple TV+ subscription and Unlimited Anytime calls to UK landlines & mobile numbers. Finally, if you're a current Vodafone mobile customer and would like to switch your broadband to them too, you'll find they'll offer a £2 per month reduction. That might now sound like much, but it really does make this absolutely exceptional value.
As usual, this is a simple matter of what is the lowest priced, widely available broadband deal in the UK right now. Until recently, that would've meant the lowest speed ADSL 'broadband' which really was getting too long in the tooth, both speed and reliability-wise. But now most providers are no longer prepared to offer that and lowest priced deals can be really pretty quick.
It's been the case for a while now, but NOW Broadband continue to provide the lowest cost, universally available broadband in the UK. And now they're offering their next generation FTTP broadband for the low figure of £23 per month – and with no credit checks. That's absolutely-fast-enough-for-most 75Mbps broadband, with 17Mbps upload speeds, available to about two thirds of UK households. And at a the same price as their slower Full Fibre 75 package. In fact, NOW would much rather sell you this, than the older, lower speed package which they'll now only make available if it's all your local infrastructure can support.
So, if you want to simply spend the least amount, and also secure a really good speed connection, then this package really is a win-win in our opinion. Plus, if you want to push the boat out, NOW can offer several 'membership' TV services which you can add at a later date. Just one other point – NOW is actually part of Sky, so you may find Sky broadband upgrades are offered too.
'Full fibre' is basically just what the name suggests. It's broadband delivered to your home entirely via fibre optics, which until recently simply wasn't available to most of the UK's broadband customers. Fibre optic cabling replaces the old, copper wires, meaning speeds of up to 1000Mbps (or 1Gbps) and even higher are now accessible to about two thirds of UK homes. That's a figure that's increasing all the time, too. So here's our recommendation of what we think is the best full fibre deal out there at the moment.
Vodafone Full Fibre 910 Broadband is fast. It's really fast. But it's also, we think, really good value right now at £36 per month, with no additional setup or delivery fees. You're going to get just about as fast a connection as is widely offered in the UK right now – average downloads of 910Mbps, with uploads of about 100Mbps, meaning your 'up' is faster than most people's 'down'. That's quite a thing. There are no freebies with this, just a fast and reliable full fibre connection, with a speed guarantee of 455Mbps.
Most people really don't need this kind of speed connection, but if you want to play it safe and make sure you're covered for any eventuality, these are the kind of numbers you'd be looking for. Plus, if you're a current Vodafone mobile customer and would like to keep all your bills in one place, then switching to Vodafone broadband will access a £2 per month discount.
Here we look at what we think is currently the best package which includes both broadband and TV services. And, as if often the case, we've opted to focus on a Sky package, simply because they generally offer the best TV subscription service in the country. And that's only improved since the introduction of its satellite dish-free Sky Stream service.
Only on rare occasions does Sky (or indeed any provider) offer big discounts or freebies with their broadband and TV bundles. And unfortunately, that remains true this month, and there are no huge discounts available. However, there are still some great deals out there, and definitely included in that is Sky's Stream + Entertainment + Netflix + Full Fibre 75 package. The broadband element is a great compromise with average downloads at 75Mbps and uploads at 17Mbps (with a speed guarantee of 50Mbps). And there's an excellent selection of TV services bundled in here – over 150 channels more than 30,000 shows streamed to your TV over wifi. That means no satellite dish is required. That's a thing of the past that many people won't miss at all. And on top of that you'll have a standard Netflix subscription plus the option to add extras like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema at knock-down prices.
Sky also includes pay as you go calls as standard, which might actually be unique in the world of full fibre providers. Making this a great all round package at what we think is a quite reasonable price.
"Our broadband comparison tool makes finding the best deal effortless. Whether you’re after faster speeds, lower costs, or a provider with stellar customer service, simply enter your postcode and let us do all the hard work. It’s quick, comprehensive, and gives you real-time, personalised results."
Dan Howdle, Broadband and mobile expert
We know it can be difficult choosing the right deal or broadband provider. This broadband comparison help section contains useful information and advice for making your next broadband purchase easy and stress-free. There are several things to think about when looking for a broadband deal that suits your household, and we'll get onto those. First though, let's talk a bit about why you should switch broadband deals.
