Newport Tops The Chart Of Savvy Broadband Customers

• The cities which overspend the most on their broadband revealed
• Comprehensive data from 3,997 broadband bill payers
• Broadband Genie urge customers to act this Black Friday
• Broadband expert shares their top tips on how to further reduce your monthly broadband bill

Newport overpays on its broadband the least, new research and analysis from UK broadband comparison site, Broadband Genie, has found.

On average, bill payers in the Welsh city spend £24.40 on broadband a month, almost half compared to other areas. However, residents could still be saving more. Newport households overspend £70.20 a year on broadband by remaining on out-of-contract deals.

Broadband contracts are typically sold for 24 months, after which customers are moved to a rolling monthly deal, usually at a higher rate. Once their contract ends, customers are free to switch or renew to a cheaper deal, but many remain on the more expensive standard rate without realising.

In Newport, 70% of customers are already out of contract and able to switch to something cheaper, and there is a wide choice of alternative providers available. More than 9 in 10 (94%) can receive Ultrafast broadband (100Mb+) and Virgin Media is available to the majority of homes (78%)^[1].

Top 5 cities which overspend the least on broadband

City	How much are they overspending?
Newport	£70.20
Lincoln	£123.96
Derby	£127.08
Glasgow	£184.44
Nottingham	£190.56

Top 5 cities which overspend the most on broadband

City	How much are they overspending?
Wolverhampton	£292.56
Wrexham	£280.32
Liverpool	£278.88
Gloucester	£276.36
Exeter	£276.24

What the experts from Broadband Genie had to say

Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie: “No customer should have to settle for overpriced broadband for below-par speeds. Too many providers take advantage of loyal customers by hiking up their price when they come to the end of their deal.

“Switching your broadband deal may sound daunting, but it’s actually stress-free. Once you choose a new deal, your new provider will handle all the legwork and cancel your existing one. In most cases, you won’t even notice the switch happening on the day.

“We urge customers to take action to lower the cost of their broadband bill. Black Friday is an excellent time to shop around, and household bills such as broadband are one of the few Black Friday purchases where you’re saving, not spending.

“If you love your provider, and don’t want to switch, don’t fear! You can renew your contract so you don’t miss out on reducing your monthly outgoings. However, it’s unlikely you’ll get the same deal as a new customer.”

Broadband experts’ top 5 tips to lower your broadband bill

Alex from Broadband Genie has shared his top 5 tips on how to lower your broadband bill this Black Friday.

1. Only pay for what you need

“Not all broadband contracts are the same. Higher speeds usually mean higher prices, so it’s important to only pay for what you need. If your digital demands include activities such as streaming, online shopping, calls, emails, a standard entry-level fibre deal with download speeds of 50Mb would be more than enough. If you want to game online or regularly work from home and download large files, consider something faster. For each user, budget an additional 10Mb.”

2. Are you eligible for a social tariff?

“If you receive benefits and Universal Credit, it’s likely you’re eligible for a broadband social tariff. These are broadband deals at a reduced monthly cost. Skip shopping around for deals and speak to your provider, if you’re eligible, they’ll be able to port your contract onto the reduced tariff.”

3. Start comparing early

“Providers will start to offer Black Friday exclusives around two weeks before Friday 28th November through to Cyber Monday. Ofcom accredited comparison services are free to use, and take the stress out of finding the best deals. You’ll often find trusted comparison services will work with broadband providers to offer exclusive deals you won’t find anywhere else.”

4. Gifts and vouchers

“To make deals more enticing, broadband providers will offer incentives such as bill credits, prepaid Mastercards or gift cards for popular online and high street shops. If you know you’re going to use the gift, calculate the effective monthly cost. Do this by dividing the value of the gift over the length of the contract, minus this value from the monthly cost. Some comparison services, such as Broadband Genie, already do this for you.”

5. Time your switch

“When you find a deal that is right for you, lock it in, and you can set the activation date for when you need. You may want to do this if your current deal still has a few more days, or to coincide with a house move.

“Don’t worry about locking in a deal too early. You always have the opportunity to cancel it within 14 days of your activation date”.