Broadband deals for pensioners

What’s the best broadband package for pensioners?

As with all types of households and internet users, the answer to this depends entirely on the pensioner.

You may be looking for a simple connection for browsing the internet. Or perhaps you’d like a big bundle with a landline and lots of TV channels, or a full-fibre connection for speedy downloads and video calls.

Before we talk about how to pick your broadband, let’s take a look at some of the options specifically available to older people. They may also be available if you're claiming other benefits such as Universal Credit or Income Support.

BT Home Essentials

If you’re claiming certain benefits, including pension credit, you could qualify for BT Home Essentials broadband. It's BT's social tariff scheme for low-income customers, and gets you a superfast fibre broadband and home phone package.

Depending on how much you can pay, you have two options with Home Essentials broadband:

• £15 a month – Fibre optic broadband with speeds of 36Mbps, and a landline with 700 minutes to UK landlines and mobiles every month

• £20 a month – Fibre optic broadband with speeds of 67Mbps and unlimited UK calls

If you only want a call plan, there's also a home phone-only deal for £10 a month.

They're available on 12-month contracts, and you won't be charged any early exit fees if you decide to cancel before the minimum term is up.

Virgin Media Talk Protected

Virgin Media has a special line rental-only social tariff available to vulnerable customers. If you’re over the age of 65, you qualify. It gives you:

• Frozen line rental cost (if you get home phone only – costs will rise if you go for broadband, TV, and/or mobile as well)

• Free evening and weekend calls

• Discounts on other Virgin Phone plans

• Accessible payment and billing options, such as paper bills or non-direct debit

You can take out Virgin Media broadband and TV on top of Talk Protected, but your line rental cost won’t stay frozen.

Other options

There are currently no other deals specifically for older people. However, quite a few providers offer social broadband tariffs for people receiving certain benefits (including Pension Credit). Visit our page on low income broadband for more information.

There are also plenty of options for low-cost, simply internet packages. Try providers such as Plusnet, TalkTalk, and NOW.

Once you know what you’re looking for, enter your postcode into our comparison tool and compare suitable broadband deals.

It’s also good to note that almost all major landline and broadband providers (including BT, Virgin Media, and Sky) offer extra accessibility for vulnerable customers, such as:

• Allowing a third party to manage your account

• Access to new-customer prices when your initial contract runs out

• Priority fault repair

• Bills in accessible formats, such as braille or large-print

• Text and video relay services

• Free calls to Directory Enquiries

Picking a broadband package

What do you need from your broadband package as a pensioner? Here are the main things to consider. For more info, read our full guide to broadband.

Speed

If you’re only using the internet for browsing, email, mobile apps, and a few video calls, you won’t need much of this. A standard ADSL service (around 10Mbps) will be fine. We’d recommend it for an older person who just needs a no-frills basic broadband connection for using the internet and Zoom.

ADSL broadband is available from providers including Plusnet, TalkTalk, NOW, and Shell Energy.

If you go online a lot, however, or use online streaming services like iPlayer, go for a fibre optic package. Fibre optic broadband with speeds between 36-68Mbps is widely available. A small household of 1-2 people shouldn’t need speeds faster than 36Mbps, unless you’re particularly heavy users.

Cost

For the lowest price, look for providers that offer basic, no-frills broadband with fewer features, such as Plusnet.

In general, the slower the broadband, the cheaper it'll be. However, cheaper isn't always better. In many cases, the most basic fibre optic package is only a few pounds more per month than ADSL, and it provides a much faster and stronger connection.

Use our comparison tool to find the cheapest deals that fit what you need. Remember to consider both monthly costs and set-up costs.

Bundling

Do you want pay-TV as well? Compare broadband, phone, and TV bundle deals to get the lot in one package. This is also a cost-effective way to get Sky Sports and TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) on your telly.

Sky and Virgin Media – the two top TV providers – offer hundreds of extra channels. Or, providers like BT and TalkTalk give you a Freeview box with extra features – such as the ability to pause live TV, and access to streaming apps like iPlayer and Netflix.

NOW TV is a more affordable and flexible way to get Sky channels, thanks to its TV Memberships. You simply sign up to them like a subscription service and stream via a smart TV, laptop, tablet or phone.

Choosing a home phone deal (landline)

Many providers offer broadband and landline services in one simple package. For your home phone, you can usually choose between the following:

• Pay-as-you-go calls (the default if you don't buy an extra call plan)

• Inclusive evening and weekend calls

• Inclusive anytime calls

• Extra minutes or discounts to international numbers (available to add on top of any of the above)

Read our full guide to home phone packages for more information.

And don’t worry – even when you switch provider or sign up to broadband, you can still keep your phone number.

Once you’ve chosen your broadband and landline options, you’re ready to proceed. Sign up, and you’ll be sent your router – if an engineer needs to visit to get you connected, you’ll have the chance to book it in.