No Contract Broadband

Traditionally, most broadband providers in the UK have offered packages which tie you in for a contract for 12 months or some times even 18 months, whilst signing up for a contract can suit many people, some of us want the flexibility to switch when we want with minimum inconvenience or penalty. These would be ideal if you are likely to move home within a year or so. Please bear in mind that deals with contracts are more likely to have free connection, free modems etc. and therefore would be a better value for money. If you want to compare all the packages offered on the market now, you can have a look at our ISP comparison chart where every broadband package is compared.

Many ISPs nowadays offer broadband packages with no minimum contract. The rule of thumb is, when you get a lot of freebies like free modem, router, free connection etc, the broadband provider is likely to tie you in for a longer term contract. If you want a No Contract broadband, you need to be careful when you sign-up and avail freebies as some providers have a No Contract and a Contract option. We have had feedback from consumers that some providers like PlusNet broadband charge you for the free modem or free connection if you do not stay with them for 12 months. It is always worth reading the small print.

Here are some providers who currently offer monthly contract options without a longer term commitment. Click on the relevant links to see their offers.

Short term broadband offer

Short term broadband offers are useful whenever one needs them for a limited period rather than long term use. Students, short term employees and also people who constantly move to new locations find short term contracts useful. Few contracts come with connection fees, hence, it is important for customers to be aware of the contract details in order to check for its suitability and also conditions if any, when they decide to discontinue the contract.

How can short contract broadband deals help customers?

Customers can enjoy the benefits of short contract broadband package if it comes with no connection fee at the time of discontinuing any contract like one-month, three month or No Contract broadband packages.

Changes happen constantly in the broadband industry and hence it is always essential for customers to check in the broadband comparison page to discover best deals. Broadband customers must be given more choices so that they can choose the best deal whenever they look for short term broadband contracts. It is to be noted that broadband speeds are not altered according to the duration of the contract and hence customers can enjoy the same speed as that of the long term broadband contracts.

Customers are required to have complete knowledge of changes that are happening in the broadband market. They must read through broadband reviews and articles that talk about any changes and new broadband offers that emerge in to the market. Some experts say that customers can go for pay-as-you-go mobile broadband offer or deal as they can be got cheap of cost and also available easily. This kind of broadband is of great use to all those who want to work even on the go.

One main advantage of no contract broadband is that there is no need for customers to get into any other contract deal. Hence, the only way for the customers to catch up with the best broadband deal is by doing a lot of comparisons through websites. Customers can earn all the freedom from no contract broadband compared to other deals.

Further, another advantage of No Contract broadband offer is that few broadband providers offer rolling contracts along with No Contract broadband. This means that customers can get high speed internet facility with the wireless router (that comes along with the package free or charged) and other services without having to take the long term contract. Few no contract broadband deals also offer benefits that can be gained from standard ADSL home internet packages that come with larger data limits. With this feature, one can download files, movies and music as well. Speeds of upto 24Mb can be enjoyed by customers. Thus it is clear that customers with No Contract can also enjoy some of the benefits of long term contracts.

Although No Contract broadband deals also start from 1 month contract to 6 month period, one is required to pay setup fees also. Also, customers need not worry about the hassle involved in the long term contracts. Some No Contract broadband packages come with incentives.

Short term No Contract packages such as 1 month contracts requires customers to read through terms and conditions and also give notice period before discontinuing the contract. Hence, one needs to know well about the conditions before opting for any type of broadband packages, whether short term or long term.

Monthly Deals vs No Contract Deals

Monthly Deals

This sort of deal expects customers to enter in to a legal contract with the broadband provider.
Broadband providers are expected to provide customers with certain services that are mentioned in the agreement.
Setup fees and/ or installation fees may be included long with the price of the package.
Most broadband providers impose charges for exceeding the download capacity.
Few broadband providers such as Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk charge customers for non debit payment
Several broadband providers charge for helpline calls.
Broadband providers offer free calls to UK landlines.
The cost involved to end the broadband deal and also to switch to a new broadband provider is high.
Other charges that are collected from the customers are late payment fees, moving home charges, contract termination- equipment fees etc.

No Contract Deal

No contract broadband deal requires customers to get into legal deal but definitely for long terms. Short term contracts usually come for 1 month, 3 months or upto 6 months.
Broadband suppliers are also required to provide No Contract broadband customers with all services mentioned in the contract.
Though No Contract broadband customers have to pay the set up fee, they can be free from all the hassles involved in the long term contract.
No Contract packages that come with minimum of one month contract gives customers more flexibility and choice than those from the long term contract deals.
Customers can cancel the services without the need of fulfilling any responsibilities or incurring any liabilities.
But customers are required to pay both connection charges and also the cancellation charges at the time of setting up the broadband service or cancelling the service in short term. The money thus collected will be given to BT by the ISP.
Devices that are required for the broadband connection can be bought by the customer himself or from the ISP on discount. Some ISPs give devices free of cost; however customers are required to pay for the device in case he cancels his contract within 12 months.
Most ISPs require customers to pay their 1st month bill in advance either through debit card or credit card.

It is to be noted that the policies handled by each broadband provider varies accordingly. The connection, cancellation and equipment charges are different for each broadband provider. Hence, customers are required to make proper study before choosing any broadband provider.

Minimum contract broadband offers

Most of the broadband providers offer contracts ranging from minimum and maximum period of one month and 24 months respectively. Broadband providers who offer minimum contract broadband offers are BE, Plusnet, O2, TalkTalk, Orange, Sky, Post Office and BT. As the speed and usage limit varies, so does the monthly charges.

Several broadband providers are now offering short term broadband offers for customers and hence are required to select the best deal from a lot. You can select a broadband deal according to your requirement. It is a good idea to check the small print at the time of signing up with any broadband provider because some collect heavy cancellation fee at the time of closing the broadband deal. Hence in some cases, it is better to pay connection fee at the time of taking up a broadband connection rather than paying huge cancellation fee. Customers can easily take up 12 month contract deal and also extend it upto 18 months thereby getting reduced monthly bills. But this will stop you from switching to different provider whenever there are any better offers.

Mobile broadband offers are also available from mobile phone operators that give both pay-as-you- go and contract deals. Hence, from the above discussions it is clear that regular follow-ups about the broadband industry keeps a man informed about the latest developments in order to choose the best deal.

Short term contracts are beneficial for:

Students who pursue their career for short term
People who change their location very often
People who want to stick to same deal instead of changing every time
Short term broadband deals helps customers get to know of his broadband provider better so that he can switch over to long term contracts in future.

Disadvantages of short term contracts are

Broadband service providers charge more for No Contracts and short term contracts, especially connection fees and cancellation fees.
Some short term contracts do not let customers cancel the contract before the contract period and hence cannot shift to any better broadband provider.
You might have to return the equipment in case you cancel the short term before the said period.