{"id":18581,"date":"2023-10-21T09:51:33","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T09:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/?p=18581"},"modified":"2023-10-21T09:51:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T09:51:34","slug":"how-to-save-money-and-get-a-good-deal-on-student-broadband","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/blog\/how-to-save-money-and-get-a-good-deal-on-student-broadband\/","title":{"rendered":"How to save money and get a good deal on student broadband"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Leggett, Home Communications Expert at broadbandchoices<\/a>.co.uk, has provided the following advice for the users of Student Employment Services: <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Between looming loan repayments and living costs, there\u2019s a lot of pressure on your finances while you\u2019re at University. But you can at least save yourself some cash on your broadband by arming yourself with the information you need and shopping around for a good deal.<\/p>\n

So what are your options? What\u2019s the best way to trim your outgoings? Which providers are most student-friendly? And how fast does your broadband need to be so everyone in your shared house gets a reliable, speedy connection? We\u2019ll answer all this and more.<\/p>\n


\nWhich providers are best for student broadband?<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Unless you\u2019re lucky and land yourself an uncommonly great rental accommodation at a great price, it\u2019s rare that you\u2019ll stay in the same address from year to year. What\u2019s more, most of us go back home for the summer holidays too. So aren\u2019t living in our term-time lodgings outside the academic year.<\/p>\n

Luckily, there are a number of broadband services that take students\u2019 peripatetic lifestyles into account. And most plans are flexible enough to ensure you won\u2019t end up paying for broadband when you\u2019re not living in your accommodation.<\/p>\n


\n9-month student broadband deals<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Virgin Media and BT both offer specially tailored student broadband deals that run over nine-month contracts, instead of the standard 12-months contract term. That means you won\u2019t have to pay for broadband over the long summer holiday, when you\u2019ve probably packed your bags for home.<\/p>\n

BT and Virgin Media\u2019s nine-month student broadband contracts typically run between October and June. So they coincide with the academic year.<\/p>\n

Both offer TV add-ons too, for those shared evenings in front of the TV, watching football matches or hunkering down under a duvet for movie nights.<\/p>\n


\nNo contract home broadband<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Another option is to go with no-contract or rolling-contract broadband, which allows you to pay on a month-to-month basis. You\u2019ll just have to give 30 days\u2019 notice when you want to leave.<\/p>\n

The chief benefit for students is you can simply cancel during the summer holidays, with no penalty to pay.<\/p>\n

Providers that offer no-contract\/rolling contract broadband include Now Broadband and Virgin Media. Both of whom offer standard broadband and pricier, but faster, fibre broadband.<\/p>\n

With Now Broadband, you\u2019re able to add and remove Now TV Passes whenever you like too. That means you won\u2019t have to commit to a pricey TV subscription.<\/p>\n


\nMobile broadband<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The advent of 4G means that mobile broadband is now a decent substitute for a fixed line home broadband connection.<\/p>\n

Better still, you won\u2019t have to pay the best part of \u00a320 per month for a landline.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re done for the year, you can either take your mobile broadband device with you when you leave for your parents\u2019 place for the summer.<\/p>\n

Or, it\u2019s just as easy to cancel over the summer months. And simply resume when you\u2019re back at uni.<\/p>\n

If you want a mobile broadband connection you can share with others, choose a MiFi. This is effectively a wireless router that transmits your mobile internet connection around your home.<\/p>\n

But before you decide to go with mobile broadband, be aware that download limits are much more restrictive than on fixed-line home broadband. So you\u2019ll need to be mindful of how much data you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, you typically pay more for the same amount of data than on a fixed-line home broadband deal too.<\/p>\n


\nHow to choose a student broadband deal<\/span>
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s safe to assume that most students are pretty heavy internet users. So it\u2019s just as well that most fixed line home broadband deals offer unlimited usage. So that\u2019s one less thing to worry about, no?<\/p>\n

Instead, the chief factor that should determine which type of broadband you choose is how many people live in your home. That\u2019ll dictate whether to pick standard or fibre broadband and how fast your connection will need to be.<\/p>\n


\nHouses with two people<\/span>
\n<\/strong>If it\u2019s just you and a chum or your partner sharing a place, you can get by with a connection offering a speed of between 3Mbps-10Mbps. You can easily get these sorts of speeds with a cheap standard broadband deal from the likes of TalkTalk and Plusnet.<\/p>\n


\nHouses with three-four people<\/span>
\n<\/strong>To ensure no one in the house experiences issues with the internet, you\u2019ll need a broadband connection of between 11Mbps-32Mbps. You can take your pick from pretty much any fixed line broadband provider.<\/p>\n


\nHouses with five or more people<\/span>
\n<\/strong>In lodgings where everyone uses lots of internet-enabled gadgets, you\u2019re best off with a broadband deal with a speed of 35Mbps or above. You can get this sort of speed with fibre broadband from a wide selection of providers.<\/p>\n


\nBuying tips for students<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n