There are a wide variety of reasons you might want to switch your broadband provider. Being upset with your existing provider is quite common, but here let's take a look not at the reasons you might want to, but the reasons why you should:
Before choosing a new broadband provider and deal, it helps to understand what you need exactly. Understanding exactly what you need massively narrows down the packages and providers you have to consider. Here are the things you should know before looking for a new broadband package:
Probably the most important factor at the moment when choosing a broadband deal is your budget. If you’re currently in a contract, your provider may hike the monthly cost up once the fixed-term ends. For this reason, Ofcom made it compulsory for providers to remind you when your contract is ending, so you’ll have time to find a better deal. Most customers are very surprised to find out they can get better, faster broadband for less than they are currently paying but that is the case for most customers.
Broadly, the faster the download speed, the better your experience, but this has limits. For example, most households will notice a big difference switching from, say, 35Mbps to 100Mbps. However, it's a case of diminishing returns, where all but the most download-addicted gamer households would notice the jump from 300Mbps to 900Mbps. All the daily stuff you do with your broadband is small beer to those sorts of speeds – like lobbing a golf ball down a motorway tunnel. There's just a lot of room to spare.
Choosing a speed that’s fast enough, but isn’t faster than you need, is the best way of making sure you don’t pay over the odds, and a cheap deal is a false economy if it doesn’t provide the speed your household needs. Broadly speaking, we recommend at least 61Mbps for your average household, and homes full of gamers and streamers should opt for more. Here's an easy-to-follow overview, and if you want to really get into understanding your speed needs, we also have a full guide.
| Broadband users | Type of broadband | Speeds |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 people | ADSL or Fibre | 10-60Mbps |
| 3-4 people | Fibre or Full Fibre | 100-300Mbps |
| 5+ people | Full Fibre | 150-500Mbps |
| Gamers or streamers | Full Fibre | 300-1Gbps or more |
See our What broadband speed do I need? guide for full details.
Although a few providers offer monthly rolling ‘cancel anytime’ contracts, most deals are offered as 12, 18, or 24 month contracts, with 24 months, sadly, becoming increasingly common. Broadly speaking, if you’re happy to sign up for a longer period, you’ll often enjoy a lower monthly price, and it's even more true that opting for a one-month, rolling contract deal is going to cost you a lot more per month than a contract deal because a provider like NOW Broadband has to offset the cost to them for providing you a router and getting you set up for what may turn out to be just one month's service.
Keep in mind some providers add other costs, and these can offset any savings you make with a lower monthly price. These typically cover things like delivery of a router, installation charges, or activation fees. If you don’t want to pay any extra costs (upfront or otherwise), you should set the filter in the comparison table to not show deals that have them.
If you see up-front costs for packages from a particular provider, please note that these are rarely, if ever, perennial, and chances are if you pop back in a week or two they won't be charging it anymore. Some providers – especially BT and Sky – flit frequently between charging a set-up fee and not.
Many broadband packages include additional services like landline phone call plans, TV subscriptions, and even mobile phone contracts. A broadband and phone deal, or a broadband and TV bundle deal, will save you money – sometimes a lot of money – along with offering the convenience of dealing with one provider from all your services. The recent trend of adding Netflix for free with broadband and TV bundles only increases the money you can save.
To sweeten deals, many providers offer rewards and incentives like cashback, bill credits, shopping vouchers or other free gifts. While they can make a package seem more enticing, they shouldn’t always form the basis of your decision when choosing which option you want. They’re usually limited-time offers – so you may feel pressured to buy before you’re ready. On the other hand, they can be represent great value and be well worth grabbing while you can! Just be sure and calculate what that reward is worth versus similar packages from other providers that, despite not reward, may work out cheaper in the long run.
Cable.co.uk makes it easy for you to compare broadband deals. Use the drop down to sort by price, speed or most popular and then filter based on what really matters to you. It’s that simple.
The tools on this page allow you to select and filter by all of the criteria we've talked about thus far. If you're finding it confusing though, no problem. Here are some pointers:
Of course, not everyone comes into their search knowing what speed they need. Don't worry! We have a tool that'll help you find out. Just hit 'Get started' below:
Let us help guide you to your new broadband deal. We'll check speeds and providers at your home, saving you time and money.
Once you've chosen a new broadband deal you'll receive some instructions from your new provider. These will include:
We price check the best broadband deals from the top providers every day.
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