Extra broadband charges: set-up, delivery and fees

An activation fee (sometimes called a set-up or connection fee) is a one-off charge for starting the service. A delivery fee, sometimes shown as postage and packaging, covers posting the router (the box that connects your home to the internet and creates your Wi-Fi). Here's what the main providers' own documents say.

• BT, EE and Plusnet brought back a one-off activation fee for new home broadband customers from 31 July 2026 (ISPreview linked the change to rising router hardware costs). BT's and EE's price guides say the fee depends on the package and point you to your order confirmation or app for the amount. Plusnet's price guide lists activation fees, hub prices and postage and packaging.
• Sky and NOW say a router delivery fee and an activation fee may be required, and that a non-standard set-up may cost extra. Sky's broadband tariff guide (the April 2025 edition linked from its terms page) lists an activation cost and post and packaging on top of the monthly price, depending on the product or offer. If you cancel in the cooling-off period, Sky's terms say it refunds equipment delivery costs but not activation or set-up fees for a service already activated.
• Virgin Media's price guides page lists a service activation fee and a home delivery fee for equipment. If you're installing it yourself, it says there's no delivery fee when you choose click and collect from a Yodel store.
• Vodafone's terms say any delivery, router, connection and installation charges are set out in your Service Confirmation Letter. Its price plan from 1 October 2026 lists a connection charge, a router charge and router postage and packaging, all at nothing in that edition.
• Hyperoptic says your order is subject to the pricing confirmed in your order confirmation email, and its terms say the first bill includes any Activation Charge, Installation Fee or Battery Back-Up Unit Fee.
• TalkTalk says there may be one-off charges when you sign up, such as setting up your line or delivering your equipment, and its "Our pricing" help page lists set-up fees by plan. toob lists an installation fee of nothing "unless otherwise stated at point of order".

A price guide tells you which charges can exist; your order confirmation tells you what you're paying. One-off charges can be added to your first bill, making it higher than the monthly price you were quoted. Our guide to your first broadband bill explains what else can make it different.

Ofcom's General Conditions, the rules every UK phone and broadband provider must follow, deal with this directly. Condition C3.7 says providers must give you adequate billing information to check and control your charges on request and at no extra charge, and Condition C3.9 lets them charge a reasonable fee if you ask for it as a printed bill. So online bills are free, and paper can cost extra.

BT, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media list a paper bill charge in their price guides. TalkTalk's terms say paper bills carry an extra charge you're told about when you ask, and Ogi's say it emails a PDF bill by default and charges extra for paper. BT says paper-free billing avoids its fee, and that some customers don't pay it, including those on Line Rental Plus, BT Basic or Home Phone Saver.

There's an important exception. Under Condition C5.15, if you need it because of a disability, a provider must give you your contract, bills and other communications free of charge in a format that works for you, such as large print, coloured paper, Braille or a suitable electronic format. Virgin Media, for example, says it doesn't charge for an alternative-format bill such as Braille or audio. If you need a printed bill for this reason, say so when you ask, so it isn't treated as an optional paper bill.

Some providers charge for paying another way than Direct Debit, and some don't offer another way at all:

• TalkTalk's terms say bills must be paid by Direct Debit or it may charge a reasonable fee to cover its costs.
• Virgin Media accepts cash, cheque, card or Direct Debit. Its terms allow a payment handling charge unless you pay by Direct Debit, but its price guide currently sets that charge at nothing for contracts started since 15 July 2017; only older contracts pay it.
• Sky requires a continuous payment method at all times: a Direct Debit or a continuous card payment.
• Hyperoptic's terms say that, unless you've agreed otherwise, you can only pay by Direct Debit, and toob requires it.
• Vodafone asks you to pay by Direct Debit, but says you can contact it to pay another way.

If Direct Debit doesn't suit you, ask before you order which other methods the provider accepts and whether they carry a charge. Our guide to broadband credit checks covers Direct Debit and the alternatives in more detail.

These are two different charges. A late payment charge applies when a bill isn't paid by the time the provider allows. A failed payment charge applies when a payment is attempted and bounces, for example a Direct Debit or cheque that your bank doesn't pay. BT, EE, Virgin Media, Hey!Broadband and Fibrus list the two separately. When each one applies varies:

• BT's terms say it may add a late payment charge if you still haven't paid 10 days after its reminder (7 days if you pay monthly), and a failed payment charge if a Direct Debit or cheque bounces because there isn't enough money in your account. BT says both are compensatory and not subject to VAT.
• EE's price guide applies its late payment charge only if you don't pay by Direct Debit or recurring card payment and your payment arrives more than 15 days after the bill date, and charges it again for each later late payment.
• Sky's terms say that if you miss a payment it may charge a reasonable fee for processing late payments or charge interest instead. It will send a reminder or call before applying late payment fees, and won't apply them to an amount you haven't paid because it's the subject of an ongoing dispute.
• Vodafone's terms allow interest on late payments plus a reasonable administration charge, and its price plan lists a late payment charge.
• TalkTalk's terms allow a reasonable administration fee or interest if you don't pay an undisputed part of a bill by the due date, and say it won't suspend or end a service while it investigates charges you dispute.
• Hey!Broadband lists a payment fail fee each time a Direct Debit or other agreed payment fails, and a late payment interest charge on amounts not paid by the due date. toob and Fibrus also list late payment fees.
• Plusnet's price guide has no separate late payment charge. Under failed payment charges it lists an administration fee if you fail to make a payment, and a charge to apply and lift a restriction on your service if you don't pay your bill.

