Broadband And Phone Deals in December, 2024

Find and compare the best broadband and phone deals from UK providers.

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Compare Broadband and Phone Deals in 2024

Broadband and phone deals are good, affordable, and value-for-money broadband options for many people in the UK. 

By bundling together two essential services, you can save money and reduce the amount of hassle. 

Finding the right broadband and phone deals for you can be challenging. Use this guide to learn more about these types of broadband packages, and use Switch My Broadband to start a comparison and find the best deals available to you in 2024.

What are broadband and phone deals?

Broadband and phone deals are where you’re given an active phone line that you can use to make calls alongside your broadband. 

Most broadband providers require you to have an active phone line to provide broadband. This is because your data is transferred through the wires within your phone line. 

This means that these types of packaged deals are pretty common. With these deals, you’re able to use the phone line to call any number in the UK, be it mobile or other landline numbers, and you’re also able to call internationally too with most providers – although you may be charged extra. 

Calls made from a landline are often much more reliable as they don’t require a mobile network. This means that you’ll never experience a period of no signal and can even make calls with a landline if there’s no power in your house – making them great for emergencies. 

When you get a broadband and phone package, you’ll be given a phone number that can be used to call others. If you haven’t already got a phone line attached to your home, one will need to be installed, which could make the initial set-up costs a bit more expensive.

How do you choose the best broadband and phone deals?

To ensure that you get the best broadband and phone package available to you, it’s important to consider both the quality of the broadband and the quality of the phone line. As these two distinct parts make up a broadband and phone deal, you will have to analyse each service individually to help pick the right one. Here’s what you need to consider when comparing broadband and phone deals. 

It’s important to remember that the best broadband and phone packages are relative to your situation and needs. One package from one provider can be perfect for you but may not suit someone else because they have different requirements. 

You need to consider the following based on your bespoke needs.

Broadband 

Speed 

The speed of your broadband is by far one of the most significant aspects of it. If you don’t get a fast enough speed that suits your required usage, you will get slowdown and issues with your service.

If you use your internet to stream HD videos or games, or if your household has a lot of people in it using the internet simultaneously, you’ll need pretty fast speeds of at least 64Mbps. 

You should be fine with less if you’re a light user and just browse websites and emails. To get the best broadband deal for you, choose a package that offers speeds that are just right.

Availability 

In addition to ensuring that your broadband package has the right speed, you also need to ensure that the package you want is available in your area. 

Certain speeds or types of broadband aren’t available in specific locations. For example, rural areas may not have the option to get fibre broadband. 

When choosing your provider, make sure that the package you want is available in your location. You can check what you can get online, and you’ll likely have to enter your postcode when searching for deals anyway. 

Download limits 

When getting broadband, even with a landline, you’ll want to consider if there are any download limits. This is because if you go over any limits that may be in place, you could end up having to pay more. There are many unlimited packages available, and these are usually the best broadband and phone deals. However, if you’re a light internet user, you could save money by getting a package with limits, providing you don’t go over them. 

Contract length

The length of your contract can play a big part in dictating if you have a good broadband deal or not. To switch broadband without paying, you’ll have to serve your full contract length. This means that if you have a long contract, you may be stuck with that provider for longer than you’d like, especially if you see that you could have gotten cheaper, better broadband elsewhere. 

Most contracts these days are now a minimum of 24 months. This is in place to stop people from switching often. Getting a contract of this length can be bad if you’re considering moving home during your agreement. 

However, longer contracts can save you money, as they may come with discounts to entice you to stay for longer. If you’re settled in your property and are getting a good quality service, a longer contract could be a good option.

Cost 

One of the biggest factors in getting the best broadband and phone package is the cost of it. Typically, your broadband costs will change depending on your speeds, with quicker speeds costing more per month. 

One of the best ways to keep costs down is to avoid getting packages that offer speeds greater than your needs. For example, although having fibre speeds of 100Mbps may sound advantageous if you’re a single-person household using your internet to stream video, you’re not going to need that level of speed, so there’s no point in paying for it. 

However, when trying to keep costs down, ensure you don’t get a package that underdelivers your required speed. Getting a speed that’s too slow will lead to issues like slowdowns and dropouts, creating a bad experience.

A speed of 10Mbps will be too little for the single-person streamer from the previous example. The minimum speed required for a user like this will be at least 32Mbps. 

