Top 5 way to save on broadband

Reviewed by: Greg Wilson
Founder & Insurance Expert

Written by: Katie Gawley
Insurance Content Writer

Fact-checked by: Quotezone Editorial Team

This content follows our Editorial Guidelines

Last Updated: July 2026
Read time: 4 min

As inflation continues to put households under pressure, customers need to know how to avoid paying for more than they need and where to find savings.

Ofcoms ‘One Touch Switch’ saw 1.6 million people* swap providers in the first year, showing the demand for more affordable options.

Research shows 36% of dual-play fixed broadband and landline customers were out-of-contract at the end of June 2024 – with bills 18% higher than those in-contract.

Customers need to be careful and keep an eye on their contract expiration date – making the switch to a new product or a new supplier to avoid the risk of surging costs.

Shopping around is key, one of the largest price comparison sites in the UK, Quotezone, has just announced it has added broadband to its line-up, to help customers find those tough to reach savings.

The expert’s at Quotezone have compiled a list of top tips to help users get the right broadband for less.

Quotezone.co.uk’s top 5 tips to help save on broadband:

Know your use

It’s important to know what usage looks like, light is normally emails and social media with a little browsing, medium is for streaming, casual online gaming or video calls and heavy would be more suited to working from home where people might need to download large files, use cloud storage, and competitive online gaming – each level will have a knock-on effect on price.

Know your broadband options

Next thing to check is the broadband options in your area, normally full or standard fibre, cable or 4G/5G. Standard means you get fibre up to a street cabinet then copper to the house – full means fibre right up and into the house, considered the fastest most reliable type of broadband. Note, full fibre may require a visit from an engineer.

Be realistic with your speed

The speed you need depends on your household. How many people are using the internet, when and how. Most providers will quote the speed you’ll normally get at peak times, to give you an idea of what you’ll realistically receive – note, if you don’t consistently get this speed you can leave your contract. 

One Touch Switching

There’s also help at hand when it comes to switching, as of September 2024, you don’t need to contact your current provider to start the leaving process. Similar to energy, the new provider will handle the organisation and deal with the old supplier, meaning new customers just have to choose a new deal, as part of Ofcom’s new One Touch Switching rules.

Be wary

It’s important to do your research beforehand, looking at contract lengths, upload and download speeds, usage restrictions, in-contract price rises, monthly price versus overall costs per year and setup fees – comparison sites can help, showing costs side by side to make it easier to compare. Bundles and introductory offers can make packages cheaper but just keep an eye on the duration of the offer in case prices return to their normal rates.

Piers Murray, broadband expert at Quotezone says: “Broadband can be a complicated purchase, with multiple speeds and options to consider so it was important for us to give our customers something easy to use, laying out search results as clearly as possible so people can decide what they actually need and how they can reduce their costs.  

“It is possible to find better bundles at more competitive prices, and there are savings that many households are missing out on by either being out of contract without realising or paying for bigger packages than they need. The key is to shop around, and price comparison sites like ours make that easy. ”

Available soon to customers in Northern Ireland via CompareNI.com.

References:
*https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/switching-provider/1.6-million-brits-hit-switch-on-their-broadband-provider

**https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/ultrafast-broadband-and-landline-bundles-see-biggest-price-drop-in-2024

Photo credit – iStock.com trumzz

This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.