How do broadband and phone deals work? If you opt for the same supplier for both your phone and your broadband, you can bundle your contracts into one easy to manage bill and often save money. Some providers even reward customers who use their services for all their telephone and internet needs.
How do broadband and home phone deals work?
Broadband has traditionally been delivered to your home via phone lines – copper phone lines in particular. You may remember years ago when broadband was available as an add-on to your phone bill.
These days, broadband is a little more powerful and there’s more choice. But it still makes good sense to get both broadband and your home phone plan from a single provider. After all, it can all be delivered along the same cables.
Many providers offer pay-as-you-go calls as standard with their broadband packages, with the option to add on inclusive calls. Others – including a lot of full-fibre broadband providers – charge extra to add home phone.
Just pick the broadband package of your choice, then pick your choice of home phone to go with it.
Which providers offer broadband and phone deals?
Almost all broadband providers offer broadband and home phone combo deals. They include:
- BT
- Community Fibre
- EE
- Gigaclear
- G.Network
- Hyperoptic
- NOW Broadband
- Onestream
- Plusnet
- Shell Energy
- Sky
- TalkTalk
- Trooli
- Virgin Media
- Vodafone
You can see which providers are available in your area by using our postcode checker.
Should I get a broadband and landline bundle?
If you’re looking for a better deal on broadband and landline tariffs, you might consider combining both into a bundle with the same provider. This can offer benefits including:
- Discounted price: You might be able to find a cheaper deal by combining products, as providers will often offer a discount if you sign up to multiple services
- Incentives: Some deals might also offer other incentives, such as cashback or free gifts, to tempt you into a bundle deal
- Less hassle: Getting your broadband and landline from the same provider can make it easier to manage your bills and accounts as you’ll only be dealing with one point of contact for both
However, it can get complicated if you decide you only want to switch one of the two services. You might not be able to get the same level of discount as you would with both. If you think this is likely to affect you, it’s worth asking your provider beforehand if they can work something out.
What to look out for with broadband deals
When you compare broadband and landline deals, you’ll want to make sure you get the best deal. Here’s what to consider when it comes to broadband:
- Speed: Your broadband speed is one of the most important factors, so you need a rough idea of what you’ll be using the internet for. For example, streaming HD video or online gaming can both be data-intensive activities which need a faster connection. Look to fibre optic broadband for this. And if you live in a large household, where more than five devices are used at any one time, you'd be better going for a package over 100Mbps.
- Availability: Some providers aren’t able to offer certain connection types or speeds everywhere, which is why we ask for your postcode. This helps us find the best deals that are all available in your location.
- Download limit: If you’re a heavy broadband user it’s likely you’ll need an unlimited downloads package. Most deals now offer unlimited downloads, but some services have a fair usage policy that might restrict the amount you can download at certain times of the day.
- Bundling: Do you want just a broadband connection, or would you also like to bundle it with TV channels too?
- Equipment: You might also need new equipment when you switch provider, such as a new router. Most providers will include this for free, but you may be charged if you fail to return your old router to your previous supplier.
- Freebies: You might want to take advantage of free gifts and incentives offered with some broadband and phone deals, such as vouchers, gift cards and cashback. Occasionally a provider might even offer free tech such as laptops and tablets.
- Support: It’s frustrating and annoying, but almost inevitable that your internet access or Wi-Fi will one day go down. Having a helpful customer support team on hand can make a huge difference, and checking what previous customers have said about a provider could indicate what you can expect if you sign up.
- Contract length: You might be able to choose a 12-month, 18-month or 24-month contract, or even a rolling monthly contract, depending on the provider and what you personally need. Keep in mind that there may be early exit fees in place if you want to switch before you contract ends.
- Cost: The price you pay for broadband is probably the most important factor involved in making a decision. This is why comparing your options is such a useful step, as it can help you find the right deal for the best available price. The monthly cost is the most important to consider, but there might also be a one-off setup fee. The price of some deals also jumps up after the initial contract period, so make a note of this and look to switch before you start paying more.
What to look out for with landline deals
Likewise, there are certain factors to consider when choosing a landline package, such as:
- Free call periods: You might get set periods when you can make free calls, such as inclusive evening calls or weekend calls, but check whether it applies to landlines or mobiles.
- Free monthly minutes: Some providers offer a certain number of free minutes every month.
- Free call rates: You should keep an eye on how long the calls are free for. For example, they may only be free for the first 20 minutes or hour, and if they last any longer you’ll be charged the standard rate.
- International calls: Many providers charge extra for international calls, as well as calls to mobile phones and numbers with premium rates, such as those starting with 0845 and 0870. If you’ll be making a lot of these calls, it might be worth looking for a tariff that offers cheaper rates.
Can you get bundles with broadband and mobile phones?
You might be able to find a broadband deal that includes a mobile phone tariff, but these are rare. They’re usually called ‘quad-play’, and only a handful of providers offer them.
Quad-play tariffs also include landline and TV to make a single bundle for all four services. They can make things easier to manage in terms of bills and points of contact, but you could be better off separating them and comparing options for a cheaper deal. Before committing to a quad-play tariff, make sure you mobile phones to ensure you're getting the best offer.
Compare broadband and phone tariffs
If you’re looking for a combined broadband and landline deal, comparing tariffs on MoneySuperMarket is the easiest way to find the best available deal. We’ll show you deals from a range of providers.
Just pop in your postcode and tell us about the kind of tariff you want, including:
- The average speeds you need
- The download limit you prefer
- Any other services you want to include
- The minimum or maximum amount you want to pay
- Whether you want to pay anything upfront
- Deals with no credit check
Then we’ll find you a list of deals for you to sort through, and once you’ve found the one you want you can just click through to the provider to finalise your purchase.
Pros and cons of broadband and home phone bundles
Pros
- It’s incredibly easy – many providers expect you’ll be bundling up or want the option
- Bundling saves you money
- You have more choice over your broadband provider if you’re happy to have home phone included too
Cons
- If you don’t use your home phone, you could end up paying line rental fees for something you don’t use
- In some cases, it can cost more – e.g. full fibre providers like Virgin Media and Hyperoptic that charge more to include home phone
Sources and methodology
*Annual savings based on average monthly bill of £33.99 from nationally representative sample (1000) vs our cheapest monthly cost for superfast broadband (>55Mbs) £18.95/month, May 22. Annual saving: £180.48.