MONEY Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis has urged Universal Credit claimants to take advantage of free broadband.
Jobseekers can claim six months of TalkTalk’s Fibre35 broadband with no contract.
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You must be claiming Universal Credit and have a work coach through the Job Centre to qualify.
Martin Lewis said on The Money Show Live last night: “There are some social tariffs out there.
“If you are out of work, your Job Centre may be able to put you in contact with TalkTalk to get its free six month broadband for jobseekers.”
TalkTalk and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched the Flexible Support Fund last September to bolster web access for jobseekers.
Fibre35 gives average speeds of 38Mb/s and usually costs £22 a month on a two-year contract, plus a £10 postage charge.
But Universal Credit claimants can get six months without paying a penny.
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To apply, you simply need to use a DWP referral code, which you should already have been sent to claim the deal.
If you can’t find an email about that, contact your Job Centre work coach and they should get you a new code.
However, you won’t get TalkTalk TV or calls as part of the deal.
Other useful tariffs for benefit claimants flagged by Lewis included “Essential” deals offered by BT and Virgin Media.
These aren’t free but they are cheaper than your typical broadband deal.
Virgin’s Essential deal is priced at £15 per month and offers 15Mb/s, but does not come with calls and is for existing Virgin customers only.
While Virgin Media customers will see prices rise in March, this deal will remain the same.
Meanwhile, BT’s Home Essentials deal for benefits claimants includes broadband at speeds of 36Mb/s and calls for £15 a month.
You can upgrade to 67Mb/s speeds for an extra £5 a month.
There’s also a call-only tariff for £10 per month if you don’t need internet.
Equivalent tariffs for those not on benefits cost £27.99 a month for broadband and £21.10 per month for calls.
Benefits claimants have also been pointed toward free broadband or data if your kids need homeschooling.
Plus, you can access free travel and childcare when hunting for jobs on Universal Credit.
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