Plusnet is one of the UK’s biggest broadband providers and one of the most highly rated by its customers. If you’re thinking of switching provider, you could certainly do a lot worse. But what is the best Plusnet broadband deal? We’ve scanned the company’s latest tariffs to help you work out which offers the best value. But first, a little more detail about the company itself.
Who are Plusnet?
Plusnet’s marketing might like to portray the company as the chippy little broadband provider from t’north, but the firm is actually owned by BT.
That said, the company continues to operate largely independently of BT. It’s based in Sheffield and Leeds, it runs its own UK call centres, and it provides different equipment to BT.
Customers also reap some of the benefits of being part of the BT mothership, such as access to BT Sport and YouView set-top boxes as optional extras.
How good is Plusnet?
Thinkbroadband.com has a brilliant service where you can compare the user ratings of selected broadband providers against one another.
When Plusnet is compared to the four biggest broadband providers in the UK – BT, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media – it comes out top in every category. That’s better for customer service, reliability and overall satisfaction.
It’s not so hot when it comes to the level of broadband complaints received by telecoms regulator Ofcom, though. The latest figures at the time of writing showed that Plusnet attracted 21 complaints per 100,000 customers, which is higher than the industry average of 15.
Plusnet was still better than BT, TalkTalk and Vodafone, and its performance had been improving until the most recent quarterly set of results.
What’s the best Plusnet broadband deal?
Plusnet has three main tariffs which you can see in the table below:
| TARIFF | AVERAGE DOWNLOAD SPEED | PRICE (INC LINE RENTAL) | CONTRACT LENGTH |
| Unlimited | 10Mbits/sec | £21.99 per month + £10 activation fee | 12 months |
| Unlimited | 10Mbits/sec | £23.99 per month for first year, then £31.48 per month + £50 activation fee | No contract |
| Unlimited Fibre | 36Mbits/sec | £27.99 per month + £25 activation fee | 12 months |
| Unlimited Fibre Extra | 66Mbits/sec | £34.99 per month + £25 activation fee | 12 months |
Note that these are just the standard deals. The company routinely runs offers, which often offer discounts if you’re prepared to sign up for longer.
At the time of writing, for example, you could get Unlimited Fibre Extra for £27.50 per month, plus a £5 activation fee, and get a £60 reward card thrown in, as long as you were prepared to commit for 18 months.
Assuming that Plusnet continues to offer an 18-month deal at roughly the same price, that is the package we would pick for a family home with lots of devices being used simultaneously.
If you’re living alone or as a couple, and don’t have massive bandwidth needs, then the cheaper Unlimited Fibre (£23.50 per month on an 18-month deal) is all that you need.
What extras are on offer with my broadband?
Plusnet offers a variety of add-ons for your broadband and telephone package.
You can add unlimited evening and weekend UK calls (including 1,000 minutes of calls to mobiles) for £4 per month. If you want daytime calls too with 2,000 minutes of calls to mobiles, that’s £8 per month.
If you’re on one of the Unlimited Fibre packages, you can bolt on YouView television packages. The YouView+ recorder costs £5 per month, plus a £57.99 upfront fee. A simple YouView box costs £5 per month and £6.99 up front. Note that the “BT Sport” that comes with this is only the Lite channel and not the premium channels carrying the Premier League football.
If you want the proper BT Sport channels, set aside another £5 per month.
Plusnet also offers a variety of mobile phone package deals.
How do I get an even better deal with Plusnet?
Haggle. If you’re switching from another provider, you’re in a strong position, especially if the other provider is offering you a cheaper deal than what Plusnet is offering.
Ditto if you’re buying a package that includes TV and mobile phone. Give them a call, don’t just take the prices they offer online, and see if you can talk the call centre into giving you a better deal.
Calling towards the end of the month when the sales staff are feeling the pinch of their targets is always a good idea.
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