Fixed price broadband deals

What is a fixed price broadband deal?

A fixed-price broadband deal is a broadband package that won’t go up in price during your contract.

They’re offered by providers that have committed to no in-contract price rises for their customers - something that most of the bigger brands do not do.

With a fixed-price deal, the monthly price you choose when you’re signing up is the same monthly price you’ll pay for the entire length of your contract. There’s no inflation-linked bill increase, or any T&Cs that lock you into a price rise every year.

Why aren’t all broadband contracts fixed price?

Most broadband deals are advertised with a monthly price that you have to pay for a period of 12, 18 or 24 months. Some deals are available on a 30-day (or ‘no contract’) basis, but most people choose a contract.

You’d expect that means you pay a set monthly rate for length of time you signed up for. However, that's not the case - most broadband providers will still increase your monthly price once per year in line with the inflation rate. 

These ‘inflation-linked’ price rises are attached to either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI) rate announced at the beginning of each year. But most of these providers also add their own price increase on top of this rate too - usually between 3-4%.

That means this year, with a CPI rate of 4% in January 2024, providers like BT, Plusnet, Vodafone and EE increased prices by around of 7.9% from April 2024.

And on top of all that, because these price rises are included in the providers’ T&Cs, you can’t leave your contract for free if your price goes up. You’ll either have to wait until your contract expires or pay some potentially expensive exit fees to leave early.

Can I get broadband without price rises?

It depends on which broadband providers are available at your home. A small number of providers offer no-prise-rise broadband, so it’s always worth checking they’re in your area. But they might not be available where you live.

Most widely available broadband providers will have yearly price increases included in their terms and conditions. And the majority of fixed-price providers are smaller brands that have limited coverage across the UK.

This means you will likely only be able to get fixed-price broadband if you live in one of the select areas that are supplied by 'alternative' providers.

Which providers offer broadband with no price increase?

None of the well-known broadband providers offer broadband with no mid-contract price increases. The likes of BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Plusnet and others all have some form of yearly price rise in their pricing terms.

If you want fixed-price broadband for the length of your contract, you’ll need to look for one of the many ‘alternative’ broadband providers (known as altnets), which guarantee no in-contract price increase. But they will need to be available at your home in order to use.

Pros and cons of alternative broadband providers

Should I switch to a fixed price deal?

If you can access a provider that offers fixed-price broadband, then it’s a great option to have. A guaranteed price for the length of your contract will be reassuring, and it’ll allow you to plan your future finances more accurately.

However, it shouldn’t be the only thing to consider when comparing broadband. It’s important to make sure you’re happy with all parts of a deal before signing up, and whether the price is fixed or not is just one aspect to consider.

A provider may offer a fixed price, but if its speeds aren’t suited to what you need, or its monthly prices are too high in the first place, then you still might be better off going for a different provider. You might still have a better experience with a deal that might go up in price once a year.

This said, most fixed-price deals are offered by smaller ‘alternative’ providers who supply very fast and reliable services for very reasonable prices. So they will potentially still be one of the best options available to you.

Browse more of our cheap broadband deals at Uswitch.

When do broadband prices go up?

Broadband prices tend to go up every April, and providers usually startnotifying their customers a couple of months beforehand.

This means you should first hear about any price increases you’re due to receive in January or February each year.

Providers owned by BT Group (BT, Plusnet and EE) will raise your next bill after the 31st March. The rest will do so from your next bill after the 1st April.

Watch out for end of contract price increases

While in-contract price rises are a huge bug bear for customers, it’s not the only price increase you should be aware of.

End of contract price rises are usually a lot higher, as they take place once your agreed monthly payment term has expired. So depending on which provider you’re with, your bill could rise up to 80% higher than your initial monthly rate.

However, the great news is that since these price rises come at the end of your agreement, you’ll be free to get a new deal one month before your end date.

Providers must send out end of contract notifications to every customer a few weeks before their contract expires. These emails will often list a few of its existing deals you could re-contract to.

But existing customer deals are often more expensive than ones offered to new customers. So it always helps to compare new offers from other providers to see if you could get a better deal elsewhere.