Combining Your Broadband & Phone – What to Consider

BY Editor

You can potentially save a lot of money by bundling your broadband and phone into one package, but there are number of factors you must take into consideration before signing on the dotted line.

Not every broadband package on the market will suit your needs and you must weigh up the pros and cons of what is on offer. Some people will only use the internet for a limited time so it will make sense for them to get more out of the phone side of their bundle, while online gamers need to look more than how the broadband side stacks up.

Price

Phone companies use prices as the headline to draw potential customers in and it is certainly a key consideration to most people looking for broadband and phone deals. By shopping around you will see some great rates, but just be sure to read the small print and try to avoid any hidden charges.

Sometimes a low price can be too good to be true, especially when there are extra charges levied or the service isn’t as good as that offered by competitors.

That said, bundling your broadband and phone is usually cheaper than having two separate contracts for one simple reason – providers offer discounts to get a greater market share.

They also believe in a thing known as “stickiness”, which means that the more products you have with a company, the less likely you are to cancel.

Contract length

How long do you want to be tied in with the same provider for? In many ways that is like asking how long a piece of string is. The amount of time you stay with the same firm will generally depend on the quality of their service and the price they charge.

Data allowances

This is a biggie for those that use the internet a lot. If you like nothing more than sitting back and streaming videos from YouTube or specialist sites such as Netflix, then you need a sizable allowance.

Buying a bundle on price along can be a costly mistake in your circumstances as exceeding the allowance set by the provider will likely lead to your access to services being reduced and additional costs being charged to your account.

Speed and reliability

If you like to watch movies in HD or play games, then you need fast broadband coverage to provide a constant stream. Cheap might sound good at first, but regular buffering quickly becomes annoying.

Conclusion

Getting the right broadband and phone bundle is all about assessing your own needs. Don’t be drawn in by low prices unless you are a low user or can be 100% sure that what you are getting is what you were really offered.

Bundling services is a great way to save money and there are many fantastic broadband and phone deals out there, but like anything else, it will always take a little research to find the very best package.