TalkTalk offers 12 months free unlimited broadband

TalkTalk is offering 12 months free broadband in its SimplyBroadband package. But how does it compare to other 'free' deals?

TalkTalk is offering customers 12 months of free broadband, complete with a £75 Love2Shop voucher.

You’ll get unlimited broadband at up to 17Mb speed, and it comes with free Homesafe internet security software and free calls between TalkTalk users.

Of course, there is a catch. You must switch your line rental to TalkTalk, which may incur upfront activation and installation fees if you’re with another provider. And there's no call package.

However, there’s also free connection (worth £30) or a £50 welcome credit for new lines.

Line rental costs £16.70 a month but you can trim it down to £14.35 a month if you pay £172.20 for 12 months in advance.

There’s also a £6.75 fee for the router.

After the first 12 months, the monthly cost will increase to £3.50. The contract lasts for 18 months and is only available to online customers.

The offer ends this Sunday (15th March) so if you’re sold, get in there quickly.

Want to switch? See what deals are on offer at broadbandchoices.co.uk

How to spot a gimmick

When buying broadband, it’s important to remember that just because something says that it’s free, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it's the best deal.

The line rental is your biggest consideration here. It’s often upwards of £15 a month, which adds a hefty chunk onto your bill. Over the course of a year, the ‘free’ broadband deal with TalkTalk would come to £200.40 with line rental alone, plus the £6.75 for the router.

As more and more people flock to unlimited text messaging and free instant messaging apps such as Whatsapp, fewer deals include decent home phone packages. Most of them are now limited to weekends, if anything at all.

So when looking at cheap broadband, you need to factor in all the costs and not just the headline price.

Comparing offers

Here are some other ‘free’ broadband deals out there at the moment, and what they really cost.

Provider, package and speed	Offer and offer end date	Broadband usage and calls	Contract length (intro offer period)	Upfront costs	Initial monthly cost	Total first year cost (including line rental)
TalkTalk Simply Broadband 17MB	Free for 12 months plus a £75 Love2Shop voucher Ends 15th March 2015	Truly unlimited Pay as you go	18 months (12 months)	£6.75	Free (£16.70 line rental), £3.50 thereafter	£207.15
Fuel Unlimited Fuel Broadband 16 MB	Free for six months (includes Google Chromecast) Ends 31st March 2015	Truly unlimited Evening and weekend calls	18 months (6 months)	£7.95	Free (£15.00 line rental), £4.00 thereafter	£211.95
Post Office Broadband Premium 8MB	Free for 6 months Offer ongoing	Unlimited Evening and weekend calls	18 months (6 months)	None	Free(£15.00 line rental), £11.00 thereafter	£228.00
John Lewis Standard Broadband 17MB	Free for 6 months Offer ongoing	20GB Evening and weekend calls	12 months (6 months)	None	Free (£13.50 line rental), £11.00 thereafter	£228.00

And to match the four free deals, here are the four cheapest 'paid' offers at the moment.

Provider, package and speed	Offer and offer end date	Broadband usage and calls	Contract length (intro offer period)	Upfront costs	Initial monthly cost plus line rental	Ongoing monthly cost (without line rental)	First year cost (including line rental)
Plusnet Unlimited + Weekend 17MB	£2.50 for 12 months Ends 31st March 2015	Truly unlimited Weekend calls	12 months (12 months)	£5.99	£2.50 plus £15.95	£9.99	£227.39
EE Unlimited Broadband and Weekend Calls 17MB	£2.50 for 12 months Offer ongoing	Unlimited Weekend calls	12 months (12 months)	£6.00	£2.50 plus £15.75	£9.95	£225.00
Virgin Media Broadband: 50MB and Talk Weekends 50MB	£4 for 12 months (broadbandchoices exclusive) Ends 18th March 2015	Unlimited Weekend calls	18 months (12 months)	None	£4.00 plus £16.99	£17.50	£251.88
Sky Broadband Unlimited + Talk Weekends 17MB	Half price for 12 months plus a £50 M&S voucher Ends 26th March 2015	Truly unlimited Weekend calls	12 months (12 months)	£6.95	£3.75 plus £16.40	£7.50	£248.75

So in both examples TalkTalk wins, at least as far as the up to 17Mb speed market is concerned.

Does that mean the deals without free introductory periods aren't good value or are we just getting caught up in the gimmick?

As it turns out, going for free broadband appears to be worth it in the short term, but you have to think carefully before you sign anything.

Although the free deals have lower prices over the first year, the introductory periods are shorter than they are on the paid ones, so you’ll be tied into a contract where the cost will rise rather sharply after 12 months.

Just keep an eye out for it and make sure you can cover it financially. The post-introductory part of your contract is where you’re most likely to get caught out price-wise.

Want to switch? See what deals are on offer at broadbandchoices.co.uk

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