Name: Broadband Deals
Brand: Uswitch
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12-month broadband deals offer you more flexibility than most broadband tariffs on the market, as they come with a shorter contract length.

Most providers will offer either 18-month or 24-month contracts with their broadband deals, which are often much more suited to homeowners or renters with a longer tenancy. But if you’re a student, you rent short-term or you like to regularly look out for better broadband deals, a 12-month option may be better suited to you.

However, since many come with a higher monthly price, is a 12-month wifi contract worth it for you and your budget? Here’s all you need to know about the best 12-month broadband deals.

What types of broadband can you get on a 12 month contract?

While they’re a lot less common than 18 or 24-month contracts, 12-month broadband deals are certainly out there. So you’ll likely be able to find many types of broadband on a 12-month basis.

Not only are different types of broadband available (fibre, copper or mobile broadband), but you can opt for a 12-month broadband package that includes home phone or TV as well.

You may be more likely to get 12-month broadband if you’re a student, too. Some providers offer specific contracts for people in full-time study, so they can cancel (or renew) their contract when their academic year ends. If this applies to you, try browsing student broadband offers.

What are the pros and cons of 12 month broadband deals?

If you’re considering a 12-month broadband contract, you’ll need to make sure it’s a good fit for you and your household first. Here are the main benefits and downsides of this contract length.

Pros of 12 month broadband contracts

More flexibility: You can cancel your contract sooner if your situation changes (such as moving out).
Find better deals sooner: Shorter contracts mean you can compare broadband offers and find a better deal more often.

Cons of 12 month broadband contracts

Higher monthly prices: 12-month contracts tend to come with higher monthly prices than 18 or 24-month packages.
More admin: You’ll need to remember to switch or re-contract your broadband more often if you want to avoid falling out of contract.

Our broadband expert says

“12-month broadband contracts are very well suited to those whose housing situation is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

Tenants, students or those looking to sell will benefit from a shorter contract because it reduces the risk of having to cancel a contract early and helps to avoid paying early exit fees if their living situation changes.

However, 12-month deals tend to come with slightly higher monthly prices in return for the shorter contract length. They won't have as high a total cost as 18 or 24-month terms of course, but you might find that you can save money if you're sure that you won't need to move house for a couple of years at least.”

Max Beckett, Broadband Expert

Which broadband providers offer one year deals?

Not all providers offer 12-month unlimited broadband contracts on Uswitch. But some will let you choose this option when you’re signing up to their broadband service.

Virgin Media

TalkTalk

NOW Broadband

Hyperoptic

Direct Save Telecom

Virgin Media

Virgin Media only offers 12-month Wi-Fi contracts to students on its website. So if you’re studying full-time and you have your student house for one year, a 12-month Virgin Media deal is a great option. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to prove your student status when you sign up.

If you’re not a student, you could try contacting Virgin Media to negotiate a 12-month deal with their sales team. But keep in mind that Virgin Media’s standard broadband contract length is 18 months.

BT

BT offers most of its broadband packages with a 12-month contract option, so you can opt for a shorter length than its standard 24-month contract plan.

However, BT’s 12-month broadband contracts are generally more expensive than their 24-month tariffs. This means you’d have to be comfortable paying a more expensive rate for a more flexible service.

TalkTalk

TalkTalk lets you opt for a 12-month fixed term contract for all of its broadband deals, but these come with higher monthly prices than its 18-month or 24-month deals. However, you may need to speak to its customer services team to be put onto a 12-month plan, as it can be difficult to select one on the website.

You should expect to pay about £4 or £5 more per month if you want to go for a year-long contract, compared to its two-year deals.

Sky

Sky doesn’t offer 12-month broadband contracts, but its sister brand, NOW Broadband, does. So if you’re looking to combine your broadband with some of Sky’s excellent TV content but you only want to commit for 12 months, your best bet would be to join NOW.

NOW Broadband

NOW Broadband offers 12-month broadband contracts as standard with its broadband deals. And unlike some other 12-month plans from other providers, NOW Broadband’s monthly prices are reasonably low.

Plus, it’s a brand owned by Sky, which means you’ll get exclusive access to Sky’s premium TV content with a NOW TV add-on. So if you’d like exclusive access to many of Sky’s benefits at a lower price point, NOW is a great option.

Hyperoptic

Full fibre broadband provider Hyperoptic offers a number of different contract lengths, including 12-month terms.

