Do you have broadband and live sports? Check your contract - you could be overpaying by £373 a year
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Out-of-contract customers who have both broadband and live sports could be paying £373 a year more than they need to, a broadband expert warns.
With the Premier League kicking off this weekend, Ernest Doku from the comparison website Uswitch is urging sports fans to check their contract.
When a bundle's fixed term ends, prices can spike sharply – and the same services bought separately would be much cheaper.
Uswitch research suggests that 35 per cent of bundle customers wrongly believe they need to stay with their current broadband provider to keep accessing sports channels and streaming.
Ernest says that 'switching to standalone broadband and rolling monthly sports apps can deliver the same content for less'.
If you're not locked into a contract, switching to a cheaper broadband deal is a case of comparing your options and signing up.
The new provider should handle the changeover, but you'll need to deal with your sports channels separately.
First game: The Premier League kicked off with Arsenal vs Coventry
Football fans caught in a costly 'bundle blindspot'
If your live sports bundle contract is coming to an end, your monthly bill will rise sharply just as the new football season starts.
Uswitch has analysed costs across the major UK broadband and TV providers, finding that bundles with broadband, TV and live sports can cost up to £151 a month once a two-year contract ends.
The comparison website has crunched the numbers by looking at out-of-contract bundle prices against the same services bought individually, across four major providers – BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media.
The average overpayment is £31.10 a month or £373 a year.
If you're not in contract, you can avoid this by switching to a new bundle deal – this could be from a different provider because pricing for new customers is currently competitive.
'Sport bundles are well priced for new customers right now, and we're seeing strong deals across the market. Just make sure you know when any introductory pricing ends, and what the ongoing rate will be, before you commit,' said Ernest Doku of Uswitch.
Read more: How to switch to a cheaper energy deal
Do you need a long-term bundled contract in the first place?
If you mainly follow the football but are on a bundled contract, you might save money by switching to a cheaper broadband provider and paying for a standalone sports streaming app.
You can sign up for these on a flexible basis, only paying for the months you use:
- Now TV – Sports Flexible (12 Sky Sports channels): £34.99 a month
- TNT Sports through HBO Max: £30.99 a month
- Amazon Prime (select football fixtures): £8.99 a month
Smaller and regional internet providers have been offering very competitive deals recently, so it's worth checking what options are available in your area.
The key is to add everything up to make sure it's still cheaper than a bundle – for example, looking at your monthly internet bill, standalone sports app, and Netflix. With competitive deals on broadband and TV packages available, it's possible it won't be.
And remember that unless your household uses the internet heavily – for example when gaming or streaming and working at home at the same time – you might not need to pay for very high speeds.
Speeds of 101-500Mbps (megabits per second) suit larger homes of three or more people according to Uswitch.
You can compare deals on broadband and TV packages at Uswitch* and other price comparison websites, or you can check offers directly with providers.