It’s important to know that most of these rewards won’t just turn up. You’ll probably have to set up an online account and then activate your gift. And, a lot of the time there will be a timeframe attached that can can mean losing out if you’re not on top of the game.
Also, these won’t be instant. Your new provider will want to be sure that you’re in it for the long haul. Expect to wait at least 14 days until after your installation date and the cooling off period is over. The wait might be longer than that, some terms and conditions allow providers up to 120 days to get their promised rewards out.
There are lots of different sweeteners you might be offered alongside your broadband, including:
Reward or prepaid cards: Loaded to a certain value you’ll be able to use these cards at selected retailers or any site that accepts Mastercard.
Cashback: You’ll get the amount specified back into your bank account after your connection has been set up and confirmed. Some come in the form of bill credit, so simply money taken off your monthly bill.
Vouchers: Some providers offer e-vouchers from retailers such as John Lewis, M&S and Amazon.
Broadband discount: Virgin Media tends to offer rewards in the form of offering lower monthly bills than the ‘standard price’.
Gadgets: Laptops, TVs, console or speakers, these type of gifts are less common but they do happen. Keep your eyes peeled…
Money off other services: think, free Spotify, cheaper NOW TV subscriptions and phone plan data allowances.
Once you’ve finalised your purchase and have your connection up and running you’ll be closer to receiving your freebie. It’s common to have to wait 30-90 days until after your broadband connection has gone live before you can claim these.
How you claim will depend on the provider. It’s usually via your customer account or an online form on your broadband’s website. Or, some are sent to automatically to you.
Read the terms and conditions carefully to make sure you understand the process and find out about any time limits that might apply.
Plenty of our provider partners include attractive rewards as part of their broadband packages. Although, not all do. Some, especially the new, smaller providers, just concentrate on straightforward faster broadband for lower prices rather than giveaways.
Here are our current broadband brands that regularly include free gifts. We’ve also included how to make sure you claim these properly.
Virgin Media broadband does offer rewards as incentives, but these differ from the cashback reward cards competitors use. Instead they either run a form of sale, offering lower monthly bills than the standard price. Or, they offer cashback in the form of a bill credit. The money then gets simply taken off your bill.
How do I claim?
There’s no need to claim, the amount will dimply be deducted from your bills until your credit has been used up.
BT’s prices may sometimes be higher, but you can often grab a free gifts. Their deals regularly come with some kind of incentive, normally a pre-paid credit card with a value around £50-£100.
These are known as BT Reward Cards. They are a prepaid virtual card that can be used to purchase items online or over the phone from anywhere that accepts Mastercard.
How do I claim?
You’ll receive an activation email with the details, make sure you activate it within three months, otherwise you’ll lose it.
Customers claiming need to log in to your BT hub with their BT ID and password. If this is the first time logging in you’ll need to create an account from here following their instructions. This will activate your reward card and you’ll be able to use it straight away.
Sky’s prices may be on the higher side, but they are one of the most generous when it comes to rewards. This will normally be in the form of a Sky Mastercard, which is a pre-paid credit card with a value between £50-100.
How do I claim?
Once your service has been activated you can go to your Sky account online with your Sky ID and to the Claim Your Reward page. Once you are logged in follow the instructions on how to claim and your reward will be emailed to you. It can then take up to 45 days to be sent to you.
If you’re already a Vodafone mobile customer and you take out a Vodafone broadband contract, or vice versa, you’ll become part of Vodafone Together and get access to exclusive rewards. The incentives are actually pretty decent. You get up to £3 off your monthly broadband bill, a 30% discount on extra SIM cards, free virus protection for 12 months and exclusive VeryMe rewards. This is a loyalty programme that gives weekly treats, offers and discounts from lots of different big brands.
How do I claim?
Once you qualify for a Vodafone Together membership – you’ll have one account with home broadband an a pay monthly mobile plan from Vodafone – your discount will automatically be applied. It may take up to 28 days for the discount to be applied once you have connected both plans.
You can start using the Vodafone VeryMe Together programme straight away. To get started, download the My Vodafone app, sign in, and join the VeryMe Rewards scheme. Once you're a member, you'll have access to a variety of rewards, including discounts, freebies, and exclusive offers.
TalkTalk frequently offers sweeteners to entice new customers. These normally take the form of pre-paid gift cards between £50-100, gift vouchers or free gifts, that you can claim after signing up.
How do I claim?
To claim your TalkTalk reward, you should receive an email from Giftcloud – the gift site that supplies these – with instructions on how to redeem. This email will arrive within 120 days of your purchase date. Check your junk/spam folder in case it ends up in here and contact TalkTalk customer service if this doesn't appear.
Sometimes Plusnet has offers that include an extra element such as cashback, a gift card or a Plusnet Reward Card. These are normally a pre-paid credit card between £50-100, or a third party gift voucher that you can claim for when signing up. These will be dependent on postcode and package.
How do I claim?
About 10 days after your broadband service has been activated, you'll receive an email from Plusnet with instructions on how to claim your reward. Click the link in the email within two months of the send date, complete the form and you should receive your Reward Card by email from plusnet@purecard.com within 30 days.
How do I find broadband packages with free gifts?
Easy! Check out our broadband with free gifts and we’ll show you the best deals available to your household right now.
