Cheap broadband and landline deals for pensioners are available from a range of UK providers, including discounted social tariffs for households on Pension Credit.
Whether you're choosing broadband for yourself, or helping an older relative switch provider, this guide explains:
- the cheapest broadband deals available
- broadband packages with inclusive calls
- flexible contracts
- social tariffs
- what to know about Digital Voice and landline changes
Use our postcode checker to compare pensioner-friendly broadband deals available in your area.
| Cheapest broadband | Virgin Media Essentials |
|---|---|
| Best customer support | BT Home Essentials |
| Most flexible contract | Virgin Media Essentials |
| Best full fibre social tariff | Community Fibre (London) Virgin Media Essentials (Elsewhere) |
| Best broadband and TV package | Virgin Media Essential with Flex TV |
| Best for ease and reassurance | BT Home Essentials |
Can you get cheap broadband for pensioners?
A few broadband providers offer special social tariff deals for the elderly, and those receiving benefits like Pension Credit.
But sometimes, you can get a really good deal on a normal broadband package, so shopping around is a must.
If you want a good idea of what’s available in your area, use our easy deals checker.
Quite often, your best bet is a normal, cheap broadband deal. Especially if you want to use the internet frequently, or make home calls.
If you're ready to buy now, here are some of the best cheap broadband deals currently available:
- Speed: 74Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£19.99 per month
£23.99 from 31st March 2027
£27.99 from 31st March 2028
- Speed: 66Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£22.99 per month
£26.99 from 31st March 2027
£30.99 from 31st March 2028
- Speed: 67Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
£22.99 per month
£26.99 from 31st March 2027
£30.99 from 31st March 2028
But if you're interested in a pensioner’s deal, then here are some we recommend:
BT landline and broadband deals for pensioners
We're often asked, "do pensioners get BT Broadband for free?". Unfortunately, not. But BT does offer a cheap package called BT Home Essentials. Prices start from £16 per month for households with no income, or £21 for others.
This deal is only available to people on benefits, including:
- Income support
- Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
- Pensions Credit (Guaranteed Credit)
- Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
- Universal Credit (who are on zero earnings)
If you're looking for pensioners broadband with the option to add on calls, this is worth exploring.
Virgin Media Essential - the cheapest broadband for pensioners
At £12.50 per month, Virgin Media Essential is one of the cheapest social tariffs available to pensioners on Pension Credit.
It’s on a rolling 30-day contract, so you can leave at any time with no exit fees.
The speeds are slow in comparison to most broadband packages these days. However, for light browsing, emailing and streaming this should be plenty enough.
Faster speeds are available for £20 per month.
The only consideration is that, if you’ve not been connected to Virgin Media before, an engineer visit is likely necessary.
Community Fibre free full fibre broadband
Community Fibre has partnered with the DWP to offer 12 months of free 50Mb full fibre broadband to customers who are registered as being disabled, carers, or have been in receipt of benefits for more than 6 months.
However, this offer is limited to those signed up with the following Jobcentre Plus services:
- Woolwich
- Peckham
- Tower Hamlets
- Harlesden
- Barnsbury
- Finsbury Park
- Streatham
- Hoxton
How do I compare broadband deals?
If this is your first time comparing broadband deals and tariffs, it may seem daunting to start with. But don’t let that put you off.
Switching broadband is much like switching energy providers, or shopping around for cheap insurance.
Think about what you need and the features most important to you or your elderly friend or relative, and then find a deal that fits your requirements at the right price.
Here's how to best compare broadband deals:
- How much are you online? Think about how long you spend on the phone each month and how long you spend online.
- How are you using the internet? If you’re just browsing or checking social media and email sometimes, go for the cheapest deal you can get. Activities like streaming video are a lot more demanding, so it’ll be beneficial to get a fibre broadband package.
- How many people use the internet in your home? The more people sharing the broadband, the faster it’ll need to be. Read our ultimate guide to broadband speed for more help in understanding things like average download speeds.
- Do a broadband comparison search. Use Broadband Genie's deals checker. Enter the address you need broadband for, and look through all the deals. Don't forget to make use of the filters to hone down packages that are the most relevant.
- Click on a deal and follow the registration steps.
- Wait for your broadband to go live!
Once you've signed up for a deal, the provider should confirm by email and give you an estimated date for your service to begin.
If an engineer needs to visit, they'll confirm a date and time for that too.
Typically, you’ll have to wait around two weeks between the date you signed up to the date your connection goes live.
If you have concerns about what happens during an engineer visit, ready our guide: ‘How easy is it to install full fibre broadband?
What to look out for when comparing broadband deals
Customer service
Older users sometimes require a little extra support when setting up broadband, especially if they’re switching providers for the first time in years.
Before signing up, check:
- whether the provider offers phone support
- customer service opening hours
- if setup help is available
- how easy it is to contact someone if something goes wrong
Good customer service can make switching broadband far less stressful.
For more help, read our guide to the best broadband providers for customer service.
Price
Once you know how often you’ll use your phone and broadband, you can use that to decide whether any deal is good for you or not.
