Cheapest Student Broadband? £15 for 9 months!

angelofmel

Thanks to the OP for posting all that, and everyones comments. It will be very helpfull deciding on a broadband package next month.

However, I would just like to point out a few things about virgin media to anyone new at this kind of thing. They may seem like the best deal/fastest speeds etc, but they are very tricky when things go wrong. They charge for paper statements, forcing you to go online which means you probably wont check it much. If you pay by any other way other than direct debit they will charge a £5 handling fee for the transaction so always make sure the direct debit is set up correct and there is enough money in the account for it to go through. There is a charge for the set up which is part of the small print of the contract that caught us out in my old house. And finally, personally, i found the service terrible as i had to rest the router 2, maybe 3 times a night as we'd constantly loose connection. however that might have just been us as a friend of mine had no problems of that kind for 2 years in thier house.
Just some things to be aware of

TheTallOne_2

laurapixelheart wrote: »

Virgin are doing 9 month contracts on their broadband and you dont need a cable line to put it in (like their fixed line)
this is aimed at students.
£35 set up fee
£20 connection (show them an nus card when they come to install it and you dont have to pay that)
£20 a month for 10mb broadband or £30 for 20mb

best place to pop into for information is a virgin store or a carphone warehouse as they sell the set ups aswell.
one thing to let you know is at the moment they sometimes waiver the £35 charge when they call you an arrange a date to set up. also barter on the phone with them as they can adjust the deals slightly for you.

9 month contracts mean that you only need it for term time though

Yeah I saw the deal when I passed a VM store in Bluewater last week :

Although they weren't really that helpful when I asked them about it. Earlier this month I was on the web chat service and asked someone if VM were doing 9 month contracts - the representative didn't know anything about it. But the deal I saw has been offered since July.

I doubt you could get Cashback on it so the overall cost comes to slightly more on the first page. Here's the deal:

Virgin Media "Never Mind the Holidays 9 Month Contract" - Up to 10Mb (without Virgin Media line rental), Traffic Shaping/Restrictions, Unlimited Downloads. Offer ends 31/10/2010.
£20 x 9 months (9 month contract)
£0 Activation fee ("An additional £20 activation fee is payable for 9 month contract but will be discounted to £0.00 upon presentation of valid NUS identification.")
£0 Install fee ("Free installation only valid in named store when this leaflet is presented. Installation value ranges from £15 for Quickstart self-install) [sic] to manned install at £35.")
£11 NUS Extra Card
£23.50 disconnection charge (if you don't transfer VM to another house after your contract finishes)
Total: £214.50 (£191 if you remove the disconnection charge).

EDIT: Upon visiting the Deal Website it says you require a NUS Extra card (£11)
Installation fee discount seems to be only available in store, not online.

atypical

You forgot to take off the £65 cashback in the above. Assuming it'll work, the total works out at £149.50.

TheTallOne_2

atypical wrote: »

You forgot to take off the £65 cashback in the above. Assuming it'll work, the total works out at £149.50.

I'm not completely sure if it is possible that way.

If it is you will then you might have to pay £35 for the installation fee (because you only get the discount in store?). Either that or you pay £20 activation and the £15 self install.

I'm not too sure about the rules on activation/installation if I do it online. Let's try it again:

Virgin Media "Never Mind the Holidays 9 Month Contract" Online - Up to 10Mb (without Virgin Media line rental), Traffic Shaping/Restrictions, Unlimited Downloads. Offer ends 31/10/2010.
£20 x 9 months (9 month contract)
£0 Activation fee ("An additional £20 activation fee is payable for 9 month contract but will be discounted to £0.00 upon presentation of valid NUS identification.")
£35 Install fee ("Free installation only valid in named store when this leaflet is presented. Installation value ranges from £15 for Quickstart self-install) [sic] to manned install at £35.")
£11 NUS Extra Card
£23.50 disconnection charge (if you don't transfer VM to another house after your contract finishes)
£65 (Quidco cashback)
Total: £184.50 (£161 if you remove the disconnection charge, £164.50 with quick install + disconn fee/£141 with quick install). The latter two prices only available if you can quick install yet also get the free activation fee - is it possible to get in an engineer doesn't arrive? How do they check?

