MARTIN Lewis has warned seven million households to “ditch and switch” a major household bill on Black Friday.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com has said that millions could save hundreds of pounds a year by switching their broadband provider today.
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In his latest BBC Sounds podcast, Martin Lewis said: “Most years, Black Friday broadband deals are pants.
“This year, actually they’re pretty decent.
“Now as always, with cheap broadband deals, they tend to be short-lived and you cannot normally get them direct from the provider – though there is one here where you can.
“You have to go via comparison sites and different comparison sites have different deals.
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“So you’ll have to just see this as a broad brush of what’s available but it could be slightly different so check the deal when you do.
“Who can get these? Well seven million of you are out of contract on broadband and you are free to ditch and switch.
“It’s very easy to do. Who’s out of contract, look, if you’ve been with the same broadband firm for a number of years you’re almost certainly out of contract and likely paying over double what you need to – so that’s a couple of hundred quid a year you could save.
“And you probably could double your speed too without paying any more.
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“As for what you do, it’s the new firm who does the switch for you and there’s normally a maximum of two hours of time and they’ll tell you when they’re going to switch you.
“No engineer comes unless you’re switching to or from Virgin Media which can make it slightly more complicated.”
Martin said the very cheapest broadband deal available at the moment is Shell Energy 64Mbit/s with an equivalent price of £16.50 a month.
In the actual deal, you’re paying £10 upfront and then you pay £24.99 a month but you can claim an £100 Amazon voucher.
He said: “If you factor all of that in over the 12-month contract, it is equivalent to £16.50 a month.
“But the big problem with Shell is the customer service rating isn’t great and it’s just been fined by the regulator for not telling customers when their contract ends.”
Martin’s top pick for full fibre is Plusnet, part of the BT group, which is offering 145Mbit/s broadband for the equivalent of £24.90 a month.
He said: “What you actually do, well you pay £26.99 a month but you can claim a £50 prepaid card and factor that over the two-year contract it brings you down to £24.90.
“Customer service rating is pretty high there.”
We’ve explained how you can cut your broadband bill below.
How can I cut my broadband bill?
Switching contracts is one of the single best ways to save money on your broadband bills.
But if you can’t switch mid-contract without facing a penalty, you’d be best to hold off until it’s up for renewal.
In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available.
It’s a known fact that new customers always get the best deals.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
However, if you do not want to switch and are happy with the service you’re getting under your current provider – haggle for a better deal.
You can still make significant savings by renewing your contract rather than rolling on to the tariff you’re given after your deal.
You could save up to £210 a year on your bills by haggling alone.
If you need to speak to a company on the phone, be sure to catch them at the right time.
Make some time to negotiate with your provider in the morning.
This way, you have a better chance of being the first customer through on the phone, and the rep won’t have worked tirelessly through previous calls which may have affected their stress levels.
It pays to be polite when getting through to someone on the phone, as representatives are less inclined to help rude or aggressive customers.
Knowing what other offers are on the market can help you to make a case for yourself to your provider.
If your provider won’t haggle, you can always threaten to leave.
Companies don’t want to lose customers and may come up with a last-minute offer to keep you.
It’s also worth investigating social tariffs. These broadband packages and discounts have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits.
They’re often available to those on income support, Universal Credit, or disability allowance.
Around 4.2million households are eligible for these cheaper tariffs but only 55,000 are making use of them.
Prices start from £12 a month, so ask your provider what’s on offer.
