By Danielle Elton
With many of us working from home and staying connected online over recent months, our broadband connections have been pushed to the limits.
You could be realising your current package isn't up to the job, if losing connection while sending urgent emails or the sound dropping out during a video call have become all too familiar.
Those little niggles have definitely shown many of us that it's time to switch providers but with finances also pretty tight at the moment, getting the best deal is as important now as it's ever been.
When it comes to broadband, the cheapest deal doesn't necessarily mean the you're getting the most for your money but Cable.co.uk has revealed all you need to know about getting the best value broadband.
You can often save money by switching your broadband provider and Cable.co.uk can help you do just that.
Most people dont realise they could save money by switching their broadband provider, especially if theyve been with their existing supplier for a while.
The first thing you should do is check your contract.
Thanks to new regulations put in place this year by Ofcom, suppliers now have to tell you when your contract is up and let you know what their best deals are.
Whilst this is the regulation it is always worth checking your contract just in case.
If you're out of your contract then doing a comparison check and switching providers is a no brainer as some providers will only notify you annually, so it's always worth having a check for deals.
Most contracts range anywhere from one month to 24 months. If you're still tied in your current contract then you might have to pay a leaving fee - the sum of the remaining payments of the contract.
This does however vary from each different provider so again it's always worth checking your contract.
But something that some people might be unaware of is if your provider has increased prices mid-contract you might be able to leave without paying a penalty they have to give you at least a months notice.
There may also be other instances where you can terminate your contract such as a fault that is unable to be fixed or if you are not getting the speed that you pay for.
You can't go wrong with a bit of haggling - you have nothing to lose and if you don't ask, you don't get.
If you think youre not getting the best price, call up your supplier and haggle with them for a better price.
Haggling tends to work best when youre at the end of your contract and looking to renew or your provider has notified you about a price hike - you can use this as leverage.
Make sure you do your homework before you call so that you know what you want to ask and speak to the right department theres no point wasting your time with the customer service team when you want to speak with the retention team who can make you an offer
It's also worth mentioning any problems you've experienced - you can use past problems as leverage.
If you are going to haggle then it's always worth being armed with information on the best deals to give you the most leverage. You can find all the information you need by visiting Cable.co.uk.
Sometimes you may not get a price reduction but see if they can throw in any added extras and you might get more for your money this way.
As well as those additions, some providers also throw in some freebies with your broadband deal. These range from ultra-cheap monthly payments to gift vouchers (anything from 25 to 275) or free gifts such as a smart speaker, TV or games console.
You obviously need to weigh up the free gift with the cost of the plan to decide if it offers good value for you.
If you want to see which providers are offering free gifts then visit Cable.co.uk.
It's important to know what you need from your broadband deal to make sure you get the most value from it.
When it comes to broadband speed, as a general rule youll need around 10Mbps per person using the internet on a device.
Keep in mind there are loads of ways were using the internet. The more you use the faster speed you need.
The most speed-intensive things you do online include streaming video content so if you're an avid Netflix, Amazon or iPlayer viewer then you might be best with a faster speed.
All of the following has the greatest impact on your broadband usage:
For low usage households, browsing or shopping online then 10 or 11Mbps should be fine.
If your broadband connection needs to handle lots of devices, streaming and more than two people, Cable.co.uk would recommend a minimum of 30Mbps.
It's also important to look at what upload speeds you could be getting too.
Upload speeds are important if you are into your gaming so you can avoid any frustrating lag, or if you want to live-stream your gameplay.
A stable 1080p broadcast would require an upload speed of 6Mbps but most entry level fibre packages offer upload speeds of between 9-10Mbps.
Click here to find out more about which broadband provider is best for gaming.
Have a budget in mind and try to stick to it, but consider the upfront costs and contract length and work out the total cost of the contract.
Like any product with a wide range of pricing available, it's easy to get carried away if you don't set out a figure you'd ideally like to pay each month. Plus you don't want to end up paying for data you're not going to use.
You should be able to find deals that have no upfront costs, which will ensure you dont go over budget when setting up your broadband
As with a lot lot of things, buying in bulk often gets you a better price per item and the same can be said for broadband.
Taking out more than one service with a provider such as your phone or TV package could provide you with a huge saving, and some providers even allow you to bundle discounted mobile SIMs.
There are various different lengths of contract from one month rolling contracts to more long term 12, 18 and 24 month deals.
Think about your circumstances and how they might change during the length of your contract.
Would you be better suited to something shorter or are you happy to commit long term? It's a matter of personal preference as to which one best suits you.
Long term contracts can give you peace of mind, without having the worry of switching your broadband contract for a while. This does however mean that you will have to commit to a deal that you could be locked into for at least a year.
Short term contracts like one month and rolling contracts give you a lot more flexibility but these often come with higher set up fees. You are also unlikely to get the same perks that are offered on longer term contracts.
Although quite rare, there are deals that limit the amount of data you can use.
If your household uses very little data each month and doesn't stream movies and TV, or download games and apps, then you may be able to save a few pounds by opting for a limited package.
However, Cable.co.uk does advise against them as most households use more data than they assume.
The vast majority of broadband deals available are unlimited but can be affected by traffic management and fair use policies.
Traffic management means that some providers can slow down your Internet speeds on purpose to allow other customers to have a stable connection. Whilst this is rare it's always worth checking the small print.
Fair usage policies only apply to people who use up an excessive amount of bandwidth by heavy downloading or file sharing software.
Your provider will generally let you know if you are using your broadband excessively but you can find out more here.
Do you need a better value deal on your broadband? Cable.co.uk makes it easy to look through broadband deals and you can filter your search by speed, price and most popular.
Make sure to use the post code checker to check whats available in your area.
Read more from the original source:
Everything you need to know about getting the best value deal on your broadband - In Your Area