01 September 2023 , 06:00
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A fan of Martin Lewis has explained how they saved £300 by switching to a social broadband tariff.
Social tariffs are cheaper broadband packages for people claiming certain benefits. The Government claims switching to a social tariff could save you up to £180 a year - but many people don't realise these deals exist.
Caroline emailed MoneySavingExpert.com sharing her success story. She said: "My broadband came up for renewal and they wanted to increase my bill to over £40/mth.
“I saw MSE's information about social tariffs - I am disabled on personal independence payment, so I looked at your list of providers and found that Vodafone do a social tariff for £12/mth. I would never have thought to even look at the social tariffs before MSE's information about them! Thank you, you have saved me over £300."
It comes after millions of customers were hit by broadband price hikes of up to 17.3% in April due to inflation-linked mid-contract rises. Comparison website Uswitch estimates monthly broadband bills have increased on average by £18.50 and mobile phone payments by £9.50.
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Social broadband prices start from £12 a month with Vodafone - but you might also be able to get six months free if you're a jobseeker through TalkTalk. As well as social tariffs normally being cheaper than standard deals, they also normally don't come with any exit fees.
It is worth checking what is available in your area. If you're interested in one of the below tariffs, visit the main company website to check the eligibility criteria. Here is a full breakdown of all the providers offering them. Prices are right at the time of publication:
BT Home Essentials - £15 (36Mb)
BT Home Essentials - £20 (67Mb)
Community Fibre - £12.50 (20Mb)
Country Connect Social Tariff - £15 (50Mb)
G.Network Essential Fibre- £15 (50Mb)
Hyperoptic Fair Fibre - £15 (50Mb)
Hyperoptic Fair Fibre - £20 (150Mb)
KCOM Full Fibre Flex - £14.99 (30Mb)
Martin Lewis urges everyone with a mobile phone to send two texts to cut bills
Lightning Fibre - £15 (50Mb)
NOW Basics - £20 (36Mb)
Shell Energy Essentials - £15 (11Mb)
Shell Energy Essentials - £20 (38Mb)
Sky Basics - £20 (36Mb)
TalkTalk - FREE for six months (38Mb)
Truespeed - £20 (30Mb)
Virgin Media Essential - £12.50 (15Mb)
Virgin Media Essential - £20 (54Mb)
Vodafone Essentials - £12 (38Mb)
Vodafone Essentials - £20 (67Mb)