We could save up to £257 a year on phone and broadband deals with the help of social tariffs
Social tariffs make sure we don’t have to pick between staying online and keeping warm. They offer cheaper broadband and phone deals for those of us on Universal Credit or other benefits. They’re set up by big providers and backed by the government to help us keep bills fair.
With a social tariff, we could pay as little as ten to twenty quid a month. That could save us around £257 a year. And the best bit? No mid-contract price hikes sneaking up on us.
It sounds a bit too good to be true. But the only catch with social tariffs is that not enough of us are on them. Uswitch found that only 5% of households on Universal Credit benefit from discounted broadband through social tariffs.
So why is this? There are a few reasons…
Lack of awareness
Many people are unaware they are eligible for a social tariff. Uswitch found that two-thirds of low-income households don’t know about these deals. So best we check if we qualify.
Most social tariffs are open to those of us who get:
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Or other government benefits
Rules can vary, but we can always check by asking our provider or using a switching tool.
Assume internet will be slower
Some of us might assume that such a big cash saving means we’ll end up with a much worse service. Wrong! Many social tariffs for broadband run at superfast speeds (30Mbps to 100Mbps) – that should be more than enough for streaming or video calling. In some parts of the country, we could even get ultrafast broadband.
Contract worries
If we’re already signed up to a contract for 12 or 24 months, we may worry we’ll be hit with big fees for changing early. While this may be the case, most providers won’t charge us for moving to a social tariff – if we stay with them.
If our provider doesn’t offer one, it’s worth asking nicely if they’ll waive the fee. Some do, especially for loyal customers.
If our provider won’t let us leave early, we’ll need to wait out our deal. But Uswitch offers a handy reminder service. We just fill out our details and they’ll email us when our contract ends.
We can shop around and compare what’s on offer here:
Want to know how to make the most of these sites? Check out our Quids in! guide to using comparison sites here.
Image: Rido81/BigStock
