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No contract 1 month broadband: What is it and what are the best deals?

‘No contract’ fixed broadband packages are essentially the fixed-line equivalent of SIM-only deals. Here’s the best ones going. 

If you’re only living in a flat, shared house or home for a short period of time, it might be a better idea to go for a more flexible, no-contract broadband service instead of a longer term deal, which typically requires you to stick around for 12, 18 or 24 months. 

It might be that you only need access for two months instead of two years, so here’s where no-contract broadband packages come in. 

Related: Best broadband only and no landline dealsCompared to the longer term deals, there’s nowhere near as many ISPs offering no contract packages and typically, the monthly costs don’t compare as favourably. 

Stavros Tsolakis, CEO of Direct Save Telecom said: “Customers who want broadband without a contract are often overlooked by the bigger providers as basically they are not going to make a lot of money on them.”
 
“However, there are good non-contract deals out there if you shop around, yes you have to pay more than if you were signing-up to a longer-term contract, but you still do not have to break the bank. We have customers from all walks of life who take our non-contract offer, such as students, non-contract workers and travellers.” 

It just so happens that Direct Save is one of the few ISPs to offer no contract deals. Here’s how their deals compare to the rest of the industry. 

ISP Broadband Line Rental Download speed Usage cap Total set up costs Total Monthly Cost Total First Month Cost
Direct Save 20GB £11.95 £15.35 17Mbps 20GB £8.95 £27.30 £36.25
Direct Save Unlimited £16.95 £15.35 17Mbps Unlimited £8.95 £32.30 £41.25
Pop Telecom £16.00 £15.70 17Mbps Unlimited £29.99 £31.70 £61.69
PlusNet £12.49 £15.95 17Mbps Unlimited £30.99 £28.44 £59.43
TenTel 5GB £2.99 £15.99 17Mbps 5GB £35 £18.98 £53.98
TenTel 40GB £6.99 £15.99 17Mbps 40GB £35 £22.98 £57.98
TenTel Unlimited £12.99 £15.99 17Mbps Unlimited £35 £28.98 £63.98
Zen Internet 20GB £10 £16.99 17Mbps 20GB £35.94 £26.99 £62.93
Zen Internet Unlimited £16 £16.99 17Mbps Unlimited £35.94 £32.99 £68.93

Note that set-up costs include costs that are sometimes optional, such as wireless routers, postage and connections fees which can sometimes be waived. 

Can I get superfast or ultrafast broadband on a no-contract basis?

Right now, the only ISP in the UK offering superfast and ultrafast no-contract deals is Hyperoptic. 

Hyperoptic is a small but rapidly-growing ISP that sells gigabit (1,000Mbps) services mainly to city dwellers. 

Alongside 12 month contracts, Hyperoptic also sells its FTTP (Fibre to the Premises)-based services on a rolling monthly basis. 

  20Mb broadband only (no contract) 100Mb broadband only (no contract) 1Gb broadband only (no contract)
Download speed 20Mbps 100Mbps 1Gbps
Upload speed 1Mbps 100Mbps 1Gbps
Cost £24 £38 £64
Phone service n/a n/a n/a
Line rental n/a n/a n/a
One-off costs £40 £40 £40
Total monthly cost £24 £38 £64

Hyperoptic no contract broadband and phone prices

  20Mb broadband and phone (no contract) 100Mb broadband and phone (no contract) 1Gb broadband and phone (no contract)
Download speed 20Mbps 100Mbps 1Gbps
Upload speed 1Mbps 100Mbps 1Gbps
Cost £11 £25 £51
Phone service Evening & weekend Evening & weekend Evening & weekend
Line rental £16 £16 £16
One-off costs £40 £40 £40
Total monthly cost £27 £41 £67

Can I get any wireless broadband services on a rolling, monthly basis?

London-based wireless ISP Relish also offers a rolling broadband service which costs £20/month – the same rate as the long-term 12 month contract. 

The only difference in price is that if you opt for the rolling price option, you’ll need to shell out £50 for the hardware. This is a one-off cost, meaning once you’d ponied up, the router is yours – you can reactivate the rolling contract whenever you want. 

Relish specialises in getting customers signed up quickly; there’s no need for an engineer visit as it’s very much a plug and play solution. You should get the router in the post a day after ordering online and get set up in a matter of minutes. 

Relish promises top download speeds of 50Mbps, although speeds will ultimately depend on your proximity to a tower or relay. Relish has set up its own 4G mobile network across central London that’s slowly growing. This postcode checker on the Relish site will tell you if your home or business is covered.  

Are there any no-contract superfast broadband services

You currently can’t get any superfast FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet)-based broadband on a rolling monthly basis from any ISP using BT’s Openreach network. 

While Virgin Media lets you buy broadband services on their own without having to pay for line-rental (known as ‘broadband only’ in the industry), you currently can’t get these on anything shorter than 12 month contracts. 

 

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