Broadband & Phone Bundles

How to Choose a Broadband & Phone Package

WHO would have thought that brand new technology developing as we speak would partner perfectly with a device invented two centuries ago?

Broadband Internet and the humble telephone are a great match though. They work through the same network cables and can therefore be offered cheaply with little inconvenience to you, the consumer.

Broadband & Phone bundles are good for:

Separate phone line and broadband subscribers
If you have lived in your property for a few years you will probably have installed a phone line with BT when you moved in and then installed broadband at a later date with a different provider. If this sounds familiar, chances are that you will be paying over the odds for the two products, whereas by bundling them together as a joint package with just one provider you could save yourself money and the hassle of paying another bill every month.

Broadband & Phone bundles are unsuitable for:

The mobile generation
If you are rarely at home, always chatting on your mobile and surfing the net at work, you may find that a Broadband and Phone bundle is a waste of money. Assess how much you are likely to use the two products before subscribing.

With even the basic Broadband and Phone packages offering fast connection, unlimited download limits and free calls on evening and weekends you need to be quite a heavy user of both products to get the most out of your monthly fee. If you already have a hefty mobile phone package and can get your Internet fix elsewhere it may turn out that a bundle is unuseful. It’s better to think about that before signing an 18 month contract!

Moving house
If you live in rented accommodation, or plan on moving house in the near future, check out the contract terms of your potential broadband and phone bundle provider. Most providers will specify a contract of at least a year and many are 18 months.

Look for:

The best deals
Setting up a broadband and phone bundle with a provider is a simple procedure and should only take a phone call and a form. However, switching providers or quitting your package altogether, is likely to be a more challenging process, with companies expending all their energy and exhausting all their tricks to keep you on board.

Make sure you thoroughly research all the options and companies offering broadband and phone bundles to make sure you aren’t getting a raw deal. See if you can get a personal recommendation from a friend and, of course, use our 'Find a Provider' tool to track down the best deals around.

Watch out for:

Contracts
Most broadband providers will tie you into a contract, typically for 12-18 months. If you realise after a few weeks that the package is not what you hoped for, or the special offers aren’t so special, it’s either going to be a long time, or a lot of wasted money in opt-out fees before you can change things. Make sure you are positive about exactly how much the broadband and phone package will cost (check the small print for any additional costs that may not be included such as line rental) and see if there is any scope for negotiation on the contract tie in period.

If in doubt, always use the ChooseISP broadband comparison tables on this site, as they include ALL hidden costs in the price breakdowns.

Don’t forget:

The importance of customer service
Customer service has been regularly cited as a sham among the larger broadband and phone providers. Outsourcing call centres, waiting in telephone queues, endlessly transferring between departments and a general ineptitude are gradually driving people away.

However, it seems many of the smaller names in the broadband bundle world have taken note and recognised the benefit of quality customer service and, as such, regularly receive great feedback regarding their product quality and technical support services.

Compare broadband packages