Residents across the country can find some of the best broadband deals with BT. The company offers broadband only, broadband and phone, and broadband and TV deals, with its Essential plans starting from just £29.99 per month.
When it comes to broadband, BT provides many options with a range of optional extras and new customer perks. Whether you’re on a budget or trying to find the fastest speeds in your area, here are some of the best broadband deals that BT has to offer.
Independent Advisor’s top deal
We’ve chosen this deal because it offers a balance of speed and affordability for the everyday user, with no upfront cost.
Alongside its broadband-only deals, BT is big on bundles, whether you want TV and sport or access to a landline.
Broadband and TV
BT is particularly strong when it comes to its broadband and TV deals, which are focused on entertainment, films and sport:
Entertainment: NOW Entertainment, Netflix and Discovery+ Basic
Big Entertainment: everything in Entertainment plus NOW Cinema
Sport: all four TNT Sports channels (including Premier League coverage), Discovery+ Platinum and Eurosport 1 and 2
Big Sport: everything in Sport plusNOW Sports (which includes every Sky Sports channel)
Full Works: combines Big Entertainment and Big Sport
BT broadband landline and phone deals
You no longer need a BT landline to get BT broadband. However, BT still offers broadband and phone deals that use Digital Voice, a new home phone service that replaces a traditional landline.
Broadband and phone deals are more expensive than broadband-only packages, although they can be bundled with various broadband speeds.
What’s the difference between standard BT broadband and superfast fibre broadband?
Fibre broadband: also known as fibre to the cabinet (FTTC), this uses copper wires to connect your home to a street cabinet, which is then connected to the broadband exchange by faster fibre optic cables. BT’s fibre broadband offers speeds of up to 67 megabits per second (Mbps)
Full fibre broadband: also known as fibre to the premises (FTTP), this connects your home directly to the broadband exchange using fibre optic cables. BT’s fastest full fibre broadband package offers download speeds of 900Mbps
Standard broadband: also known as ADSL, this uses the existing copper phone wire network and is much slower than either fibre or full fibre broadband
4G mobile broadband: if you live in an area with poor connection, you may be able to get BT’s 4G mobile broadband. This offers speeds of 15 to 30Mbps and is much more expensive than BT’s other packages
What speeds can you get with BT broadband?
As one of the largest broadband providers in the UK, BT offers deals and packages in all shapes and sizes. Not every household will be eligible for all of BT’s deals – specifically full fibre broadband deals – but its Essential plans should be available to most households. Also, thanks to BT’s Stay Fast Guarantee, if you repeatedly fail to get your advertised speed, you can get £20 back.
BT broadband package
Average download speed
Broadband
1-3Mbps
4G Home Broadband
15Mbps
4G Home Broadband
30Mbps
Fibre Essential
36Mbps
Fibre 1
50Mbps
Fibre 2
67Mbps
Full Fibre 100
150Mbps
Full Fibre 300
300Mbps
Full Fibre 500
500Mbps
Full Fibre 900
900Mbps
Is BT broadband right for me?
Before committing to a BT broadband deal, it’s worth considering the following points:
Customer satisfaction: according to our Independent Advisor survey, 85 per cent of BT customers are satisfied with their broadband. However, only 61 per cent of respondents were happy with BT’s customer service
Speed: BT offers top speeds of 900Mbps. Providers such as Virgin Media and Community Fibre offer even faster speeds – though eligibility will depend on your postcode – so if you require the fastest speeds available, you may need to look for another company
Contract length: BT offers broadband contracts lasting 12 or 24 months. If you need something more flexible, you could look into no-contract broadband
Price: ultrafast and superfast broadband deals are generally more expensive. So, if you’re on a budget, you may need to look for cheaper broadband providers. We found that BT is over 26 per cent more expensive than the average broadband price
Perks: BT does not offer special incentives for new customers, but with eligible broadband deals, it often offers gift cards, which can be worth up to £50
Bundles: BT offers a range of attractive broadband and TV packages, especially if you’re a sports fan
Security benefits: all BT broadband customers can access BT Web Protect, which covers all devices connected to the home internet and warns of malicious or dangerous online content
BT broadband customer ratings
According to our Independent Advisor survey, 39.56 per cent of BT broadband customers are “very satisfied” with the provider, while 45.15 per cent are “somewhat satisfied”. With an overall satisfaction score of 85 per cent, BT is just higher than the average score of 83 per cent.
However, our survey respondents were less happy with BT’s customer service. Only 61 per cent of respondents gave it a positive rating – that’s less than the overall provider average of 64 per cent.
Is it easy to switch to BT broadband?
Switching to BT broadband is quite simple.
Sign up for a BT package: once you’ve signed up for your chosen BT broadband package, you’ll need to wait for an installation date, which BT claims will be within two weeks. If you require an engineer for full fibre broadband installation, you can choose a date for their arrival at this stage
Contact your current provider (if necessary): you’ll only need to contact your existing provider about the switch if you’re with Virgin Media, as it doesn’t use BT’s Openreach network
Connect your Smart Hub: once your broadband is activated, BT will text you. You can then plug your Smart Hub into an outlet to start browsing the web. If you require an engineer for your broadband installation, you will have to pay a £49 charge
Other broadband providers
You should always compare broadband deals before choosing a plan. Other broadband providers include:
Gemma Ryles is a BJTC and PPA-accredited journalist with three years of experience writing across various publications. As a home tech expert at Independent Advisor, Gemma tests, researches and writes about broadband and home security.
Previously, Gemma reviewed and curated lists about consumer technology at Trusted Reviews, where she honed her skills in creating buying guides and features to help customers make informed decisions. She has previously worked at Yorkshire Post, BBC Yorkshire, Glitterbeam Radio and Bonus Stage.
Gemma has a BA in Journalism and in her free time can be found writing short stories, gaming and crocheting.
After growing up with a passion for writing, Molly studied journalism and creative writing at university in her home country of the United States.
She has written for a variety of print and online publications, from small town newspapers to international magazines. Most of her 10-year career since relocating to the UK has been spent in business journalism, writing and editing for admin professionals at PA Life magazine and business travel managers at Business Travel News Europe and representing those titles at conferences around the world.
Now an Editor at the Independent Advisor, Molly is an expert in a broad range of consumer topics, that include solar panels and renewables, home improvements and home insurance, and consumer technology such as home security and VPNs.
In her free time, Molly can usually be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and their young son or gardening.
