Switching your broadband provider can be one of the best ways to reduce your monthly bills but it depends on several factors, Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert (MSE) has said
With the festive season upon us many people will be looking to make the most of their cash in the run up to Christmas. Switching your broadband provider can be one of the best ways to reduce your monthly bills but it depends on several factors, Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert (MSE) has said. Firstly the biggest hurdle is your contract – if your initial contract, usually for 12, 18 or 24 months, is up then you are free to leave your internet provider.
This freedom gives you a lot of negotiating power and it may be possible to haggle with your current provider for a better price while keeping or even upgrading your current service at the same time. If not you simply need to give them notice that you’re leaving (usually 30 days) and start comparing deals that are available to you.
When choosing a new provider, bear in mind that the speeds on offer are only what you might get. The advertised speeds are based on the average speed received by at least 50% of a provider’s current customer base between 8pm and 10pm.
When you do make the switch, there is a new ‘One Touch’ system that makes switching easier than ever. Your new firm should sort out the whole switch for you without you needing to contact your existing provider.
In September Ofcom said: “Our rules mean that under One Touch Switch, customers do not have to pay notice-period charges beyond the switch date – so no more paying for the old service after the new one starts. Also, providers must compensate customers if things go wrong with the switch or they are left without a service for more than one working day.”
What’s more, these days switching providers usually comes with a minimum of hassle. The MSE website said: “Switching usually only means max two hours’ downtime. You’re told the switch time, and most don’t need an engineer to set it up (unless moving to or from Virgin).
“Most of the fast deals above are ‘fibre to the premises’, where you have a fibre cable fitted to bring the connection into your home too – if so, someone may need to look at your home’s exterior (but they don’t usually need to come in, so you don’t have to be there).”
A good first step is to test your current internet speed using an internet speed tester. Websites such as speedtest.net have safe free services that let you do this. If you are getting fast speeds near the router but slower in other rooms it might be that weak Wi-Fi signal within your home that is slowing things down.
In this case a good first step might be to look into buying Wi-Fi boosters for your property, but do proper research to make sure you need them and they will have an impact before shelling out for the new kit.
