subject: How to buy short contract broadband [print this page] How to buy short contract broadband How to buy short contract broadband
Getting broadband when you need a short contract - for example, when you'll only be staying in one property for less than a year or when you just don't want to commit to a lengthy contract when you're not sure about the access in your area - can often seem like a difficult, if not impossible task.
There are a few providers that offer these services but they do tend to be a bit more expensive and they don't tend to be the very large mainstream providers, which tend to offer more generic products to their customers.
So pause a while in considering whether Virgin Media will come out top or wondering out loud is Sky HD worth it? These providers just aren't going to offer short or no contract broadband.
No way, no how.
So when buying short contract broadband the first thing to consider is the providers (sometimes known as internet service providers or ISPs) that are on offer to you.
This won't just depend on the deals that they do but on your local area. Some providers are only active in some areas and other only use technology that is available in some exchanges so before you begin it's vital to start with a search on your postcode to find the providers that can be access at your property.
You can do this at any number of comparison sites but be aware that not all of them will list every deal available so it's sometimes worth checking a couple before making a decision.
Once you've worked out which broadband deals are available to you then you'll have another three points to consider when it comes to short contract broadband deals.
The first is that you won't have access to the cheapest broadband deals with no or short contract broadband but there are some ways that you can make the experience as financially painless as possible.
Use a price comparison tool to check how much the deals are, look for special offers and try to avoid excess costs. See below for more on that.
Second, you'll probably be asked to provide your own broadband router. To save on this you can sometimes use an old one, go for wired unless you're desperate for wireless and shop around with a quick google before buying from your new provider as they will generally mark up their products at least a bit.
Third, make sure that you know when a short contract ends. It sounds obvious but many of these are three or one month contracts which often means that you'll need to give notice that you're leaving the provider at the start of the month or three month period.