Someone posted above that you could still get the £35 installation fee discounted, so if an engineer comes you will then get the £20 activation fee waived, resulting in Total: £149.50 (or £126 without disconnection fee - if you can get out of that as well).

TheTallOne_2

New deal:
Broadband + Line Rental + BT Reconnection Fee
O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) + Sky Talk with Line Rental - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months).
£7.50 x 9 (12 month broadband contract)
£11 x 12 (12 months line rental)
£39 Line Rental Setup
£10 x 4 (O2 PAYG Topup)
£50 (O2 cashback)
Total: £228.50 (£188.50 if you are already with O2).

Completely beats going with BT for line rental.

Previous deals:

O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) + Reconnection Fee - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months). Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 3 (3 free months, until end of July)
£7.50 x 9 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£127.99 (BT Line Reconnection Fee)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £274.37 (£234.37 if you are already on O2 Mobile)
This last one is awful. If you have to pay a reconnection fee and you live on a Virgin Media street, at the moment I'd go for VM. (To be honest I haven't looked into this one too much, but this is the option I probably will have to take).


O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) and Co-op Caller Plus Line Rental + Reconnection Fee - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months).
£0 x 3 (3 free months, until end of July)
£7.50 x 9 (12 month contract)
£78.96 (Co-op Reconnection Fee)
£11.45 x 12 (Co-op Caller Plus Line Rental)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £273.86 (£233.86 if you are already on O2 Mobile)

O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) + BT £29.99 Reconnection Fee (18 month contract) - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months). Requires 10 calls on BT Phone Line per month (30/quarter) or additional £5.15/month or £15.45/quarter will be added to bill. Cancel and the remaining months charged at £7.50 (Weekend/Evening+Weekend) or £8.00 (Anytime).
£0 x 3 (O2 3 free months, until end of July)
£7.50 x 9 (O2 12 month contract)
£29.99 (BT Line Reconnection Fee)
£12.04 x 9 (9 months with BT)
£7.50 x 9 (9 months after cancellation)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £263.35 (£223.35 if you are already on O2 Mobile)[/color][/strike]

TheTallOne_2

Sky also do a bare bones 2GB month which is now the cheapest 'BT reconnection' service:

Sky Lite Broadband (+Cashback) + Sky Talk with Line Rental - Up to 20Mbps, 2GB/month download limit (£2.50 surcharge for not getting Sky TV)
£2.50 x 12 (12 month broadband contract)
£11 x 12 (12 months line rental)
£39 Line Rental Setup
£10 (Sky cashback)
Total: £191.00 (Note 2GB monthly cap)

Every.Little.Helps_2

First of all cheers for compiling this info, very helpful.

I'm also a Warwick student looking to organise internet, so this thread's perfect for me.

I think I've just noticed an error in one of your deals:

'Broadband + Line Rental + BT Reconnection Fee
O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) + Sky Talk with Line Rental - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months).
£7.50 x 9 (12 month broadband contract)
£11 x 12 (12 months line rental)
£39 Line Rental Setup
£10 x 4 (O2 PAYG Topup)
£50 (O2 cashback)
Total: £228.50 (£188.50 if you are already with O2).'

The broadband connection price is actually £12 per month for the all rounder deal (the one with unlimited downloads). You quote it as £7.50 '£7.50 x 9 (12 month broadband contract)' but that's actually O2's monthly line rental charge.

So the overall charge is £108 (broadband) + £132 (line rental) + £39 (line rental setup) + £40 (O2 top up) - £50 (cashback):

£269.00 (or £229.00 if on o2)

I think it's still the best deal for unlimited broadband when you have to reconnect the landline.

It's probably what I'm going to go for.

TheTallOne_2

Every.Little.Helps wrote: »

First of all cheers for compiling this info, very helpful.

I'm also a Warwick student looking to organise internet, so this thread's perfect for me.

