BT broadband deals are going to be the first option that comes to mind for a lot of people - it is the UK's most popular provider after all! - but if it's piqued your interest, which plan should you choose, what features do you get and is BT worth the money?
Those are all questions we're here to answer, looking through the best broadband deals from this big name brand and gathering all of that information into one easy place.
While BT is by no means one of the cheapest internet providers in the UK, it is arguably one of the best, offering intelligent routers, fast speeds, a wealth of packages and more.
And with the ability to add TV plans and a collection of different BT Sport options, it is also perfect for broadband and TV deals if that is an option that would better fit your needs.
And to somewhat counteract the higher costs BT charges, the brand is almost always including Mastercard incentives across its best fibre broadband deals, allowing you to save some cash along the way.
As we said above, if you're after the best cheap broadband deals, BT is unlikely to be the option for you. After fast speeds and reliable performance from a big name brand, scroll down to find out more.
Prefer to order by phone? Then call 0800 783 5462 and speak to an adviser dedicated to BT broadband deals.
- Need internet on the go? See the best mobile broadband plans
BT broadband deals compared - which is the best for me?
All of the BT broadband deals feature unlimited data allowances. So the main choice you'll face with BT is what speed to go for. Standard ADSL broadband gives average speeds of 10Mb which will probably give you an average download speed of around 1.25MB per second. Upgrade to BT Fibre 1 or Fibre 2 and you can choose between 50Mb and a super fast 67Mb.
After that, you can pay more to add home phone options and a TV subscription. The latter includes access to the BT TV package of your choice - more on which below.
BT Broadband
BT's most affordable broadband offer gives average speeds of 10Mb. That should still be plenty fast enough to let you browse the web, stream music and watch interruption-free catch-up TV. But it may struggle to cope with larger households all using the internet at once or HD streaming. BT Unlimited Broadband includes:
- Speeds averaging 10Mb
- BT Smart Hubs
- 200GB of BT Cloud Storage
- BT Virus Protect for two devices
BT Fibre Essential
BT's newest package, the BT Superfast Fibre Essential offers BT's lowest fibre speeds, but also its lowest price on fibre. If you don't want to be faced with buffering internet but also want to keep your bills cheap, this is the way to go.
- Speeds averaging 36Mb
- BT Smart Hub
- Stay fast guarantee
- BT Virus Protect for two devices
BT Fibre 1
Although slightly more expensive than the essential package here you will be getting a much better average speed and for the slightly raised price tag we'd say it's definitely a better deal. At 50Mb, it's got the legs to seamlessly deliver HD video and fast downloads, even when there are a few of you using it.
BT Fibre 1 includes:
- Speeds averaging 50Mb
- BT Smart Hub
- 200GB of BT Cloud storage
- BT Virus Protect for two devices
BT Fibre 2
If you demand extremely fast downloads and stream 4K films and TV, then BT's fastest broadband (67Mb) is well worth considering - especially if you've got a bustling household all trying to log in at once. It's pricey, but BT sweetens the deal with some added extras. BT Fibre 2 includes:
- Speeds averaging 67Mb
- BT Smart Hub
- 100GB of BT cloud storage
- BT Virus protect for 15 devices
BT broadband: contract lengths, features and more
What BT router will I get?
BT Smart Hub
This is what comes with all of BT's Superfast fibre broadband plans. As you'd expect from a brand like BT, the Smart Hub is a super powerful router - the most powerful in the UK claims BT.
It will work well in a big household with multiple devices and a lot of room to cover. Like the hub below, this uses 7 antennas, four gigabit ethernet ports and features dual ban using both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands,
BT Smart Hub 2
BT has a second more powerful router available. However, while there are two ways to get it, both will involve a decent boost in costs. You can upgrade to BT Plus with Complete Wi-Fi or, you can simply buy the router from the BT Store.
As for why you should upgrade, the BT Smart Hub 2 monitors your connection and reboots if there's a problem, works through an app to monitor performance, provides 7 antennas to maximise power, filters out interference and more. In essence, while this won't be an upgrade many need, those who really care about good internet will be looking to make the upgrade.
How long will my BT Broadband contract last?
Take BT broadband, and you'll be tied into a 24-month contract. After that, your monthly cost will go up by around a tenner. To encourage you to hang around, you can't use your BT router with any other broadband provider so you'll need to pay for a new one when you move on.
Can I make calls from a landline?
You can indeed. BT now offers pay as you go calls across all of its plans. That means you can only pay for the amount of calls you decide to make, perfect for those rarely call, all the way through to the chatter boxes.
