Broadband & phone deals

How to compare broadband and phone packages

Dan Howdle

Most standard and fibre broadband deals include a landline phone connection, as this is the way your broadband signal will be delivered to your home. Many people simply have the landline installed, but don’t buy a handset and use this to make calls.

If you’re looking for a new broadband deal and are already a landline user, you can benefit from a bundle that includes the two.

This page will tell you what this involves, which providers offer broadband and phone packages, and what you need to consider before signing up.

What is a broadband and landline phone deal?

Many broadband providers bundle together broadband and landline phone deals that include things like free evening or weekend calls. If you’re a regular landline phone user, such bundle can save you money and make it easier to manage your account, as one company delivers both services.

As most standard ADSL and fibre broadband packages require a landline to be plugged in, even if you don’t use it to make calls, it’s worth checking to see if there are any benefits to enjoy by combining your broadband and landline phone provision. These include:

Price discounts – Combining broadband and landline phone services could be cheaper than buying the two separately.

Simplicity – Having one provider for two services makes it easier to manage your account, especially if you want to add extras or make changes to your basic service. It may also make life easier if you’re moving house and want to take your broadband and phone deal with you. Our guide to broadband and moving house should help make this process even easier.

Incentives – When combining broadband and landline phone services, providers will usually throw in some incentives to save you money - such as free evening or weekend calls to other landlines. Make sure you check the small print, and stick to any time restrictions within your package. Using your phone outside specified times could be expensive.

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Broadband and phone providers

Most major broadband providers offer broadband and phone deals. We’ve put together a summary of the best broadband and landline phone providers in the UK, to help you find a deal that’s right for you.

• BT broadband – You can often add additional services like BT TV and BT Sport, to your broadband and landline phone package at little or no extra cost
• Virgin Media broadband – With its own fibre infrastructure, Virgin Media offers ultrafast broadband speeds of over 1Gbps, which is slightly better than most rivals that top out at 900Mbps
• Sky broadband – If you want superfast broadband and ‘anytime’ calls, look no further than Sky. You can also find PAYG calls from Sky too
• EE broadband – If you’re after PAYG calls, have a look at EE’s broadband and phone packages. For an additional cost, you can add ‘anytime’ UK and international call packages to your deal
• Plusnet broadband – Plusnet no longer includes a landline and PAYG calls with any of its broadband packages, except it's entry-level 10Mbps ADSL broadband. So not the best provider if both fast broadband speeds and a landline are important
• TalkTalk broadband – One of the cheapest providers but also very bare bones in terms of extras
• NOW Broadband – NOW Broadband offers some great incentives like unlimited calls at specified times, along with competitive prices for basic combined broadband and phone deals

If you'd like to know how the providers really stack up, have a look at our broadband reviews to learn more.

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What should I look for in a deal?

There are a few factors to consider when choosing the best combined broadband and landline phone deal for your needs:

Price – A broadband and landline phone deal may look much more expensive than a stand-alone broadband deal, but paying a higher monthly price could save you money in the long run if free or discounted calls are included. Along with regular payments, you’ll also need to look out for set-up and equipment costs and line rental charges, which may be offset against incentives like gift vouchers and bill credits.

Inclusive minutes – Think about how often you’re likely to use your landline phone, and go for a deal that includes enough minutes to suit your needs. There’s little sense in paying for hours of free calls when you’ll only be using your landline phone occasionally. If you use your landline phone often, however, an unlimited deal is probably right for you.

When can minutes be used? – Typical deals include free minutes during evenings and weekends, but some providers also offer packages that include minutes that can be used at any time of the day. Consider when you’re most likely to use your landline phone, and choose accordingly.

Check the small print – Your provider will have some terms and conditions within your broadband and landline phone deal, such as free minutes being applicable only for the first hour of a call (meaning you’ll need to hang up and redial before you reach 60-minutes, or risk being overcharged). Knowing the details of your deal will ensure you don’t rack up additional costs that cancel out your savings.

Additional call costs – If the free minutes included in your broadband and landline deal are to other landlines only, you need to know the cost of making calls to mobiles, or internationally, or risk facing bigger than anticipated bills.

Contract length – As with all broadband contracts, the longer you’re prepared to sign up for a deal, the cheaper you can expect monthly charges to be. So if you’re not planning on moving house in the next couple of years, a 24-month contract ensures maximum savings. Most people sign up for a broadband contract that’s 12-months in length.

Broadband speed – When focusing on landline phone provision, it’s important not to neglect the type and speed of broadband that’s included in your package. As always, carefully consider the speed you’ll need depending on the number of people in your household, and the type of thing they regularly do online. Check out our guide to broadband speeds to figure out what speed is right for your household.

Unlimited deals – Unlimited broadband and phone deals mean you don’t have to worry about hitting a usage or data cap. But, it’s not literally unlimited because most providers throttle your speed after crossing a specific amount. It’s worth checking whether your usage will truly be ‘unlimited’ and note the specific restrictions to prevent potential network disruptions.

Customer service – If you’ll be dealing with only one provider for two services, it makes sense to go with a company that has a proven track record in excellent customer services. According to Ofcom’s latest data, EE had the lowest percentage of customers with a reason to complain and the second-highest percentage of customers satisfied with how it handled complaints, making it a good choice in this criterion.

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Common terms explained

When comparing broadband and landline phone packages, you’ll come across some common terms that you may not understand. Our at a glance guide to broadband and landline terminology will help you make the right choices.

• Pay as you go (PAYG) calls: This feature allows you to pay only for the calls you make, instead of paying a set monthly fee for an unlimited amount of phone usage. PAYG could save you money if you don’t use your landline or internet connection much, or if your usage varies a lot from month-to-month.
• Free weekend calls: This may be restricted within certain hours - check the terms with your provider.
• Free evening and weekend calls: As above, check what hours are covered within this deal before signing up. For example, BT limits its free evening calls to between 6 pm and 7 pm.
• Free ‘anytime’ calls: Check the fine print, as ‘anytime’ usually comes with some time restrictions, along with limiting the type of calls you can make free of charge. For example, you may only be able to call other landlines without incurring fees, while calls to mobile phones will be charged.
• Free international calls: This can be useful if you have friends or family abroad. Check restrictions carefully before signing up, as calls to some countries will be excluded. Likewise, the free calls may only apply for the first few minutes and rack up charges afterward.

For more help understanding the various terms and acronyms regularly used in broadband communications, our broadband glossary could help.

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Can I get a TV bundle?

Many providers include TV services with their combined broadband and landline deals, or as a broadband and TV bundle with no phone service included. One example is Virgin’s Ultimate Volt bundle, which offers TV, ultrafast broadband, and phone in one package.

If you think you’d like to add TV as well to your broadband and phone deal, have a look at our broadband, TV and phone deals.

Can you get a broadband and mobile phone bundle?

Now that many of the major broadband providers in the UK have moved into the mobile phone market, broadband and mobile bundles are becoming more widely available. These can also be bundled with broadband and landline phone deals, for a complete package.

Virgin Media and BT are among the most popular providers for a broadband and mobile phone deal.

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