How to Use a Broadband Bundle
THE Internet is a necessity for many of us and with the need for a phone line to access it, it seems counterintuitive to have one without the other.
Most broadband providers have cottoned on to this idea and, as such, offer these services as well as digital TV and, in some cases, a mobile phone as part of a ‘bundle’.
Provided that you choose the right package, broadband bundles are a great way to keep costs and hassle down.
Things to watch out for:
Hidden costs
As with most things in the world of broadband, bundles are not straightforward and there are plenty of additional costs that you need to bear in mind before choosing a particular broadband bundle provider.
Firstly, there are setup costs to factor in. Some broadband providers will do this for free; others will charge a fee (both Virgin Media and Sky charge a connection fee).
For companies that require a BT landline, check whether or not line rental is included in the cost of the packages they offer. The heavily advertised ‘See, Speak, Surf’ package from Sky, although advertised at £26 per month, actually works out to a far less attractive £37, as you have to pay BT £11 a month line rental.
If you’ve just purchased a new HD flat screen and plan to take advantage of the new HDTV on offer, you may be disappointed to discover that the HD service is not necessarily free. Unless you subscribe to Virgin Media or the specific SkyHD package, you may have to pay an incredible £359 for installation and setup!
Making the most of your bundle:
A bundle wouldn’t exist if it didn’t make the supplier money, but exactly how much money they make off you is entirely down to two things.
1. Choose a bundle that suits you
You can get bundles with broadband and home phone, broadband and digital TV, broadband and mobile phone, or different combos of 3 or all 4 of these products. On top of this there is incredible variety in the strength of the individual items in the package – particularly the broadband, with speeds ranging from 2 to 20MB.As such, in order to get the most financially viable bundle, it is important to weigh up which products you need to be the best, so you can sacrifice in other areas. For example, there is no need to have a 20MB broadband connection if all you do is surf the web and send and receive emails. Likewise, if you're reclusive and never use a landline, do you really need free anytime landline calls?
2. Play to it’s strengths
Once you have chosen the right broadband bundle for you, make sure you get the most out of it. For example: If you have chosen high download speeds in lieu of a better phone package, start sending out emails and setting up a web cam to communicate in the peak call times of your phone package.
 Compare broadband bundle packages
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