The BBC has reported that only one in twenty claimants who are eligible for social tariff broadband have actually signed up, with 4.3 million potentially eligible people apparently missing out. We’d like to hear about your experience if you’ve signed up for social tariff broadband or what made you decide against it.

Claimants on a range of benefits are eligible for social tariff broadband deals.

All the major suppliers offer a cheaper deal if you are on Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support.

Some also extend their offer to PIP claimants.

Prices range from £10 to £20 a month with speeds from 15 to 100 Mbits, depending on the supplier.

The Ofcom website has a full list of suppliers and prices, with links to their individual terms and conditions.

Citizens Advice estimates that one million people have cancelled their broadband in the last year because of the cost of living, with UC claimants 12 times more likely to have done so than non-claimants.

Yet social tariff deals are not proving popular and Citizens Advice wants Ofcom to "hold firms' feet to the fire" to improve their take-up.

But is it just lack of awareness of these schemes that is holding people back? Or is it that mobile phones are a necessity while home broadband is an unaffordable luxury for many claimants, no matter how cheap the deal?

Please let us know your opinion of the scheme in the comments section.

You can read the full story on the BBC website.

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    Sierra Sierra · 1 years ago
    I applied for Vodafone's social tariff broadband and qualified on the eligibility criteria. All was going well until they declined me on credit checking.  I was advised to check Experian and Equifax; my Experian credit score was excellent at 991 out of 999. Equifax was substantially lower at 741 out of 1000 but that was still classed as very good. I appealed against the decision but it was upheld. I can reapply in 90 days. In the meantime, that credit check has left a hard footprint on my credit file, which could damage my credit score. I daren't apply anywhere else in case I am declined again because all those hard searches will affect my credit file and could lead to more decline decisions. Is that why the take-up rate is so low for social tariff broadband  - because people can't pass the credit check?
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      Florrie · 1 years ago
      @Sierra Sierra I am a vodofone customer, PAYG £10 phone and they rang up and offered me a £6 deal.  I accepted in principle and they rang back and said I failed the credit check!  I really don't understand it either. 
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    B. · 1 years ago
    I have a social tariff with BT and am very happy with it - it includes unlimited free phone calls which brought my bill down even more as they were expensive with my previous provider even though they were one of the cheapest I could find. The main problem I can imagine with this is that they keep it quiet! I can't even remember how I eventually found out about these social tariffs, but once I did I had to search for it specifically, it wasn't visible on BT's website at the time I signed up. I imagine there are a lot of claimants still who have no idea this is available.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Whiskers · 1 years ago
      @Michelle Download a BT price guide here

      Page 39 lists the Home essentials packages.

      It is not advertised and some BT staff haven't even heard about it.
       You need Adobe reader or a browser that can open PDF files.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Michelle · 1 years ago
      @B. Hi, how did you find this with BT with unlimited phone calls when it’s not on their or other websites. I would appreciate your help as looking for my elderly parents. Thank you. 
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    Jules · 1 years ago
    I'm now paying more on this, than I would with other suppliers 
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    Kath · 1 years ago
    I am not sure I could get it as I am on contribution ESA and PIP, I did look into it but it seemed to be  income related only from what I could tell. information was very sparse. As it happens I am on a very good deal  for just over £12 a month for broadband only at a decent speed, so it doesnt matter for me at the moment about not applying, I am better off speed wise staying as I am .
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      James Jamieson · 1 years ago
      @Kath Pip alone should get you it even if you are with Vodafone. I receice my state pension and I get it. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Michelle · 1 years ago
      @Kath Hi, like myself being on contribution ESA you are not entitled to anything at all as you are probably aware. 
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    VikingMermaid · 1 years ago
    For me the issue is in part owing to my ADHD - the overwhelm of trying to compare like with like (except often it's NOT like with like - as each company has different speeds as well as different rates - and for many of the offers you need to fulfil certain conditions, eg live within a certain catchment area).

    Additionally, although I had heard mention of the scheme on the radio (caught the tail end of R4's Money Box Live a while back) it doesn't appear to be widely advertised.

    For me, my broadband is part of my Sky package (basic package + broadband).  I have to have Sky for television, as our reception here is really lousy (without it I can only get BBC2).  I wish I'd never signed up for Sky broadband, as I don't know how the figures for each breakdown, so I can't compare the social tariffs available (only two for me, I think, as we don't have cable here). 

    And I have avoided phoning Sky to discuss my package* because I can't hold onto the information they give regarding varying offers, because of my severely impaired short-term memory (resulting in the aforementioned overwhelm). (*I am still paying for a package which includes landline calls - and I haven't had a landline for several years now!)


