24-month broadband deals: the commitment case, honestly told

Two years buys the lowest monthly price in UK broadband: £10 to £20 under rolling, £3 to £5 under 12-month, £240 to £480 saved across the term, plus the best routers and cashback in the market. The stakes are equally real: an exit fee equal to every remaining month, two April rises instead of one, and no escape if better fibre reaches your street in year two. This page prices both columns properly, so the settled commit with confidence and everyone else picks something that fits.

Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Adrian James Broadband Editor · wrote this guide
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Head of Editorial at BroadbandSwitch.uk
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith Head of Editorial · reviewed it
First published . Last updated . Next review by . Market figures as published at 5 August 2026. How we rank deals · Corrections log
Straight to the 24-month deals at your address

The live comparison further down is pre-filtered to 24-month contracts, or run the full check here and see every contract length side by side.

Independent and free. Or jump to the 24-month deals below.
If plans changed early, what would each route really cost? The exit fee on a 24-month deal is the remaining months, so leaving early still costs the full-term total. Slide the month plans might change and compare against the 12-month route, starting from the page's £22 versus £25 example.
Exit fees modelled as the full remaining months (providers often discount slightly); after month 12 the 12-month route assumes renewal at the same price, and rises are excluded on both sides for a like-for-like read. The fees guide holds the exact formulas.
  • £20 to £32typical UK monthly range for 24-month fibre
  • £240 to £480saved across the term against rolling deals
  • 2 April risesinside a typical 24-month term, both disclosed upfront
  • ~Month 22where the lock-in truly beats the 12-month route
Twenty-four payments, priced accordingly

What two years actually offers

You commit to 24 minimum monthly payments; the provider, with acquisition costs spread across two years and no mid-term re-selling to do, returns the efficiency as the lowest headline price in its range, usually its best router, and often cashback. It is also the option providers push hardest, because it stabilises their revenue. The counterweight is the exit fee: typically every remaining monthly payment, so leaving a £25 deal at month 12 costs roughly £300 and at month 18 roughly £150. That formula is why this page is blunt about fit before it is enthusiastic about price.

The upside, added up

The savings case, in full

Typical 24-month fibre runs £20 to £32 a month against £22 to £35 on 12-month terms and £28 to £45 rolling. Across the full term that is £240 to £480 saved versus rolling and £72 to £120 versus 12-month, before the extras: hardware bundles worth £50 to £150 if you would have bought the mesh kit anyway, and cashback of £50 to £200 on many deals for those who claim inside the window. Stack everything and a well-chosen 24-month deal can deliver £400 to £700 more value than rolling over the two years. Every pound of it, though, is conditional on seeing the term through, which is what the next section prices.

The downside, priced

What two years of lock-in really means

  • 1. A move you did not planJobs, families, health: even settled households get surprised, and mid-term exits cost the remaining months. Many providers waive the fee when they cannot serve the new address, so confirm that clause in writing at sign-up; over two years it is worth £200 to £500 of insurance.
  • 2. Fibre arrives, you cannot take itFTTP reaching your street 14 months into a 24-month FTTC deal is locked behind the exit fee. In active rollout areas this risk is real, and checking build plans before signing is step five of the checks below.
  • 3. Two rises, stackedThe second April uplift lands on the already-raised base, adding £78 to the page's £22 worked example, about 15 percent over the naive total. Both amounts are disclosed in pounds and pence before you sign, so the maths is checkable on day one.
  • 4. The market falls without youAltnet competition keeps pulling UK prices down, and a two-year lock misses year two of it. A 12-month term catches the falls at renewal, which is the honest price of the £3 to £5 discount.
The lock-in ledger: gains of £240 to £480 versus rolling, £72 to £120 versus 12-month, hardware worth £50 to £150 and cashback of £50 to £200, against stakes of an exit fee equal to the remaining months, two stacked April rises adding £78 on the worked example, fibre overbuild lock-out, and a £15 to £25 rollover at month 24.
Figure 1. Both columns are real money; only one of them is guaranteed. Figures as published on this page, August 2026.
The whole market, one race

The three-way maths and the real crossover

On the page's example, rolling at £35, 12-month at £25 and 24-month at £22, staying the full two years makes the lock-in the clear winner: £528 against £600 on the 12-month route and £840 rolling, £312 saved versus rolling and £72 versus 12-month before bundles. But the exit-fee formula hides the sharper number: because leaving costs the remaining months, the 24-month route totals £528 whenever you go, while the 12-month route only passes £528 around month 22. Stay 21 months and the "cheaper" lock-in has cost you more. The tool at the top of the page runs that crossover on your own quotes, and the 12-month page charts the same three-way race with early exits drawn in.

Where headline maths goes wrong

Two annual rises: the worked example

A £22 deal starting in November passes two Aprils: five months at £22 (£110), then a £3 uplift for twelve months at £25 (£300), then the second uplift for seven months at £28 (£196). True total £606 against a naive £528, £78 and roughly 15 percent more, every pound of it disclosed in your paperwork before you sign. Stack both uplifts into any side-by-side with 12-month and rolling; the rises guide carries every provider's current figures.

