Need a short-term broadband plan?
In this article, we’ve reviewed 3 of the best 12 month broadband deals in the UK in 2024.
Let’s get started.
Best 12 month broadband deals
Below, we’ve reviewed and compared the best 12 month broadband plans you can buy right now.
1. BT Fibre 1
BT’s default contract length is 24 months. However, they have 12 month plans available on a hidden page on their website.
You can get ultrafast download speeds of up to 900 Mbps with BT, and from our testing, their download speeds are very consistent.
We’ve used their superfast fibre service at two different addresses, and never had any issues with slow speeds. Their Smart Hub 2 router also offers good Wi-Fi signal.
BT’s monthly costs and upfront fees are quite high on their 12 month tariffs. However, we think it can be worth paying extra for the level of customer service they provide.
Whenever we’ve had to call their UK-based support team, we’ve found them to be quite helpful. When we first purchased their Fibre 1 plan, we had an issue where our order got cancelled without our knowledge, and their customer support was quick to put things back on track.
Pros
- Good customer service.
- Consistent speeds, from our experience.
- Solid Wi-Fi performance.
Cons
- More expensive than their 24 month plans.
2. Hyperoptic Hyperfast
Hyperoptic is a full fibre broadband network that operates separately from all other broadband providers, including BT and Virgin Media.
Their service is available in and around many major city centres in the UK. If you can get Hyperoptic where you live, they give you the choice of a one month, 12 month, or 24 month contract when signing up.
Like with BT, their 12 month plans are more expensive, but they’re very good value, given the speeds on offer.
Hyperoptic offers download and upload speeds of up to 900 Mbps, and there are cheaper plans available if you don’t need ultrafast speeds.
No matter which plan you choose, your upload speed will be as fast as your download speed, which is great. Normally, your upload speeds are a lot slower than your downloads with most other providers.
Pros
- Good value.
- Symmetrical download and upload speeds.
- Can choose your contract length.
Cons
- Only available in cities.
3. Community Fibre 1 Gbps Fibre Broadband
Like Hyperoptic, Community Fibre is another independent full fibre broadband provider. This company services London and surrounding areas.
You can choose between a 12 month or a 24 month contract with Community Fibre, and their prices, especially their monthly costs, are very competitive.
However, the thing that really sets Community Fibre apart is their download and upload speeds. You can get a 3 Gbps (3,000 Mbps) plan with this provider, which is the fastest download speed currently offered by any British broadband provider.
We’ve tested Community Fibre, and found their customer service to be very responsive. It is worth mentioning, we haven’t always been getting the download speeds we’re paying for, but this is likely because we’ve been with them for a while now, and are using an old Wi-Fi router.
New customers get a state-of-the-art WiFi 6 compatible router from Linksys, allowing you to get the most from your connection. This upgraded router also offers better Wi-Fi signal in the far corners of your house.
Pros
- Offers some of the fastest broadband in the UK.
- Low monthly costs.
- Responsive customer support.
Cons
- Only available in London.
What you need to know
In this part of the guide, we’ve explained what you need to know when choosing a year-long broadband plan to buy.
Which broadband providers offer 12-month deals?
Currently, the following broadband providers offer contracts that last for 12 months:
- BT Broadband (on a separate page on their website – 9 month plans are also available for students)
- Hyperoptic (choice of contract length)
- Community Fibre (only available in London)
There are also some smaller providers, like Be Fibre and Lit Fibre, that offer 12 month broadband in certain areas. However, these companies don’t currently have enough coverage to make it onto our list – they’re only available in certain regions.
Most major broadband providers, including Virgin Media, Sky, EE, TalkTalk, and Plusnet, do not offer 12 month broadband deals.
Can you buy broadband on a month-to-month basis?
Some broadband providers offer the ability to buy an internet plan on a monthly rolling basis, avoiding the need to commit to a contract at all.
Currently, only Hyperoptic offers the ability to do this.
The downside to no contract broadband is it nearly always comes with a very high upfront cost – much higher than if you were to enter into a 12 month commitment.
Other ways to get online on a short-term basis
Apart from buying a month-to-month broadband deal, you might also like to get online using Three’s mobile Wi-Fi (MiFi) device.
This is a small, pocket-sized router that connects to the 4G network to get you online, similar to how your phone connects to the internet.
It doesn’t offer the best Wi-Fi signal, but it is definitely suitable for one or two people. It’s also cheap, and available with a range of quite flexible data plans from Three.
You can also buy Three’s 5G router on a monthly pay as you go basis. This device offers much faster speeds, and better Wi-Fi signal, but is slightly more expensive.
Downsides to buying a 12 month broadband deal
There are a few downsides to buying broadband on a 12 month contract:
- The number of providers that offer these types of plans is quite limited. Therefore, you won’t necessarily be able to choose the best or cheapest provider on the market, if you limit yourself to just 12 month contracts.
- When your broadband contract expires, your monthly costs will rise, often by quite a large amount. By committing for 12 months, instead of 18 or 24, this means that the price increase will happen sooner, and you’ll need to think about re-contracting or switching providers again in the near future.
- 18 and 24 month broadband contracts normally have a lower upfront cost, although this isn’t always the case.
- 12 month broadband deals are unlikely to include much in the way of extras or benefits, such as reward cards or other free gifts, however this isn’t a problem for most people.
Will my monthly costs increase during the contract?
Nearly all broadband contracts in the UK currently have price rises written into them. Only a few providers don’t currently do this.
Most companies increase your monthly costs each April by the inflation rate plus a certain amount – normally 3.9%. In this case, if the inflation rate is 5%, your monthly costs will rise by 8.9% in April.
This means that you will endure a price increase during a 12 month broadband contract with most major providers, including BT and NOW Broadband.
How to save money on a 12 month broadband plan
If you’re on a budget, here are some ways to save money when buying a 1-year broadband tariff:
- Search specifically for cheap, basic providers, like NOW Broadband. It’s common for two providers to offer very different prices on deals with the same download speed, simply because one has more extras and other add-ons available or included.
- Avoid paying for more bandwidth than you really need. You can use this bandwidth calculator to get an idea of what download and upload speed it’s worth paying for, given how you use the internet.
- If available, avoid any add-ons, such as TV or landline calling plans, unless you really need them. Most of the time, it’s cheaper to buy access to your favourite streaming services separately, rather than buying a plan with a set-top box. It’s also normally cheaper to use pay as you go home phone calling, unless you make landline calls on a daily basis.
Conclusion
This is the end of our 12 month broadband plan buyer’s guide.
Still not sure which provider or package to choose? Leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
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About the author
Tyler is the co-founder of Broadband Savvy. He has been helping people improve their broadband connectivity since 2018 by writing about fibre broadband and mobile broadband providers, as well as creating tutorials to help people improve their broadband speeds and Wi-Fi signal.
Tyler is responsible for the majority of buyer’s guides and broadband reviews published on Broadband Savvy. He has a wealth of experience testing and reviewing different broadband tariffs, including fibre internet plans, as well as 4G and 5G broadband deals. He is responsible for testing and evaluating Wi-Fi routers, performing speed and latency tests, and comparing the value for money of different broadband providers on the market in the UK.
Before co-founding Broadband Savvy, Tyler had a long history of tinkering with computers. He built his first PC at the age of 12, and since then, he’s become obsessed with all things networking and internet-related. He’s a massive gamer, loves Rocket League, and also plays Sunday League football.