I think I've just noticed an error in one of your deals:

'Broadband + Line Rental + BT Reconnection Fee
O2 Standard Broadband (+Cashback) + Sky Talk with Line Rental - Up to 8Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months).
£7.50 x 9 (12 month broadband contract)
£11 x 12 (12 months line rental)
£39 Line Rental Setup
£10 x 4 (O2 PAYG Topup)
£50 (O2 cashback)
Total: £228.50 (£188.50 if you are already with O2).'

The broadband connection price is actually £12 per month for the all rounder deal (the one with unlimited downloads). You quote it as £7.50 '£7.50 x 9 (12 month broadband contract)' but that's actually O2's monthly line rental charge.

So the overall charge is £108 (broadband) + £132 (line rental) + £39 (line rental setup) + £40 (O2 top up) - £50 (cashback):

£269.00 (or £229.00 if on o2)

I think it's still the best deal for unlimited broadband when you have to reconnect the landline.

It's probably what I'm going to go for.

Ah I think the price has gone up in the past few weeks

I'll be editing the top post. Thanks for telling me

Looks like I'm going VM this month then.

TheTallOne_2

Deal removed as 20Mbps now standard with O2.

O2 Premium Broadband (+Cashback) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) - Up to 20Mbps, Unlimited Downloads (if in O2 'Unbundled' Area), Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months). Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 3 (3 free months, until end of July)
£10 x 9 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £168.88 (£128.88 if already with O2 Mobile)

O2's 3 months free deal only available until the 17th August at the moment. Similar deals available for if you have to reconnect your line, etc. Basically pay £22.50 for the increase in speed.

New deals:
Broadband + Line Rental (No Reconnection Charge):
O2 Basics Broadband 12 Month Contract (+Cashback) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) - Up to 20Mbps, 20GB/Month Download, Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months). Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 3 (3 free months, until end of July)
£8 x 9 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £150.88 (£110.88 if already with O2 Mobile)

O2's 3 months free deal only available until the 31st October at the moment. O2 also do 30 day contracts (plus £29.99 connection charge) but then you won't get the 3 months free.

O2 All Rounder Broadband 12 Month Contract (+Cashback) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) - Up to 20Mbps, Unlimited Downloads, Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Requires O2 Sim (either monthly contract or pay £10 every 3 months). Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 3 (3 free months, until end of July)
£12 x 9 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£10 x 4 (£10 every 3 months on O2 PAYG, alternatively O2 contract)
Minus:
£50 (O2 Home Broadband Cashback with Quidco)
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £186.88 (£146.88 if already with O2 Mobile)

TheTallOne_2

Plusnet have a new deal on - 10Gb and 60GB download limits respectively, unlimited between midnight and 8am. If you are already with O2, O2 is cheaper. If not, then Plusnet is cheaper:

Plusnet Value Broadband 12 Month Contract (+Through Consumer Choices) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) - Up to 20Mbps, 10GB/Month Download, Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Unlimited downloads between Midnight and 8am. Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 4 (4 free months)
£6.49 x 8 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£0 (Free Activation)
Minus:
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £140.80 (Beaten by O2 if you already with them)

You need to be in a Plusnet value area. Don't think you can get cashback with this as you are signing up with a deal offered by Consumer Choices. But you could always try. (£28 for just Broadband through Quidco.)

Plusnet Extra Broadband 12 Month Contract (+Through Consumer Choices) and BT Line Rental Saver (+Cashback) - Up to 20Mbps, 60GB/Month Download, Free Weekend Calls to UK Landlines, Unlimited downloads between Midnight and 8am. Requires 2 calls on BT Phone Line per month or 6 per quarter or additional £1.50/month or £4.50/quarter will be added to bill
£0 x 4 (4 free months)
£11.49 x 8 (12 month contract)
£113.88 (BT Line Rental Saver, 12 months)
£0 (Free Activation)
Minus:
£25 (BT Home Broadband 'Calls and Lines' Cashback with Quidco)
Total: £180.80 (Beaten by O2 All Rounder if you already with them)


You need to be in a Plusnet value area. Don't think you can get cashback with this as you are signing up with a deal offered by Consumer Choices. But you could always try. (£28 for just Broadband through Quidco.)