The cheapest UK broadband prices are now available on broadband social tariffs. Social tariffs provide cheap home broadband for low income households where bill payers are on universal credit or other eligible benefit. Broadband on social tariffs starts from just £12 per month at Vodafone, or £12.50 per month with Virgin Media.
Access to broadband social tariffs usually requires bill payers to be receiving one, or more qualifying state benefit e.g. Universal credit, disability benefit or pension credit.
BT, Vodafone, Virgin Media & TalkTalk have nationally available social tariffs for broadband. Other regional services also offering social tariffs include Community Fibre, Air Broadband find out more here…
Most of the UK’s biggest broadband providers now offer long-term low fixed rate prices with ‘social tariffs’. Broadband social tariffs are usually only available to families or households where bill payers receive one or more of the following: jobseeker’s allowance or universal credit, employment and support allowance, disability allowance, pension credit or personal independence payments.
£20/month Upto 73Mbps speed, broadband & line
£15/month 35MB average speed, broadband & line
(*no income households)
£20/month 35MB average speed, broadband & line
(*low income households)
£20/month 54MB average speed, broadband & line
£12.50/month 35Mb average speed, no line (£14.95 one-off set up fee).
£20/month 100Mb average speed, no line
UK broadband offers change regularly, we have listed some of the cheapest nationally available broadband deals (those available in most postcodes across the UK) below.
The best broadband deals we have found are with Shell Broadband starting at £17.99 per month for 11Mbps speed (18 month contract, includes line rental, no connection fee), Shell offer a faster 35 Mbps average speed plan at £22.99 per month and a 67 Mbps average speed at £24.99 per month.
If you have a Fibre to the premises connection Hyperoptic and Trooli have super-fast deals from less than £18 per month.
Check out some of the cheapest UK broadband offers from NOW and other broadband providers here.
11 MB Fast / £19.99
35 MB Fast Fibre / £23.99
67 MB SuperFast Fibre / £25.99
18 month contract
(Source: WOWCOMPARE – Broadband price comparison, prices updated April 2024, broadband speeds displayed = achievable speed.)
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Broadband is considered an essential home service and broadband providers have been encouraged to offer no-frills, ‘social broadband tariffs’ to provide affordable broadband for financially vulnerable households. Social tariffs offer discounted broadband for low income households where bill payers are on universal credit or another eligible state benefit.
Ofcom estimates 4.2 million households in the UK could save around £144 a year. Yet less than 1.5% of eligible households have registered for a broadband social tariff.
You can apply for a social tariff with participating broadband providers if you receive one or more of the following:
Jobseeker’s allowance, universal credit, employment and support allowance, disability allowance, pension credits or personal independence payment.
Individual broadband providers have different criteria for their social tariffs. Check to see which broadband social tariffs you’re eligible for, before you sign up.
If you qualify for a social tariff you will need to apply directly with your preferred broadband service. Most broadband providers require some proof of eligibility for discounted social tariffs before applications are accepted.
Once your application has been accepted your switch (if you are changing to a new provider), should take a couple of weeks maximum. If you are switching to a social tariff with your existing broadband provider, service changes will be much quicker.
Package | Price | Average speed | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
4th Utility Social Tariff | £13.99 a month | 30 Mbit/s | England |
BT Home Essentials No Income*** | £15 a month | 36 Mbit/s | UK |
BT Home Essentials Unlimited 36 Mbp/s | £20 a month | 36 Mbit/s | UK |
Community Fibre Essential | £12.50 a month | 35 Mbit/s | England (London) |
Connect Fibre Basic Essentials | £20 per month | 50 Mbit/s | England (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire) |
Connect Fibre Essentials | £25 per month | 150 Mbit/s | England (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire) |
Country Connect Social Tariff | £15 a month | 50 Mbit/s | Wales (Newport) |
County Broadband Essential Broadband Tariff | £15 per month | 15 Mbit/s | England (East of England) |
EE Basics | £12 a month | Up to 25 Mbit/s | UK |
Fibrus Full Fibre Essential | £14.99 a month | 50 Mbit/s | Northern Ireland and Cumbria |
G.Network Essential Fibre Broadband | £15 a month | 50 Mbit/s | England (London) |
Grayshott Gigabit Connect | £19 a month | 100 Mbit/s | England |
Hey!Broadband Everyday Fibre | £16 per month | 100 Mbit/s | England (South East England) |
Hyperoptic Fair Fibre 50 | £15 a month | 50 Mbit/s | England, Scotland, Wales |
Hyperoptic Fair Fibre 150 | £20 a month | 150 Mbit/s | England, Scotland, Wales |
KCOM Full Fibre Flex | £14.99 a month | 30 Mbit/s | England (Hull) |
Lightning Fibre Social Tariff | £15 a month | 50 Mbit/s | England (East Sussex and Kent) |
Lothian Broadband Social Tariff | £19.99 a month | 100 Mbit/s | Scotland (Lothian) |
NOW Broadband Basics | £20 a month | 36 Mbit/s | UK |
Quickline Social Tariff | £16.50 a month | 100 Mbit/s | England (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) |
RunFibre social tariff | £20 a month | 100 Mbit/s | England (South Gloucestershire) |
Shell Essentials Fast Broadband | £15 a month | 11 Mbit/s | UK |
Shell Essentials Fibre Broadband | £20 a month | 38 Mbit/s | UK |
Sky Broadband Basics | £20 a month | 36 Mbit/s | UK |
SMARTY Social Tariff | £12 a month | 5G where available | UK |
Truespeed Basic | £20 a month | 30 Mbit/s | England (South West) |
Virgin Media Essential Broadband | £12.50 a month | 15 Mbit/s | UK |
Virgin Media Essential Broadband Plus | £20 a month | 54 Mbit/s | UK |
Vodafone Fibre 2 Essentials | £20 per month | 73 Mbit/s | UK |
VOXI For Now | £10 a month | 5G where available | UK |
Wildanet Helping Hand Social Tariff** | £20 a month | 30-100 Mbit/s | England (Cornwall and Devon) |
WightFibre Essential Broadband | £16.50 a month | 100 Mbit/s | England (Isle of Wight) |
YouFibre Social Tariff | £15 a month | 50 Mbit/s | UK (various locations) |
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WOW COMPARE is not a financial service provider, broker or bank. Therefore we are unable to provide individual financial advice and we do not recommend or endorse individual products & services featured on this website.
This website is manually edited, we try to ensure that financial/insurance products & services included in our content, are from businesses authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Or, where applicable by regulators in the European Economic Area (EEA).
© 2024 WOWCOMPARE trademark of We Are Wow Limited, registered in England company number 13424881
WOW COMPARE is not a financial service provider, broker or bank. Therefore we are unable to provide individual financial advice and we do not recommend or endorse individual products & services featured on this website.
This website is manually edited, we try to ensure that financial/insurance products & services included in our content, are from businesses authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Or, where applicable by regulators in the European Economic Area (EEA).