Choosing a broadband, tv and phone package – who knew?
I’ll admit it – savvy internet shopper and credit card switcher and Great Deal hunter that I am, there’s a couple of things I’ve never ever changed.
My Phone & Broadband have been with BT since we bought this house 20 years ago (though the broadband came later, obviously; from the-internets-didn’t-exist days through dangle-a-modem-cable-down-the-stairs right up to our current wireless home network of 4 PC’s, 2 iMacs and six tablets…). And the TV – well, we opted for Sky with a new-fangled feels-like-Star-Trek satellite dish about 19 years ago… and have stayed.
I admit it – we’re a demanding household. We run two internet-based businesses from home. We also home educate our four children – something I would never have considered back in the days when it would mean long sessions at the local library sorting through reference books. The internet quite literally opened up the possibility of such an exciting opportunity for us as a family, and we grabbed it gratefully with both hands. And on top of all THAT necessary internet cobwebbing its way though our days, there’s the fun stuff. Our three boys are teens or pre-teens with the totally normal need for instant gratification, and a longing for 20-hr a day absorption inside their latest internet fascination (anyone else own a League of Legends fanatic?). Plus, of course, there’s the Minecraft. Let’s never ever underestimate the power of the Minecraft.
So really, the internet/tv/phone triangle is as basic a need in this house as the water and the electricity. In fact, we’re all a bit like Chris Addison (it’s a short clip, very funny, but has a couple of swears so NSFW)…
But around this time of year I start doing a little household-bill housekeeping. Various insurances are up for renewal, and it makes me take a quick glance over the direct debits, see what I’m paying to whom; and always makes me wonder if I could get a better deal.
Increasingly I see adverts and deals on combined phone, TV and broadband packages, and it does seem to make so much sense to have the three in one hat, so to speak. The three things are so interlinked now, aren’t they? Okay we still use the TV for entertainment, but we’re as likely to have it linked to a tablet streaming a Netflix movie as we are to be watching the BBC. And rock steady broadband allows us to take for granted all those handy extras which means we’re NOT stuck with just the BBC/ITV offerings at 10.30 on a Sunday morning.
I genuinely have no complaints about our service, either – it’s rarely been anything but smooth and wrinkle free from either provider – which is another reason for us to hesitate about rocking the boat. But the price for our separate packages is a little bit eye-watering every month… so I decided that I ought to compare broadband TV and phone packages, just to make sure I was getting the best deal.
And wasn’t that an eye-opener? For us, it was great to see that we genuinely are on the best deal once you take into account our much-needed any-time-any-amount-properly-unlimited packages. So that’s a relief (though a shame I can’t shave a few pounds back into the bank each month!). But I had no idea that if we were a less-demanding family the package prices could be so cheap. In my area, I can get a combined broadband, TV AND phone package for £4.25 a month. FOUR POUNDS! Add in the line rental and you’re still only talking about £20 a month.
I’m really glad that my savvy shopper brain hasn’t let me down and we ARE on the best deal for us – but i suggest you put in your postcode and take a look at what you’re paying yourself. I’m pretty sure that using a comparison site like Broadband Choices I have just saved my in-laws £25 a month…