Landline 

Free call periods

When getting a landline added to your broadband, you may be able to set periods of the day where calls are free. These times are usually in the evenings and over the weekend. This means that to make your landline the most economical it can be, you need to consider your usage and when you’re most likely to be using it. 

It would help if you also thought about who you’ll be calling during that period; as for some providers, this offer excludes mobile or international numbers. 

The best broadband and phone deals will have the least amount of free call restrictions and are the options you should go for. 

Free monthly minutes

In addition to free call periods, your broadband provider may also give you a certain number of minutes that are free each month. This means you won’t have to pay anything more than your contract if you’re under this period. 

The best providers will be the ones that offer you the most minutes each month. 

International calls 

Many providers will charge you extra for any calls made to international numbers. If you’re planning on making many calls to locations outside the country, you should look for providers with the cheapest tariffs to help you keep the costs down.

Who offers the best broadband and phone packages?

To help you choose the best broadband and phone packages, here’s a brief look at each of the major providers to give you an idea of what to expect from their phone packages. 

If you’re interested in any of their deals, you can use Switch My Broadband to find out more.

BT Broadband 

Regarding landlines, BT offers one of the best broadband and phone packages in the UK. This is because their deals are cheap and you also don’t have to pay any additional fees. 

You get unlimited minutes with BT, meaning that you can call for as long as you want and as often as you need to without racking up extra charges onto your monthly bill. 

BT’s Fibre Essential package that includes a landline can range between £30-£34 a month depending on if any promotions are running, which isn’t the cheapest, but is still a good price considering you get unlimited minutes.

You can learn more about BT Broadband here on Switch My Broadband. 

Sky Broadband 

When you get a broadband package with Sky, you can add Sky Talk to it. This serves as their home telephone service and comes with multiple tariffs. 

You can choose to pay-as-you-go, which is a good option if you’re not using your phone regularly. 

As well as using a landline, you can also get Sky Talk through your internet. This means that if you get full-fibre broadband from Sky, you don’t need a phone line installed to get access to Sky Talk. 

Sky can be a pretty expensive broadband provider. You can learn more about Sky Broadband here

TalkTalk Broadband 

TalkTalk constantly has cheap broadband and phone deals, making them one of the best options in the country. You’re able to get good speeds with TalkTalk, and the provider covers a large area of the UK, meaning that it’s widely available.

The cost of the landline is included in your monthly bill, and cheaper packages can include pay-as-you-go, making the whole deal more affordable while you only pay for the calls you make. 

TalkTalk is a good option for many people, and you can find more about TalkTalk Broadband here

EE Broadband 

EE is better known as being a mobile phone network, and because of this, its best bundle may be the one that gives you mobile data. 

With that said, you can still get a decent phone and broadband package with EE. 

EE views a landline as an extra that you can add to your broadband and will increase whatever broadband package you choose by £8 a month. With EE already being a pretty pricey option, this added fee makes it one of the more expensive choices, and you could find value elsewhere. 

Find out more about EE Broadband here

Now Broadband 

When you get broadband from Now, line rental is included in their standard and even some of their fibre options. 

This means you can get a phone line added to your deal even when getting their cheapest option. 

Now Broadband is one of the most affordable providers in the UK, with their Fab Fibre package costing £22 a month. This makes it a good deal, and you can find out more about Now Broadband here on Switch My Broadband. 

Plusnet Broadband 

Plusnet is typically a simple broadband provider and doesn’t offer many bundled packages that include TV or mobile. However, all of their broadband deals, apart from their full fibre plans, have line rental, meaning that you can get access to a landline. 

With Plusnet, you get free evening and weekend calls. This means you don’t have to pay anything extra for calls between 7pm-7am Monday to Friday, and call anytime over the weekend. 

There is a fair usage limit of 1000 minutes per month with Plusnet. That means that if you go over this, you’ll be charged extra. 

Plusnet’s Unlimited Fibre broadband costs around £23.99, which includes line rental, making it a very cheap option and a contender for the best broadband and phone package available.

Find out more about Plusnet Broadband here.  

Virgin Media Broadband 

Virgin broadband offers packages with a phone line. However, this service can be a bit more expensive than usual because of the need to install one into your home. 

Virgin uses its own cable network to deliver its fibre optic broadband, meaning that it doesn’t use a typical phone line to give you your broadband. 

As you’ll need two cables connected to your home, broadband and phone deals from Virgin can cost a lot. Find out more about Virgin Broadband here.  

Vodafone Broadband 

Vodafone offers fibre broadband only, although some of their deals still use a phoneline to deliver its speeds, meaning that you get line rental included with these packages. 

