Switching broadband: How often should you change providers and how much could you save?

Introductory offers and mid-contract price hikes are common practice among many broadband providers. You might have a great deal at first, but the expiry of deals and annual price rises could leave you with a higher bill over time. So, you can often save by comparing packages and switching providers once you’re out of contract.

As a nation, are we switching as often as we can to maximise these savings? What’s stopping us from changing providers? And exactly how much are we missing out on by failing to do this? We’ve crunched the numbers to find out.

How often should you switch broadband?

To avoid paying any exit fees, the right time to switch is usually when you’re outside the minimum term of your contract.

So, it’s best to compare new broadband deals about 30 days before your contract term ends. That means switching once every one or two years or so, depending on the length of your contract.

How often do customers switch?

Even though switching can provide significant savings, most of us stick with the same provider. In our latest survey, almost a third of broadband users said they’ve never switched, meaning millions could be missing out on a cheaper package.^[1]

Most customers who do switch deals tend to do so when their contract ends. Around a fifth (22%) of broadband users say they usually change providers at this stage, meaning only one in five broadband customers are switching at the right time.

But this means the vast majority of users don’t switch frequently enough. Our survey suggests that just over three-quarters (77%) of broadband users don’t change providers as often as they could. That’s equal to 21 million households in the UK that could be saving money by switching more frequently.^[2]

We estimate that you can save an average of £58 on your yearly broadband price by switching to the cheapest deal available for the same speed category. This is based on our research, which suggests that Brits pay an average of £27.17 per month for their broadband package.^[3]

As an estimated 21 million households aren’t routinely switching between contracts, the nation could save up to £101.5 million per month if it switched broadband deals more regularly.^[2][4] That’s equivalent to £1.2 billion per year.

When do users switch?

Instead of switching regularly, some users only change their provider when they’re prompted to. Around a fifth (22%) stated that they switch when their provider increases their prices, while one in 10 said they only change if their service becomes too unreliable.^[1]

When do you change broadband providers?	Percentage of broadband users
I’ve never switched providers	32%
When my contract ends	22%
When my provider increases prices	22%
When my service becomes too unreliable	10%
I regularly change every four years or more	4%
I regularly change every few years	4%
I regularly change every couple of years	2%
When my provider starts slowing down speeds	2%
I regularly change every year	1%

Men are slightly more likely to switch when their contract ends, with roughly a quarter doing so compared to around a fifth of women. Instead, women are more likely to switch when their provider increases prices. A quarter of women mentioned this as a reason, against a fifth of men.

Younger generations tend to switch when their contract ends. Just over a quarter (26%) of under-35s said this is when they change providers, dropping to 18% of over-54s. But older users are more likely to switch if their service becomes too unreliable. Just over one in 10 (11%) of over-54s stated this, compared to only 8% of under-35s. This could be because older users might be more likely to live in rural areas, where the service can be less reliable.

Lower-income households are less likely to switch providers, despite the potential savings on offer. A quarter of higher-income households stated that they’ve never switched providers, compared to two in five (40%) of those on a lower income. This means that those who are struggling might be missing an opportunity to cut costs. And if you’re in a low income household, you might be able to qualify for a social broadband tariff, which can give you a decent broadband service at a discounted price.

How much can be saved by switching?

We estimate that you can save an average of £58 on your yearly broadband price by switching to the cheapest deal available for the same speed category. This is based on our research, which suggests that Brits pay an average of £27.17 per month for their broadband package.^[3]

As an estimated 21 million households aren’t routinely switching between contracts, the nation could save up to £101.5 million per month if it switched broadband deals more regularly.^[2][4] That’s equivalent to £1.2 billion per year.

Why don’t we switch more often?

Around two in five (39%) customers who don’t switch yearly or when their contract ends said this was why, explaining that it’s simply easier to stay with their current provider.^[1] This suggests that a significant percentage of broadband customers aren’t aware that switching broadband is usually a pretty quick, faff-free way to save money.

A similar percentage (37%) stated that they don’t switch if their current provider has been highly reliable, highlighting that many of us are willing to pay a bit extra for a dependable service. A smaller proportion (16%) said they didn’t think they’d be able to find a cheaper deal.