What is BT cloud storage?
If you find yourself running out of storage space on your phone, tablet or laptop or want to back up your files, BT has its own cloud storage solution. With BT Unlimited Broadband and Superfast Fibre, you'll get 200GB - that's enough room for around 25,000 songs, 140 films or 100,000 photos. It's 1000GB if you go for Superfast 2, which should be sufficient to store the music and photo collections of you and your family.
What is BT Virus Protect?
All BT broadband packages include BT's internet security tool, BT Virus Protect. As well as promising to vanquish viruses, it features BT Web Protect to flag phishing scams, BT Parental Controls to help you limit the websites your children can see and True Key for easy management of your passwords. As well as your main computer, you can apply BT Virus Protect to one other laptop, phone or tablet if you go for Broadband Unlimited or Superfast Fibre. While Fibre 2 lets you protect up to 15 devices. We still think you should get dedicated internet security however - check out our pick of the best antivirus software.
BT TV and Sport add-ons:
Are there any BT broadband AND TV deals?
BT recently re-imagined its TV packages, making them a lot simpler. They now all follow the same length as broadband - 24 months:
- Entertainment:
This is just Now's Entertainment package. That means you're getting Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Discovery and a host of other channels. On top of that, you're also getting access to over 300 box sets.
- Big Entertainment:
It's everything you're getting above...but you're also stepping it up with access to Sky Cinema channels and over 1000 movies for all the film heads out there.
- Sport:
This, as the name suggests, is all about sport. You get all four BT Sport channels and BoxNation and access to 52 live Premier League matches and every single UEFA Champions League game, exclusive to BT Sport.
- Big Sport:
This is everything from the Sport package above plus all 11 Sky Sports channels. The Premier league, F1, Golf Majors and much more are available here.
- VIP:
Based on the name, its easy to guess that this package does not come cheap. Go for VIP and you'll be paying a pretty hefty price. However, you are getting everything that both the Big Entertainment and Big Sport packages offer.
That means Sky Cinema, Sky Entertainment, HD Sky Sports and HD Sky Atlantic, all of BT and Sky's sport channels and a whole lot more.
What about BT Sport?
Until recently, BT Sport came free with every BT internet plan. That's come to an end now...you'll have to pay a little bit extra a month to get access to Premier League football, Ashes cricket, top-flight rugby union and exclusive UFC action. Keep your eyes peeled however, as BT does run the occasional promotion where you can still get BT Sport for free.
BT broadband deals: further add-ons and perks
Can I add BT Mobile?
If you sign up to BT's broadband, the brand will try and pull you into their eco-system with a SIM plan. If you're an existing BT customer, you can save £5 a month across all of BT's SIM plans. That makes BT pretty competitive when it comes to SIM only deals.
Are there any other perks to getting BT broadband?
As well as the discounted mobile tariffs, BT frequently tries to lure in new customers with a BT Reward Card. This online exclusive means you can usually claim a pre-paid Mastercard cash card if you sign up to BT Broadband.
The sum on the Reward Card changes regularly, but is usually in excess of £60 - and sometimes as much as £150. The amount on the card is always more with one of the BT Superfast packages.
If BT isn't offering a pre-paid Mastercard, it will usually be offering some other form of incentive. Whether that be an Amazon Echo or a JBL speaker, there is always something up for grabs. So look out for one of these BT bonuses.
BT Broadband: getting set-up and help
How to use the BT broadband checker?
Much like our postcode checker above, BT has its own broadband checker. Pop in your address and phone number and it will let you know what speeds you can expect with BT internet and whether its Superfast broadband is available in your area. If fibre isn't yet available, you can sign up to BT's mailing list so that they'll give you a shout when the cables have been installed.
How do I contact the BT broadband helpline?
If you need help with your broadband or set-up, BT doesn't exactly make it easy for you to speak to them on the phone. It seems to prefer for you to go through its online support. But if you're determined to speak to a human, there is a 24/7 number available. Dial 0800-111-4567 if you're using a landline in the UK, 0330-123-4567 from your mobile or +44179-359-6931 if you're out of the country.
How do you switch to BT broadband?
Switching to BT is actually extremely easy and BT has laid it out on its website as:
1. Choose a BT package that works for you ranging from its Essential plan through to one of its fibre options. You don't need to contact your existing provider as BT will do this (unless you're with Virgin), then you'll need to go back and forth to get it sorted.
2. You'll get a switching date in which your BT Smart Hub will arrive and then BT will text you when your BT broadband router is activated. You simply need to connect your Smart Hub and voila, you're all ready to go.