Press release · For immediate use

£800 million in broadband savings goes unclaimed while the biggest brands add £4 monthly rises

ISLE OF MAN, 6 July 2026. New analysis from independent comparison site BroadbandSwitch.uk finds that only 532,000 UK households use a broadband social tariff, 8.6% of those eligible, even as the five biggest broadband brands apply fixed £4.00 monthly price rises every year. Citizens Advice estimated the unclaimed social tariff savings at more than £800 million a year in December 2023, and take-up has barely shifted since.

Key findings, verified by hand 4 to 6 July 2026

The cheapest verified social tariff is £12.50 per month with Virgin Media, matched by Community Fibre in London, against an average of £25.72 across the twenty entry deals in the site's verified review. Vodafone has withdrawn its £12.00 entry tier; its remaining £20.00 Essentials plan is now the fastest big five tariff at up to 73 Mbps. On standard deals, BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk and Virgin Media all apply a fixed £4.00 monthly rise each year, £48.00 annually, while Zen, YouFibre, Fibrus and Hyperoptic apply none. The cheapest verified standard deal in Britain is Community Fibre's 100 Mbps full fibre at £14.00 per month in its London footprint.

"The strangest thing about Britain's broadband market is that its best kept secret is a discount. More than nine in ten eligible households are paying full price, and the application takes minutes. We publish the evidence pack alongside our numbers so any journalist can verify every figure without taking our word for it," said Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, Founder and CEO of BroadbandSwitch.uk.

"Providers verify eligibility electronically with the DWP, most waive exit fees to move mid-contract, and BT has frozen its social tariff price. The barriers people imagine are mostly gone. What remains is awareness, and that is fixable," said Adrian James, Broadband Editor.