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Go for 12 months or 24 months contract?

RedTomato

Casual Member
So I'm a bit slow and have just noticed a pretty good Black Friday sale from a localish ISP that ends in two days, and the 12 month contract is almost identical per month to the 24 month contract (maybe £1/month more)

Question: Should I go for the 12month contract & hope to grab another Black Friday offer next year at a higher speed / lower cost?

Or go for the 24 month offer?

(this would be for a fibre line)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Honestly, it's going to be a personal judgement. We don't know anything about your location and expectations or which ISPs you have in mind, but there's always a risk with attaching yourself to a specific ISP for a longer term. But if you were to go for a 12-month term, then it might be wise to consider who else you'd consider switching to at the end of that term.
 
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If the 12 month option is only £1/m more than the 24 month one, then its a bit of a no brainer going for this because in 12+ months time you may have other FTTP providers to choose from (eg Openreach, Cityfibre based) hence your choice of ISPs in future could be far bigger than now.
 
I have done two comparisons recently for relatives. It takes a spreadsheet to untangle the marketing including:

  • ISP
  • Speed/Product
  • Technology
  • Upfront Cost
  • P&P
  • Minus Incentive value such as card/voucher/equipment to yourself (e.g 30%)
  • Landline monthly cost (why not have it if its free) With or Without your choice
  • If landline - minus value of included call plan value to yourself (normally zero but NOW giving away Anytime)
  • Number of months and amount without Payment (current BT offer)
  • Number of months and amount on discount
  • Number of remaining months and amount
  • Term
  • Monthly price after term
  • Total Cost for 12 months
  • Total Cost for 18 months (include inflationary + 3.9 rise on relevant months for ISP)
  • Total Cost for 24 months (include cumulative inflationary + 3.9 rise on relevant months for ISP)

Spreadsheet evolving. You get some interesting results and often not what you expected. Inclusion of TV packages and Call Plans require secondary sheet.

Comparison of course only valid on the day.
 
I have done two comparisons recently for relatives. It takes a spreadsheet to untangle the marketing including:

  • ISP
  • Speed/Product
  • Technology
  • Upfront Cost
  • P&P
  • Minus Incentive value such as card/voucher/equipment to yourself (e.g 30%)
  • Landline monthly cost (why not have it if its free) With or Without your choice
  • If landline - minus value of included call plan value to yourself (normally zero but NOW giving away Anytime)
  • Number of months and amount without Payment (current BT offer)
  • Number of months and amount on discount
  • Number of remaining months and amount
  • Term
  • Monthly price after term
  • Total Cost for 12 months
  • Total Cost for 18 months (include inflationary + 3.9 rise on relevant months for ISP)
  • Total Cost for 24 months (include cumulative inflationary + 3.9 rise on relevant months for ISP)

Spreadsheet evolving. You get some interesting results and often not what you expected. Inclusion of TV packages and Call Plans require secondary sheet.

Comparison of course only valid on the day.
A peak into your spreadsheet could be interesting.. ;-)
 
But if you were to go for a 12-month term, then it might be wise to consider who else you'd consider switching to at the end of that term.
If the 12 month option is only £1/m more than the 24 month one, then its a bit of a no brainer going for this because in 12+ months time you may have other FTTP providers to choose from (eg Openreach, Cityfibre based) hence your choice of ISPs in future could be far bigger than now.
Good point. In this case the FTTP on my street (London NW5, Wembley / Harrow) is built out and owned by Community Fibre. There are no plans to install other fibre on my street that I'm aware of. OpenReach FTTP definitely isn't coming till after 2026 or later.

Sorry if this is a silly question - does that mean that going forward my only FTTP option will be CF? Like Virgin Media, CF won't allow any other ISP sell home service over their fibres / wires?

In that case the 24 month contract seems best as next year I won't be a new customer.
 
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OpenReach FTTP definitely isn't coming till after 2026 or later.
You don't know that. Openreach haven't announced all of the places they will be delivering FTTP to by Dec 2026; every 3 or 4 months they announce new ones.

does that mean that going forward my only FTTP option will be CF?
In the short term maybe, but by the end of 2026 80% of the UK will be covered by Openreach FTTP, so it's highly likely you will be have that as a second option by then. Many urban areas will have three options.
 
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