Around the same proportion said they don’t change as their provider delivers good customer service, or that their package includes a TV deal they don’t want to lose. Both of these reasons were picked by 15% of users who don’t switch regularly.

Reason for not changing broadband providers more often	Percentage of broadband users
It’s more convenient to stay with my current provider	39%
My current provider has been very reliable	37%
I don’t think I’d be able to get a cheaper deal	16%
My current provider has good customer service	15%
My current package includes a TV deal I want to keep	15%
I forget to check for other deals	6%
Other	12%

For men, reliability tends to be the biggest reason to stick with a provider, rather than convenience. Two in five (40%) men said this is why they don’t switch more, making it their most commonly selected reason, while roughly a third (34%) of women selected this.

Reliability was also the main reason for over-54s, with 40% of this group saying that their current provider has been very reliable - the most commonly given reason. Only around three in 10 (29%) under-35s said this. Instead, the convenience of staying with the same provider (44%) is the main reason for this group, with just 37% of over-54s agreeing.

Why should you switch more often?

Sticking with your current broadband package might feel easier, but the launch of One Touch Switch last September means it’s never been simpler to change providers.

Now, you only have to inform your new provider that you are switching. They will tell your current provider for you and take care of the rest of the switching process for you.

The potential savings of switching mean it’s always worth comparing what offers are available, as you could get faster speeds for a cheaper price. If switching is the kind of thing that slips your mind, consider putting a reminder in your calendar for when your current contract is up so that you’ll know when to start comparing deals.

Your current provider should notify you when your contract is coming to an end, and might present you with a set of deals to renew your contract with them. Take this as a prompt to compare broadband deals and see what else is on offer, rather than settling for your current provider’s rates, as you might find better contracts elsewhere.

Catherine Hiley, broadband expert at Go.Compare, said: "Things like introductory rates and mid-contract price rises are commonplace in broadband deals, so you’re more likely to see costs creeping up if you stick with the same provider for a long time. This means you can usually find a cheaper deal by comparing packages when your contract is up, without having to settle for slower speeds.

“The best time to compare deals is around a month before your contract ends, as this means you’ll avoid paying any early exit fees. Of course, it can be easy for this to slip your mind, so it’s worth setting a reminder on your phone or calendar for when it’s time to look over deals.

“Changing providers is much more straightforward these days, too, as Ofcom launched its ‘One Touch Switch’ process last September. When you buy a deal from a new provider, they’ll tell your current provider that you’re leaving, so there’s no need to be put off by the thought of switching being a hassle.”

About the data

^[1] Based on a YouGov Survey of 2,000 UK adults on 28 May 2025. Respondents were selected at random across several demographics. All statistics were sourced from this survey unless otherwise stated.

^[2] The number of households that could be missing out on a better broadband deal was calculated by applying the percentage of users who don’t change providers yearly or when their contract ends (as per the above survey) to the number of households in the UK in 2024 (sourced via ONS ).

^[3] The estimated amount broadband users could save in a year is based on a combination of YouGov survey figures (as above) and Go.Compare data. The most common price range paid for each broadband speed bracket was identified from the survey.

We then compared these prices to the cheapest monthly cost available through Go.Compare for the same speed bracket, based on orders between January and June 2025. Only data with more than 30 orders was included and deals that were £0.00 for the first three months were removed. The figures are based on a sample of around 7,500 orders in total.

This identified how much could be saved if users switched from their current provider to the cheapest package available for the same speed. We then took the average saving across all speeds to identify the average amount users could save per month if they switched to the cheapest provider available through Go.Compare. This was then multiplied by 12 to find the potential annual saving.

^[4] The amount that could be saved by switching broadband providers more often nationwide was calculated using data from the above survey, ONS figures and Go.Compare data (as above).

The number of UK households that could switch more regularly (as above) was applied to the average saving from switching (as above), giving the amount users could save on their monthly price. This was multiplied by 12 to uncover how much users could save on their yearly broadband bill nationwide.