Blog: Could you be entitled to a social broadband tariff?

Given the current cost-of-living crisis we are in, I have been looking at different ways I can reduce my personal outgoings. One of my biggest expenditures recently has been my broadband, I decided to do some research into seeing if there were any discounts for people in a similar situation to me and turns out – there is!

I’d never heard of ‘social tariffs’ before so as always, I got my trusty iPad out and I set to work on finding out everything I could. There are a few sites that I tend to always start off with, including Martin Lewis’ ‘Money Saving Expert’, Which, and Ofcom. Any time a new blog is added, we will add the websites referenced to this page so you’ve got somewhere you can go to find the information quickly in future!

SO, what are social tariffs I hear you ask? Well this refers to a reduced rate for people on certain benefits. The qualifying benefits include Universal Credit, income-based ESA, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit part), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Income Support.

Many broadband companies now offer social tariffs but you will have to ask for it as it won’t necessarily be on their homepage. As with most things, not all companies will provide the same offers so you will need to do your own research to decide what’s best for you.

I thought it might be helpful for me to share a few of the key things that I think people would need to consider when looking into this. This list is not exhaustive, so if you are unsure, your Transform keyworker should be able to help you look into this:

Check that you’ve completed the minimum term to be able to change provider or tariff. They might not charge you an early exit fee if you switch to a social tariff mid-contract, if you stay with them.
Your provider might offer you a cheaper broadband deal to encourage you to stay, if you’re considering moving to another provider, or wanting to change to a social tariff.
There might be a small upfront fee for the social tariff, and maybe a refundable security deposit (for people with low credit scores).

There’s obviously quite a few providers out there but for the four main ones I found out the following:

BT is the best and cheapest for social tariffs that has a strong broadband connection.
EE doesn’t have its own social tariff; it refers customers to BT, who now own EE.
Sky doesn’t have a social tariff; it just offers deals on the spot.
TalkTalk offers six months free fibre broadband to certain jobseekers. Speak to your Jobcentre Plus work coach to organise it.