Some Existing Virgin Media UK Broadband Customers Get Extended Discounts
Over the past few months we’ve noted how quite a few existing customers of UK ISP Virgin Media’s (O2) home broadband packages are, at the end of their first contract term, now being offered significant automatic extensions to their existing discounted service price – often lasting for another 12-months.
The emails, which typically come from an official vmteam@virginmedia.co.uk address, are not to be confused with the usual mandatory End-of-Contract Notification (ECN) letters (those are sent separately and often arrive a bit later than this one – usually with less attractive deals) and have even resulted in some people questioning whether they’re a scam, due to the attractive nature of the offer. But in most cases, the offers are in fact real.
The significant benefit of this, other than the obvious ability to continue benefitting from the same low price as you were on before, is that customers who receive the message don’t have to play the usual haggling game with Virgin Media’s retentions department at the end of their term. Virgin’s standard post-contract prices can be steep, which would normally make negotiation essential to avoid a huge price hike (Retentions Tips).
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One other benefit is that customers who accept this offer will NOT need to take out a new contract to benefit, although annual mid-contract price hikes will continue to apply just as they did under the original term.
Example Email from Virgin Media
Good News!
We’ve extended your discount for 12 monthsHello XXXXXXXXXXX,
You currently enjoy our Broadband bundle for the discounted rate of £??? a month, which will end on ???????? 2026.
As a valued customer of ours, we want to make sure we continue to offer you the very best deal we can. As your current discount is about to expire, we will apply the same* discounted rate for another 12 months, starting from ?????????? 2026.
What this means is you’ll keep enjoying our Broadband bundle uninterrupted and at the same great price* with no fuss and no new contract.
Thanks for being with us
The Virgin Media team
* Prices will increase every April in line with your T&Cs
This email is separate to the one we send out near the end of your contract, which will outline all your options, including options to renew your contract. The details within this email were correct as at ?? February 2026.
Remember, we will never ask you for personal information via email.
Please do not reply to this email.
A spokesperson for Virgin Media confirmed that they first started making such offers back in mid-2025 and added that they are “constantly evolving and reviewing our products and services to ensure we’re giving our customers the best possible experience with us“. But they also confirmed that such offers are NOT being proactively made to every single customer nearing the end of their minimum contract period.
Sadly, the provider declined to clarify which groups were being targeting with this discount, although we have noted that many of those receiving the emails were broadband-only (solus) customers. Subscribers who don’t receive this specific promotion will of course continue to receive less attractive deals via the usual ECN letters (in that case you may have better luck by contacting their retentions team). Credits to Scott, Mark and Barry for highlighting this offer to us.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I think these offers are targeted at those flagged as a churn risk, e.g. in an area with competitors but the existing discount is acceptable. I’m unlikely to get such an offer as VM knows I have a history of someone who will call to negotiate at the end of his contract, and auto-extending a discount for someone like me risks locking in too generous a deal without the chance to upsell, re-bundle, or re-price something (fat chance).
With my parents they’ve slowly been removing stuff to keep the price lower compared to the original ultimate volt bundle.
First time it was the O2 SIM and UHD Sky Cinema.
Last time it was TNT Sports.
It doesn’t help that my parents aren’t willing to take a gamble with retentions, although attempting to remove other things may be when they start to look elsewhere.
@Mark,
Not sure if you noticed – but you covered EE using SL for mobile in 2024 – but they now also do Starlink as a rural package. If you know delete this but if not – I just spotted it under Broadband deals on the site
https://ee.co.uk/broadband/satellite-broadband
My e-mails to you bounce so I had to put it here as you closed the comments on the last aritcle – sorry!
Yes, that was covered last year, albeit still not launched:
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2025/11/bt-and-ee-to-sell-starlink-as-uk-rural-broadband-solution-to-customers.html
What bounce error do you get on email and which address are you trying to contact?
Your e-mail
And told mailbox could not accept the e-mail or something like th at. I’m out in the field but will try later when I get home. it’s frommy brsk address
Maybe a clever buisiness move, when the discount comes to an end they won’t be legally required to let them know the discount is coming to an end and ramping up the price, how long before they notice they are being fleased.
The need to play the retentions game to avoid a steep price hike is one of the reasons to be wary of Virgin Media – I appreciate other providers also have such strategies, but the difference with VM is perhaps twofold…
(1) the degree to which prices are jacked up at the end of a contract, and the poorer deals that are automatically offered to recontract with VM, and…
(2) the fact that those with a VM service may well need a new fibre installation (cabling in from street and ONT) if they want a service from a different provider if available, e.g. Openreach or altnet – this might dissuade customers from calling VM retentions and quoting prices from competitors.
Of course, some folk (at least at the moment) have no other fibre / ‘ultrafast’ broadband option apart from VM.
The other factor with VM is enticing people in with product bundles (‘double/triple/quad play’) – TV services and ‘exclusive’ o2 mobile plans – that they may then struggle to work out how to ‘unbundle’.
I have my suspicions that Netomnia customers (YouFibre and brsk) may end up faced with having to play the same retentions game as and when the merger deal with VM occurs.
Even playing the retention game doesnt mean you get a good discount. You just have to hope your account is profiled in a way that they see value in you with a lower subscription rate.
Sky have been doing this for a few years, when you get to the end of an long term offer. It’s not as deep as the original offer but is often better than what the call centre can offer.
yeah but from what I understand sky do it for every customer, whilst VM have some kind of internal scoring system and its applied selectively.
With so many providers at such low prices and provided you have access to them it’s totally in the customers favour.
I’ve been on 1GB internet only for last 18 months at £23 a month with no price rises as they added credit to void any increases
My contract ends in June and if renewal/retention deal is not even cheaper I’ll leave and find a provider that will offer what I’m prepared to pay them.
Long time are the days when they dictate prices to me but I realise I am not the majority
More of the nonsensical price raffle, either dont send these at all, or send to everyone out of contract so its fair and transparent.
So bored with VM’s price gouging. Finally pulled the plug after 5 years. Going to Vodafone which my neighbours use and rate for £25/month + £130 voucher to M&S. That’s 40% cheaper than my old VM package. Unbelievable.
I left them, about two years ago. they were far too expensive and renewal prices were a joke. They are giving more of the UK to scammers and even after this long I still get scammer phone calls.
It was the best thing I did. Tough —- to them as even more should leave them as they will never get it.