Broadband for low income families
Receive Universal Credit? Get online for £15 a month with our Essential broadband.
What does Essential broadband Include?
15Mbps average download speed
Essential broadband comes with download and upload speeds averaging 15Mbps and 2Mbps.
And there’s no traffic management to slow you down, even at peak times.
£15 per month and the price won’t change
We’ll keep you connected for £15 a month for as long as you’re receiving Universal Credit.
A broadband-only package
Our Essential broadband pack only contains broadband. If you currently have TV or home phone with us, we’ll cancel these services for you if you decide to switch over. If you need your phone line for things like telehealth devices and care alarms, simply contact us to discuss your options.
Flexible 30 day contracts
Essential broadband is a 30 day rolling contract. Whenever you’re ready to go back to your usual Virgin Media services, give us a ring and we’ll sort it all out for you. We won’t ask about your financial situation, but the price of your usual services won’t be the same as before. After that, if you ever want to switch to Essential broadband again, you can just reapply the same way.
Essential Broadband - FAQs
Low income broadband deals are for anyone who receives Universal Credit. This low-cost broadband package is cheaper than standard broadband deals, as we understand how important it is for families to have a reliable internet connection. That’s why we have Essential Broadband – to provide a reliable low-price broadband service to anyone who receives financial support.
If you’re receiving Universal Credit, you can get our Essential broadband for just £15 a month, and that price won‘t change for as long as you’re receiving Universal Credit.
Only the person receiving Universal Credit can apply. Once you've given us all the details we need, we’ll check the information and process your order for Essential broadband.
If you meet the eligibility requirements, you’ll be charged £15 a month. Every 12 months we'll ask you to provide evidence that you still receive Universal Credit and if you do, you'll continue to be charged £15 a month. If you no longer receive Universal Credit, or you can’t provide evidence when we ask for it, the monthly price will increase to £23 a month.
You'll need to show us evidence that you’re eligible for Universal Credit before we can move you to Essential broadband. All you need is a screenshot of your online Universal Credit Payments page, showing your name, address, assessment period and payment date (the payment date needs to be within the last 30 days). The name and address will need to be the same as your Virgin Media account, whether you’re applying as an existing customer or as a new customer.
Both new and existing Virgin Media customers can apply for Essential broadband. New customers need to follow the steps outlined above, and existing customers should fill in our existing customer form.
If you’re already in a contract with us, we’ll swap you over to our Essential broadband package straight away and you won’t have to pay any fees or extra charges.
To move to Essential broadband, you’ll have to change your Oomph SIM to a regular mobile plan with us or cancel it. Your mobile plan will still be subject to our annual price rise and you’ll still have to pay off your Freestyle loan for your mobile phone, if you have one.
Paying for Essential Broadband is just like paying any other bill. You can do this in several ways:
• Direct Debit
• Over the phone
• Online payment
• Bank transfer via online or phone banking
• Cash payment
• By cheque
It’s a 30 day rolling contract, which means you can cancel at any time.
Visit our help centre for more information on how to pay your Virgin Media bill.
Just start a chat with us to let us know, and we’ll take care of the rest.
If you don’t want to switch to Essential broadband, you can still get online by using your mobile phone, using a hotspot from your phone to another device, using free public WiFi, or by visiting your local library.