If you think a bill is wrong, don't simply leave it unpaid: Citizens Advice warns that your provider might charge you for a late payment if you don't pay and your dispute is unsuccessful. Our guide on how to dispute a wrong broadband bill explains how to challenge it properly, and if the problem is affording the bill, see what to do if you're struggling to pay.

Your router is often loaned rather than sold, so the provider can ask for it back when you leave and charge you if it doesn't arrive in time. The rules differ:

• BT charges a non-return charge if a loaned hub isn't returned within 60 days of the service ending, and its price guide also lists charges for Complete Wi-Fi extenders that aren't returned. EE's terms and price guide also say 60 days, but its leaving page asks you to send kit back within 30 days or be charged on your final bill, so treat 30 days as EE's deadline.
• Sky's terms say its router and boosters remain Sky's. If you don't return them you pay a charge equal to their value on the date they were due back, and paying doesn't make the kit yours. Its help page gives 60 days from your service ending, or 30 if Sky ended your services because of debt (sometimes sooner), and says Sky contacts you before charging and waives charges after a bereavement or when it's switching off your copper service.
• Hyperoptic's window is much shorter. Its terms say that if the Hyperhub, any Minihubs and any free battery back-up unit haven't reached it within 14 days after the agreement ends, or arrive faulty or damaged, it can charge the full replacement value.
• Virgin Media normally charges the replacement cost and reasonable recovery costs for kit you don't return. Its terms and its returns help page say the charge comes back as a bill credit if you return the kit within 80 days of your services ending; its price guides page says 120 days, so work to 80 and query any charge.
• Vodafone's price plan lists charges for a router not returned after a cancelled order, and for Wi-Fi boosters and back-up equipment not returned or returned damaged.
• Plusnet lists a charge for not returning a hub ordered after 1 February 2024, Hey!Broadband and Fibrus list non-return charges in their price guides, and toob's charges page lists one per mesh Wi-Fi extender on its Complete Wi-Fi add-on.

When you leave, follow the returns instructions your provider sends, post the kit within the window and keep proof of postage. If you're leaving a smaller network, see our guide to cancelling a smaller full fibre provider. If the kit has been lost, stolen or damaged, our guide to lost or damaged broadband equipment explains what the terms say, including Sky's credit if kit turns up late.

Price guides list more than the charges above. Examples from the documents we read (not every provider has each one):

• Changing or cancelling an order: Vodafone lists an order amendment charge before installation and a late cancellation charge if you cancel after 12 noon two working days before your scheduled visit. Hyperoptic lists an installation cancellation fee if you cancel or rearrange the installation appointment after 2pm the day before, or nobody over 18 is home to let the engineer in. Hey!Broadband lists a cancellation fee if you cancel within the 14-day cooling-off period, covering any installation work done and any service you received before cancelling.
• Restoring a service: Hyperoptic lists a re-activation fee if your account has been terminated or suspended, and Fibrus a re-activation fee.
• Moving home: Virgin Media lists a service transfer fee if it can provide its services at your new address.
• Moving or damaging equipment: Hey!Broadband lists a relocation fee if you ask it to move its apparatus after installation, and an equipment damage fee. toob lists a service restoration fee if its equipment has to be repaired or replaced because it wasn't looked after.

Ofcom's rules give three places to look.

1. Contract information. Before you're bound, the provider must give you set information which, under the Annex to Condition C1, includes the price (with any activation charges) and the payment arrangements.
2. The contract summary. Under Condition C1.5 you must get a free contract summary before the contract is made, and under C1.6 the contract only takes effect once you give your express consent after receiving the summary. Its price section covers the recurring price including taxes, fixed prices such as activation fees and the price of any equipment.
3. The price guide and terms. The summary template doesn't name charges such as paper bills, late payment or non-return, so look for those in the price guide or the terms.

Our guide to what to check in your broadband contract summary goes through every section, and our overview of Ofcom's rules for broadband providers puts them in context. For what adverts must show, see broadband advert rules.

Once you're a customer, Condition C3.2 says a provider must not bill you for more than the service it actually provided. If you've been charged a fee that doesn't apply to you, raise it with the provider as a billing error, and if a charge in the terms seems out of proportion, see unfair broadband contract terms.

These are the documents we found between 25 and 27 October 2026. New editions appear regularly, so open the link rather than relying on an amount quoted elsewhere.

For a provider that isn't listed, look at its "legal", "terms" or "pricing" pages, or search its help centre for "price guide" or "charges". Our broadband providers hub links to a page for each provider we cover.

Work through this once you've picked a deal and before you confirm it:

1. Read the basket or order summary. Look for an amount payable now or on your first bill, separate from the monthly price: activation, set-up, installation or delivery.
2. Read the contract summary's price section. Check every one-off charge on the order page appears there too.
3. Open the provider's price guide. Find the lines for paper bills, payment method, late and failed payments and non-return, and check the edition date.
4. Choose how you'll pay and be billed. If you can, pick online bills and Direct Debit. If you need paper because of a disability, ask for an accessible format instead, which must be free.
5. Ask what has to go back when you leave. Which items are loaned, how long you'll have to return them (14 days at Hyperoptic, 30 at EE going by its leaving page, 60 at BT) and how returns work.
6. Save your order confirmation. BT, EE and Hyperoptic point to it, and Vodafone to its Service Confirmation Letter, as where your one-off charges are confirmed.
7. Add the one-off charges into the full cost. Add each deal's one-off charges to its monthly payments over the minimum term; our guide to what comparison results do and don't show walks through the sum.

When you're ready to shortlist, you can compare broadband deals at your postcode through our comparison partner, then check each provider's own order page and price guide before you buy. If price is your main concern, start with cheap broadband deals, or look at broadband-only deals if you don't need a landline or TV.