If you’re getting full fibre, you’ll have to add a phoneline as well, which can make your package more expensive. 

You can find out more about Vodafone broadband here and browse the many packages you can get.

What are the benefits of broadband and phone deals?

There are many great reasons why you should add a phoneline to your broadband package, making this type of broadband deal a good option. 

The first is that getting a landline added is a really simple process. Most providers require you to have an active phone line connected to your house to provide broadband. As that infrastructure is already in place, adding a landline is as simple as turning it on and giving you a number you can use. If you’re happy to have a landline included in your broadband deal, you’ll have a wider choice of different providers to choose from, which can help you find the best deal for you. 

Another major benefit of broadband and phone deals is that they can save you money. If you were already going to get broadband and then a phoneline from another provider, you’d have two separate bills you’ll need to pay, and those bills will likely be more than having these two services in a single bundle. 

Of course, for many providers, this type of package will likely cost more than a standard broadband-only option. However, it’s still the most economical choice if you’re interested in these two separate telecommunication services. 

When getting the best broadband and phone packages, many of these will include incentives to sweeten the deal and make you more tempted to get one. This can be another massive benefit, as many will give you high-value vouchers, cash-back, or free gifts. Incentives can also take the form of discounted prices, meaning that in some cases, broadband and phone deals can even become cheaper than standard broadband-only options. 

Finally, another great thing about the best broadband and phone packages from a single provider is that it makes things far less of a hassle. If you’re getting two contracts from two different providers, that’s two bills you have to manage and pay on time.

By having these services as part of a single contract, you can make it a lot easier to manage, and you can also have one point of contact if anything goes wrong and if you need to speak to customer services.

What are the negatives of broadband and phone deals?

Although getting a phoneline included in your broadband package can have many benefits, there are a few things about it which can be a bit of a drawback. 

First, you need to consider just how useful having a landline will be for you. If you’re going to be using it as your main way to communicate over the phone, then it’s worth adding to your package. 

However, if you’re used to using your mobile phone instead, you may end up neglecting your landline, meaning that you’re paying extra for something you don’t use. 

On the surface, having a landline seems like a great, high-value benefit to add to your broadband package, but the truth is it could be a waste of money if you’re not using it. 

Additionally, for most providers, adding an active landline that you can use to your contract will be more expensive. This is especially the case if you’re using a fibre-only provider like Virgin Broadband. A phoneline is not needed when getting full-fibre, meaning that adding a phone line to your broadband will require more engineering work, thus raising the cost. 

Other providers that deliver your broadband through a phoneline, such as BT, may also charge more for this package.

Another negative is that your monthly bill may not be your only expense when getting a phoneline added to your broadband package. When using your landline, you could accumulate additional charges that will be added to your bill, making it even more expensive. 

For example, you may have a certain limit where calls are free. However, if you go over that limit, you’ll be charged for your usage, and this will be added to your bill. Plus, if you’re planning to use your landline for long calls, you may be charged per minute after you’ve been on a call for a certain length of time. This threshold will alter depending on your chosen provider, but either way, this fee can increase your monthly costs. 

Plus, because your usage will likely be different from month to month, meaning that you have to pay altering amounts each time, broadband and phone deals can be harder to budget for and track.

Broadband and phone deals FAQs

The type of broadband packages that you can get will alter depending on where you live. This means that you may not be able to get broadband and phone deals in your location, especially if you don’t have a landline at your property already. 

Some providers may not be able to offer broadband at your location, and this is especially true for those living in a rural location. 

With that said, because broadband and phone deals are delivered through a phoneline that most people in the UK have, you’ll likely be able to get this type of broadband package, it’s just the speeds you’re offered may be limited.

It’s possible to get a landline when you have a fibre broadband package, even if it’s full fibre and doesn't use a phoneline to transport your data. 

Getting a full-fibre broadband package that includes a landline may be a lot more expensive because you’ll need two separate cables and wires for both products. 

If you’re getting FTTC fibre broadband, which still uses a phone line to transport data to your home, you may be able to get a landline for a bit cheaper.

As each provider will have different types of packages offering different speeds at different prices, it’s tough to definitively say which one is the cheapest. 

 

With that said, the providers that have the fewest added charges and the lowest rates will be the cheapest. Depending on where you live, the cost of your broadband may be different than if you were in another location, so be sure to compare the different providers so that you get the cheapest one for your area.