Staircase chart of the page's worked example: a £22 per month 24-month deal starting in November spends five months at £22, twelve months at £25 after the first April uplift, and seven months at £28 after the second, for a true total of £606 against a naive £528, £78 and about 15 percent more.
Figure 2. The staircase the headline hides: two disclosed £3 uplifts on the page's worked example. As published, August 2026.
A narrower profile than most pages admit

When 24-month is right, and when it is not

  • Commit when everything already stands stillYou own the home with no realistic move inside two years; full fibre has already arrived, so nothing better is coming; job and household have been stable for years; the quote sits £5 or more a month under the 12-month; the bundled kit or cashback is genuinely useful; both April rises fit the budget; and set-and-forget beats annual optimising. That is the profile, and it is narrower than most comparison pages admit.The full-term profile
  • Step down when anything might moveTenancy shorter than 24 months, fibre rollout active nearby, any real chance of moving, an address you have held less than a year, or a gap to the 12-month quote under £3 a month: take the 12-month balance instead. Students and short stays belong on rolling, and anyone on qualifying benefits should price a social tariff before any of it.Optionality, cheaply kept

The contract length guide holds the full three-way treatment.

Five checks before two years

The five-step 24-month check

  1. Demand a £5 gap to the 12-month£5 or more a month under the 12-month quote is £120 plus over the term and justifies the lock-in. Under £3, it usually does not; take the shorter deal.
  2. Read BOTH rise amountsYear one and year two, in pounds and pence, in the paperwork. The second stacks on the first, £78 on the worked example above, so put both into your totals before comparing anything.
  3. Get the house-move waiver in writingMany providers waive the exit fee when they cannot serve the new address; some do not. For a two-year term this clause is the difference between a soft landing and £200 to £500, so ask directly and keep the answer.
  4. Diarise the cashback window£50 to £200 rides on a strict claim process, often months 3 to 6, specific form, specific portal. Set the reminder at sign-up, because missed windows are how cashback quietly becomes fiction.
  5. Check fibre build plans at your postcodeSigning 24 months of FTTC while FTTP is scheduled within a year is the classic regret. Ofcom's coverage checker and our availability checker settle it in a minute.
Live · filtered to 24-month contracts

Live 24-month deals at your postcode

Everything below is limited to 24-month packages, sorted by monthly price. Enter your postcode for availability at your address, and hold each headline against its 12-month sibling to confirm the gap earns the lock-in.

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Twenty-four-month terms are strongest among the majors and increasingly common from altnets, and the full comparison shows every contract length together.

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Common questions

24-month broadband, asked and answered

How much cheaper are 24-month deals than 12-month?

Typically £3 to £5 a month on the same package from the same provider, which is £72 to £120 across the term before hardware bundles and cashback. The working rule cuts both ways: a gap of £5 or more justifies the extra year of lock-in, while under £3 it usually does not, and the 12-month deal preserves your options for a small premium.

What happens if I move home during a 24-month contract?

Three routes, in order of preference: most providers transfer the contract where they serve the new address, usually fee-free beyond a small house-move charge; many waive the exit fee entirely where they cannot serve it, a clause worth confirming in writing at sign-up; and failing both, the fee equals the remaining monthly payments. The moving home guide walks the whole decision, and asking about the waiver before signing is the cheapest insurance in this market.

Can I get full fibre on a 24-month contract?

Yes, and this is where 24-month terms are strongest: the majors and most altnets sell FTTP on two-year deals, and premium tiers such as symmetrical gigabit are often exclusive to them. The one caution runs the other way: signing 24 months of FTTC while fibre build is scheduled nearby locks you out of the upgrade, so check the rollout picture first.

How do the two annual price rises work?

Both must be stated in pounds and pence before you sign, and the second stacks on the first: the worked example above turns a £22 headline into five months at £22, twelve at £25 and seven at £28, a true £606 against a naive £528. Read both figures in your paperwork, add £78-scale money to your comparison, and the rises guide carries every provider's current amounts.

What hardware and extras typically come with 24-month deals?

The provider's best router and often mesh Wi-Fi on top plans, discounted TV add-ons, streaming credits, and cashback of £50 to £200, an effective £150 to £400 of value over the term if you would have bought any of it anyway. The cashback is real but conditional: claim windows are strict, often months 3 to 6, so set the reminder the day you sign.

Can I upgrade or downgrade mid-contract?

Upgrading is usually easy and free, though it typically resets the minimum term to a fresh 24 months, which is worth knowing before you click. Downgrading generally waits until the term ends, and adding services mid-contract is straightforward while removing them tends to need negotiation, so start closer to the speed you actually need.

What happens after the 24 months end?

Left alone, the contract rolls onto an out-of-contract rate typically £15 to £25 a month higher, with the provider required to notify you as the term closes. The three good moves at month 24: renegotiate a fresh promotional rate with retentions, switch under One Touch Switch, or drop to rolling while you decide, and a calendar reminder at month 23 is what makes any of them happen before the silent overpayment starts.

Is a 24-month contract ever worse than a 12-month one?

Yes, in three common cases: when the monthly gap is under £3, too little to buy a year of your flexibility; when fibre rollout is active at your postcode and year two could bring something better you cannot take; and when life is stable but not fixed, renting, job in motion, plans forming, where the 12-month keeps optionality for a small premium. There is also the quieter arithmetic this page's tool exposes: because exit fees equal the remaining months, the lock-in only truly beats the 12-month route once you stay past roughly month 22.

About this guide. Compiled by Adrian James and reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, with market figures, the worked examples and the crossover arithmetic stated as published at 5 August 2026. The tool runs in your browser on your own numbers and stores nothing. Minimum terms, exit-fee formulas, cashback mechanics and rise clauses vary by provider and tariff, so always verify in the provider's own terms before committing to two years. We earn commission when you order through the comparison, which never changes the price you pay: see how we rank deals, the editorial policy and the affiliate disclosure, or submit a correction and a human will read it.

References

Ready when you are

Two settled years, take the discount; anything less certain, step down a term, and thirty seconds either way to see the real prices at your door.

Independent and free. Also worth a look: 12-month deals and this month's verified deals.
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