Also, keep an eye out for any upfront costs as well as the monthly price when comparing deals.
We make it easy to factor in all the hidden extra costs with our 'effective monthly cost' information. You'll find this if you click on the 'offer details and pricing' arrow.
Speed
You likely won’t need very fast broadband, especially if you live on your own, or as a couple.
Here’s a quick example of the minimum speeds to aim for:
| Task | Preferred speed |
|---|---|
| Email and browsing | 36Mbps |
| Streaming TV | 64Mbps + |
| Video calls with family | 64Mbps + |
| Multiple users | 100Mb + |
For more help, read our guide to broadband speeds.
Contract length
Some broadband contracts are for one month, some for 12-months, and others might ask you to sign up for 18 months or even longer.
Generally, the longer the agreement, the less it will cost you. But bear in mind that for many providers, the monthly broadband price rises every spring - even if you're in contract!
Choose a contract length to suit you. Longer contracts may be cheaper, but you’re then obliged to stay with that provider. A word of warning! Quitting a broadband contract early can often end up being expensive.
Inclusive minutes
If you use your landline regularly, then having inclusive calls with your broadband deal is smart.
Many will offer phone deals with free evening and weekend calls as part of the package, but some may charge on a pay-as-you-use basis. You can also opt to upgrade to anytime calls or international calling. If you use your home phone a lot, make sure to check what you get for your money!
Helping a parent or relative switch broadband? Compare simple, low-cost broadband deals available at their address.
Which are the best broadband providers for pensioners?
We think BT’s Home Essentials is the best broadband choice for pensioners. However, this isn’t a package you can simply sign up to. You’ll need to be on Pension Credit and to get in touch with BT to apply.
Other providers you might want to consider include:
- Sky Broadband
- NOW Broadband
- Community Fibre (for pensioners in London)
- Vodafone
- Virgin Media
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£23 per month
Price may rise during contract
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£23.99 per month
£27.99 from 31st March 2027
£31.99 from 31st March 2028
- Speed: 150Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£22 per month
£25.50 from 1st April 2027
£29 from 1st April 2028
Digital Voice and landline changes explained
Traditional landlines are changing across the UK.
By January 2027, most home phone calls will use Digital Voice services instead of the old phone network. This means your home phone will plug into your broadband router rather than a traditional wall socket.
If you or a relative:
- use a healthcare pendant
- rely on a landline
- have poor mobile signal
- are aged over 70
- have additional accessibility needs
…providers should offer extra support and may delay moving your service.
If you're unsure, contact your provider directly before switching broadband.
For more help, read our guide to the PSTN switch-off and Digital Voice.
- Speed: 264Mb avg. speed
- Set-up cost: £0
- Contract: 24 months
Rewards:
£20.99 per month
£24.99 from 1st April 2027
£28.99 from 1st April 2028
Many broadband deals include inclusive calls, while others offer it as a premium extra. If you don’t want those inclusive calls when you sign up but need them later, you can often add them to your account whenever you like.
Inclusive calls are useful if you use the phone a lot or like to keep your bill predictable. If you make phone calls that fall under the inclusive call allowance, your monthly bill should always be the same!
How do I prove eligibility for an elderly broadband deal?
You may need to have a credit check when you go for a broadband deal of any kind. You may be asked to provide your details, including your national insurance number.
If you’re worried you won’t pass a credit check, then we do have deals for broadband without credit checks.
FAQs
-
Is there a cheap broadband for pensioners?
Yes. But only if you’re on Pension Credit. This means you can apply for cheaper broadband social tariffs. If you’re not on Pension Credit, there are plenty of options for cheap broadband, or affordable broadband only deals with free gifts.
-
Who is the least complained about broadband provider?
This varies and changes regularly. Ofcom’s complaints data is a good place to start.
Our customer broadband reviews are also a good read if you want to check out first-hand experience.
-
How much is Sky TV and broadband for pensioners?
Sky Broadband Basics is available to those on Pension Credit. It costs, £20 per month on a 24-month contract. However, if you need to leave before this contract ends, you can.
You can still get very cheap broadband without applying for a social tariff, and it’s not unusual to be able to secure monthly deals from under £20.
-
Can you get free broadband for pensioners?
Not easily. Community Fibre has teamed up with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide free full fibre broadband to customers who are registered as being disabled, carers, or have been in receipt of benefits for more than 6 months. But this is limited to areas in London.
If you can’t get this, a discounted broadband social tariff is your next best option.
Switching broadband for a pensioner friendly broadband deal
Not all broadband switches require an engineer visit. It may just be a case of receiving a new router in the post and waiting for the switch-over date.
However, if you’re upgrading to full fibre for the first time, there’s a likelihood you’ll need to arrange an engineer visit.
Someone must be at home to give access, so bear this in mind if you’re helping a relative or friend set up their broadband connection.
We also recommend reading through our broadband scams guide, so you have more confidence when it comes to installation and next steps.
Start your switch today. Enter your postcode for a quick check to see what’s available in your area:
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