Similar to NOW, its monthly prices for 12-month plans are significantly lower than most other year-long broadband contracts. So if ou can access Hyperoptic’s network, you’ll get more flexibility with your contract, but at a very good monthly rate.

Direct Save Telecom

Direct Save Telecom offers both 12-month and 30-day rolling contracts on its broadband and home phone deals. Take a look at some of its offerings in our Uswitch tables above.

Find cheap broadband deals

Browse our selection of low-cost broadband deals if you want to save money on your next broadband service.

Cheap broadband deals

Should I get a 12 month broadband contract?

If you’re living somewhere on a short-term basis, such as renting on a yearly contract, a 12-month broadband deal can make life a lot easier. It’d be easier to align with the end of your tenancy, and it reduces the risk of having to pay an expensive exit fee if you have to move out before the contract ends.

Additionally, if you like keeping on top of your bills and making savings wherever you can, a 12-month broadband contract will give you more opportunity to do that. You won’t be locked into the same contract for a couple of years, which means you can avoid two rounds of annual price rises and get the opportunity to find a better deal for you more regularly.

But this flexibility does often come a higher price. Since you’ll be committing for a shorter time, many providers make the prices of 12-month broadband deals slightly more expensive than their deals with longer contracts.

With a 12-month Wi-Fi contract, you’ll likely have to be comfortable with paying a higher amount for the extra freedom this contract length gives you.

What other contract lengths are available?

30 days / No contract

The shortest contract option is usually a 30-day or monthly rolling period. It can also be called ‘no contract’ broadband because it normally takes 30 days to cancel or switch your contract, so this is the shortest period you can hold a broadband contract for.

As is the case with 12-month contracts, monthly prices for this contract length tend to be considerably higher than longer commitments. Make sure to factor this in if you’re looking for a flexible service.

18 months

18 months is one of the more common contract lengths for broadband. Many providers offer their broadband deals for an 18-month period as standard, including Virgin Media.

While it’s a longer commitment than some other options, monthly prices for an 18-month term are usually a little lower as a result.

24 months

24 months is likely the longest contract length you’ll come across for broadband, and many providers offer this term as standard. They’re useful for people who are happy to stay with the same provider for a long period of time. And they involve less admin since you’re committing to a service for two years.

Since this is an even longer commitment, you may find that some 24-month contracts come with cheaper monthly prices than 18-month terms too. However, this won’t always be the case – BT is a 24-month provider, but its prices are often higher than average due to the premium service it offers.

Can you get longer than 24 months?

You might find some 36-month contracts for a number of services, such as mobile phone contracts, but they are very rare for broadband.

If you have an option for a three-year broadband contract, you’ll have to accept that it will be a long time before you can switch to a new broadband deal. And since many providers include annual price rises in its T&Cs, your price could go up quite considerably over that time period.

Browse our range of fibre broadband deals

Choose between our wide range of fibre broadband deals on Uswitch.

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Can I leave my contract early?

Just like any length of contract, you can cancel your 12-month broadband contract at any time, but you’ll most likely have to pay exit fees if you want to do this before the end of the 12 months.

The amount you’ll have to pay is usually the total cost of the months you have left on your contract. For example, if you have three months to go, your charge for leaving will be noticeably lower than if you have nine months to go.

Some providers let you cancel your contract early if they increase your prices during your contract term, which means you won’t have to pay an exit fee if you’re with one of those brands. However, since 12-month contracts are already a little less common than other contract types, you likely won’t find many 12-month providers that have this policy in place.

A good example of this is NOW Broadband. It offers 12-month deals and it’ll let you leave your contract early for free if it increases your prices during your minimum term.

Learn more about annual mid-contract price increases with our guide:

Broadband mid-contract price rises explained

What happens after my one year contract ends?

You will fall out of contract once your 12-month contract ends. Broadband providers will get in touch with you when your contract is almost up, and unless your contract says otherwise, some providers automatically move you to a 30-day rolling contract if you do nothing. This often means your monthly bill will go up to a more expensive price, with some providers increasing their prices more than others.

However, being out of contract also means that you are free to switch (or re-contract) to a better deal straight away. You won’t be charged any exit fees for doing so because your minimum term would have ended.

This is standard practice for most broadband contracts that last over 12 months. Which means that regardless of your contract length, if your term is coming to an end soon, make sure you compare broadband deals before you’re moved onto a more expensive price plan.

12 month broadband deals

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