MILLIONS of households could save hundreds of pounds a year with a social broadband tariff.
A simple tool can help you find out whether you qualify for cheap broadband in just two minutes.
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It’s estimated that up to four million households could be eligible for these deals, but regulator Ofcom says only around 55,000 homes have taken advantage of the offers.
Social tariffs are broadband contracts offered to those on Universal Credit and other benefits at a discounted rate.
The Sun has worked with cost-of-living champion Nous to create a way for households to easily check if they qualify.
Visit nous.co/thesun to find out whether you qualify for cheaper broadband in just two minutes.
You’ll need to share some basic details about your household and give permission for your bank to share details of your broadband spending and whether you receive benefits.
Nous will then securely pass the information to your broadband provider, with a request to switch.
The tool works with major providers such as BT, Now, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.
If you are with another provider — or the tool can’t automatically confirm if you are eligible — you can still fill in the form and ask for your provider to contact you.
It’s always worth checking to see if you can get a better deal on the open market.
Price comparison sites like MoneySupermarket and Uswitch will help you compare the best broadband deals based on your needs.
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What’s currently on offer?
Households on low incomes can get broadband for as low £12.50 a month.
However, a regional inequality in pricing and offering applies here.
Community Fibre doesn’t even market their Essential Broadband package as a social tariff. So anybody can sign up for the £12.50 a month tariff – but it’s only on offer in London.
As far as the big brands go, TalkTalk offers a free six month broadband tariff for those on jobseeker’s allowance.
BT and Virgin Media offer a £15 a month social tariff for those who receive Universal Credit.
Virgin’s tariff comes out top here as it’s a 30 day rolling contract while BT’s is fixed for 12 months. This means if you’re a Virgin customer and have a changed in circumstances – cancelling your tariff will be easier and you’ll be unlikely to face any exit fees.
Now Broadband offers a social tariff costing £20 a month on a rolling basis.
Sky also offers low income customers a £20 a month tariff – but it’s fixed for 18 months and if you need to leave before the contract ends you may face hefty exit fees.
