PEOPLE who are claiming Universal Credit could be eligible for cheaper broadband and phone packages.
Swindon Borough Council has issued a reminder to locals encouraging them to see if they are one of the four million people are qualify for Ofcom's social tariffs scheme.
The scheme, which falls between £10 and £20 a month depending on the provider, is also available to people on Pension Credits, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.
How to apply
First, anyone who thinks they might be eligible should check if their current provider offers a social tariff.
The following table shows all of the providers that currently offer social tariffs.
£13.99 a month
30 Mbit/s
England
£15 a month
Around 36 Mbit/s
UK
£20 a month
Around 67 Mbit/s
UK
£12.50 a month
20 Mbit/s
England (London)
Connect Fibre Basic Essentials
£20 per month
50 Mbps
England (Cambridgeshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire)
£15 a month
50 Mbit/s
Wales (Newport)
County Broadband Essential Broadband Tariff
£15 per month
15 Mbps
England (East of England)
£12 a month
Up to 25 Mbit/s
UK
G.Network Essential Fibre Broadband
£15 a month
50 Mbit/s
England (London)
£19 a month
100 Mbit/s
England
£16 per month
100 Mbps
England (South East England)
£15 a month
50 Mbit/s
England, Scotland, Wales
£20 a month
150 Mbit/s
England, Scotland, Wales
£14.99 a month
30 Mbit/s
England (Hull)
£15 a month
50 Mbit/s
England (East Sussex and Kent)
Lothian Broadband Social Tariff
£19.99 a month
100 Mbit/s
Scotland (Lothian)
£20 a month
36 Mbit/s
UK
£20 a month
100 Mbps
England (South Gloucestershire)
Shell Essentials Fast Broadband
£15 a month
11 Mbps
UK
Shell Essentials Fibre Broadband
£20 a month
38 Mbps
UK
£20 a month
36 Mbit/s
UK
£12 a month
5G where available
UK
£20 a month
30 Mbps
England (South West)
Virgin Media Essential Broadband
£12.50 a month
15 Mbit/s
UK
Virgin Media Essential Broadband Plus
£20 a month
54 Mbit/s
UK
£12 per month
38 Mbps
UK
£20 per month
73 Mbps
UK
£10 a month
5G where available
UK
Wildanet Helping Hand Social Tariff**
£20 a month
30-100 Mbit/s
England (Cornwall and Devon)
WightFibre Essential Broadband
£16.50 a month
100 Mbit/s
England (Isle of Wight)
£15 a month
50 Mbps
UK (various locations)
You can apply for most tariffs online, or call your provider and ask to switch.
If your provider doesn’t offer a social tariff, you can switch to one that does. Your provider might let you leave your current contract without paying a penalty fee.
An Ofcom spokesperson added: "Other support might be available to customers who cannot get online.
"If you’re struggling to pay your mobile phone or broadband bill, speak to your provider as soon as possible to see how they can help."
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