12 month broadband contracts in the UK: who still offers them, what they cost against 24 months, and when the shorter term wins

12 or 24 months?  The calculator

Enter the two deals and how long you honestly expect to stay.  The calculator prices both routes over 24 months, including a renewal on the 12 month route and the exit fee on whichever deal you would be leaving early, and tells you which wins.  Nothing you enter is stored.

Who offers a 12 month term, September 2026

The list has narrowed every year.  Virgin Media dropped 12 months for 24 plus a 30 day rolling option; BT keeps 12 months for its social tariff; Sky and TalkTalk start at 18.  The 12 month market now belongs to one national provider and the altnets that have built their own full fibre, which is why almost every 12 month deal is full fibre (BroadbandSwitch.uk, 2026a; Free Price Compare, 2026).

Figure 1

A provider on this list is only an option if its network reaches your address, which is why the postcode check comes first.  Rebel Internet is a BroadbandSwitch.uk commercial partner; it is listed here because it is the one national 12 month option, and it is ranked on the compare page by total cost like everyone else.

The sums, three ways

Take a 12 month deal at £28 fixed and a 24 month deal at £25 that rises £4 from month 13, and price them over two years for three households: one that stays, one that leaves at month 12, one that leaves at month 18.

Figure 2

Two things stand out.  The 12 month premium is small when you stay, because it is offset by crossing one April rise instead of two.  And the 12 month advantage is large when you leave, because the exit fee on a 24 month deal at month 12 is nearly the whole second year.  The break-even is not a price; it is how sure you are of staying.  Our exit fees guide covers the situations in which that fee is £0, which changes the sum again.

When 12 months wins, and when 24 does

Figure 3

1. You rent on a 12 month tenancy

   Match the broadband to the lease.  If the landlord renews, so do you, at a price you can renegotiate; if you move, there is nothing to pay.  Our renters guide covers who is responsible for the line and what to do with the router.

2. Full fibre is coming to your street

   If the build map shows fibre arriving within a year, a 24 month copper or part-fibre deal locks you out of it or charges you to leave.  A 12 month term, or a 30 day rolling deal for a shorter wait, lets you move the day it goes live; our short contract guide compares the two.

3. You expect the market to move your way

   Altnet prices have fallen as networks compete for customers.  A renewal point at month 12 is worth something when there is a good chance the deals on offer will be better than today's.

4. The 12 month deal is fixed price

   Several altnets and Rebel Internet fix the price for the whole term with no April rise, which removes most of the premium against a 24 month deal that rises £3 to £4.  Our price rises guide lists every provider's figure.

5. Choose 24 months when you will stay two years

   The lower monthly price and one fewer renewal win, and the disclosed rises are already counted in the total contract cost on our compare page.  Diary the end-of-contract notice, which must arrive 10 to 40 days before the term ends.

6. And when the provider you want only sells 24

   Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and EE do not sell 12 month terms.  If the network at your address is theirs, the choice is 18 or 24 months, and the question becomes which of those; our contract lengths guide covers it.

One April or two: the rise you cannot avoid

Since 17 January 2025 any mid-contract rise must be written into the contract in pounds and pence, and most big providers now add £3 to £4 a month each April (James, 2026).  The term decides how many of those you sign up for.

Figure 4

Two details matter.  BT, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone now exempt customers from a rise in their first year, so a 12 month deal from them, where one exists, can contain no rise at all (James, 2026).  And a rise that was not in your contract, or any rise at all at Sky and NOW, gives you a penalty-free exit, which our exit fees guide explains.  Our total contract cost calculator counts every rise in the term automatically.

Test yourself

Four quick questions.  Pick an answer to see how you did.

Questions people ask

Glossary

Minimum term

The period you commit to when you sign: 12, 18 or 24 months, or 30 days on a rolling deal.  See our Telecoms Acronym Decoder.

Altnet

An alternative network: a provider that has built its own full fibre rather than using Openreach, such as Hyperoptic, Community Fibre or YouFibre.

Fixed price

A deal whose monthly price does not change during the term; no April rise.

Early termination charge

The amount a provider charges if you end a contract before its minimum term, roughly the payments left less a discount.

End-of-contract notification

The notice a provider must send 10 to 40 days before your term ends, setting out your options and its best deals.

Rolling contract

A 30 day term that renews monthly and can be cancelled on 30 days' notice with no exit fee.

Total contract value

Everything you pay over the minimum term: monthly prices, rises, setup fees, less cashback.  The figure our compare page ranks by.