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    Richard CM · 1 years ago
    We are on a social tariff with BT. we had an incorrect billing issue being overcharged, contacting BT took two attempts and on both attempts the initial call handler persistently tried to upsell BB to a higher tariff before I could speak to a person who could help me.
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    Raindaisy · 1 years ago
    1. Only the person who is named on the benefit can claim the social tariff.
    2. This essentially blocks millions of carers who manage budgeting for thousands of disabled people with cognitive disabilities,  ie stroke, dementia , Learning Disabilities and Mental illness. 
    3. There is no compromise. The person making the claim for social tariff MUST have a bank account. Again this effectively blocks thousands of households from claiming. 
    4. There has little or NO advertising of the scheme!! These profit companies want to keep it quiet!!
    5. IF you do change to a social tariff, it's a lesser service, and you will have to return your equipment....pronto. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Jillian. · 1 years ago
      @Raindaisy I cancelled my contract with bt as the bill was in my name and the income based esa in my husband's name. I even managed to get the over £200 cancellation fee cancelled as I told them I'd been with them for over 30 years and could no longer pay the £62 a month it had gone up to. I was prepared to pay the cancellation fee to get out of the contract as it was still going to be cheaper.
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    Jojo · 1 years ago
    Went on to virgins £20 social tarrif and streaming box. Only me at home and it's fab for me. Not really noticed any difference with the broadband and I'm so happy with the cheaper bill as I am struggling lots!
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    Shaun · 1 years ago
    The social tariff with Virgin Media has a broadband speed that is so slow, it is simply not worth having. Their "Essential Broadband" is £12.50 a month for 15Mbps broadband speed, which is very slow. It is like hiring a cheap car which travels at walking speed!!  Secondly, it is only available to certain people on low incomes, not to everyone on low incomes. A person has to receive specific benefits to quality, but not all low income families receive those specific benefits. For example, a disabled person not working cannot qualify unless they receive ESA, a pensioner with only a state pension does not quality unless they receive Pension Credit, a carer does not quality unless they receive Universal Credit.  Virgin Media does not realise there are people on low incomes who do not receive the benefits listed on their criteria list. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      James Jamieson · 1 years ago
      @Shaun Go social tariff with Vodafone on fibre. Its only £12 per month and is 38mbps. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Matthew · 1 years ago
      @Shaun Hi, Shaun. I'm on the Virgin Media Essential Broadband for £12.50 and have no problems with the speed. I'm wondering if you're a gamer, or do other things that need a faster speed? I just watch Youtube and Netflix and a wee bit of browsing.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Tracey Wakeling · 1 years ago
    The social tariff with virgin will end up costing more than my current bundle deal.  So I can’t afford to take it up.
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    Fionn · 1 years ago
    Thanks entirely to information from another contributor here, I've just switched to Virgin Media's social tariff. When I asked them a few months ago it wasn't available to people on income-related ESA, but they've changed the qualifying benefits now. It was really easy to do via a chatbot, which is great for autistic people who find using the phone exhausting. It's £20 (£50 a month less than what I was paying), the 54 MB internet speed will be more than adequate for the browsing I do, and as I haven't even had a handset plugged into the landline for at least 20 years, I'm hardly going to miss that. £600 a year is a lot of money to me, and I also now have options to stream occasional paid-for content such as Test cricket, which I didn't have before. The switch hasn't happened yet, but hopefully it'll work out okay.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Graham S · 1 years ago
    Hi
    I moved to BT and said I am on ESA support group and they checked via my NI number. I am now on a £15 pm tariff and I have broadband and no landline which I never used. My contract is for 12 months and can renew  at the same price for a further 12 months. There's no increases in this broadband tariff and so far so good the speeds are great. I hope this helps
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Abby · 1 years ago
    I didn’t know it was a thing until I went to renew my contract. Not many people are aware of it 
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    Karen Nicklin · 1 years ago
    The reason some won’t take the deal up is because they like me were scared the loose the speed of their internet .
    I was actually nearly talked out of taking it up by a BT person as he said I’d loose my fast broadband ,
    Well I have not , £20 a month and it’s exactly the same 
    BT and EE mobile have joined forces so I was told I’d get a call back from EE and they gave me a £10 mobile phone package as a posed to triple I was paying .
    Sky TV have low packages and I Also tweaked my Home Insurance as I was overpaying for what I actually needed .
    Discrepancy aid for an extra bedroom charge on my tiny box room I keep my aids in as my bedrooms crowded as it is was a nightmare . 
    We were asked for more and more proofs of food and petrol bills along with bank statements then refused .
    The water board in Northumberland have stopped their discount scheme of half price water charges . So I gained in one hand but  have lost in other ways .
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    michael leonard · 1 years ago
    because i am on contrubution esa i dont qualify for bt or any of the others special taffifs
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Stuart Blackstock · 1 years ago
    I'm with Virgin. From my perspective, I've searched their website for "Social Tariff" and get "No matches found".
    The main reason these companies have low uptake, is because they deliberately make it hard to find info on the subject and / or switch, because they're making less money on social tariffs
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      VikingMermaid · 1 years ago
      @Stuart Blackstock I found the various different social tarrifs on Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert.  HTH.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Fionn · 1 years ago
      @Stuart Blackstock Try not going to their website, which is a bit of a labyrinthine nightmare! Instead just do an internet search for Virgin Essential Broadband. That's how I found it, the correct page came up as the top result. I've switched to it today, it was really easy.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Phil · 1 years ago
    I told EE that I was changing  from them over affordability, and the call handler got me a cheaper phone tariff and broadband through BT, as I believe BT own EE. I'm single and the broadband service seems no different than from more expensive broadband providers. I haven't been a fan of BT but I can't say that I have had any difficulty with them and EE has never been a problem. 
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    Becky · 1 years ago
    I had never heard of this til I read it in the Benefits and Work newsletter. I have now applied. 
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    frmarcus · 1 years ago
    If a choice between 'phone (mobile) and bb, given a 'phone is essential and that some data allowance enables internet use such as email, hard-up benefit claimants may be deciding they can't afford both.  While the £10-15 month is somewhat cheaper than full-price bb it's typically an additional, not alternative, cost to mobile, and when one has a disposable income of <£100/week it may still be unaffordable.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Skippy · 1 years ago
    The reason why I have not decided to go on social tariff is because I don’t trust anyone….especially not the DWP.  I have been screwed over royally by these people so many times over the years, they put me into debt.  Plus: there’s the issue of data mining.  I don’t just want to be another statistic on some fancy government spreadsheet somewhere! Not to mention the speeds offered are dire to what I am currently using.  I hate the fact that everyone in this country is expected to fit in by having a so called smart phone and broadband.  Technology is scary.  I don’t want it.  Give me pencil and paper any day!

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