Shorter than a year contracts?

itchyfeet123

I don't have an internet connection at home. My phone has unlimited data and I've been using it as a hotspot with (seemingly) no limit. About four months ago my provider noticed and applied a cap of 30gb to the hotspot. I've had to buy a hot spot add on in two of those four months, costing about £16/month. That's about what line rental plus free intro offer internet costs, and is more expensive when cashback incentives are taken into account. I'm probably leaving the country in about 8 months, and so would like to avoid a 12 month contract. However, the only company offering month by month contracts is Relish, which at £20/month plus a set up fee would not be a saving.

Can anyone recommend any other providers that offer month-by-month or shorter than 12 month contracts?

mije1983

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/compare/short_contract_broadband/

[Deleted User]

http://www.nowtv.com/broadband-and-tv

There is a setup fee of around £40 I think, but no minimum term.

itchyfeet123

Thanks for the links.

After doing the maths, I just went with a 12 month contract with Sky. After cashback from Topcashback and a Mastercard gift card from Sky, I will pay £70.5 in total. That works out to £8.81/month if I stay for 8 months, and less if I stay longer.

mije1983

Plus an approx £30 cease charge when you cancel it as you won't be transferring elsewhere.

[Deleted User]

I think they may still charge a termination fee for the broadband if you leave early (even though it's free if you stay). I'm sure I've seen it mentioned somewhere on here.

itchyfeet123

Will they really charge a termination fee if I pay the full twelve months?

mije1983

itchyfeet123 wrote: »

Will they really charge a termination fee if I pay the full twelve months?

No, the ETC will be no more than the cost of the entire contract.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/charges-for-ending-your-sky-contract-early


However there may still be an Openreach charge as I mentioned above. I'm not 100% sure if Sky pass this charge on the the customer though.

itchyfeet123

Good info, thanks!

From the Ts &Cs:

"The early termination charge will not be more than the charges you would have paid for your
chosen Product for the remainder of the Minimum Term less any costs we save, including the
cost of no longer providing you with Sky Broadband, and less the benefit to us in receiving
payment early..."

I don't see any other charge mentioned in there, although I haven't exactly been looking with a fine toothed comb. In any case, even with an additional £30 it's still cheaper than topping up my hotspot allowance or any of the other providers I found.

mije1983

More info and an explanation about it here

https://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/broadband/hidden-broadband-cessation-charges/

It says Sky don't charge it, but it's an 18 month old article so could have changed by now.