The short answer is that every BT broadband package we currently list runs on a 24-month contract. BT has offered shorter terms at various points, so it is worth checking with them directly if you are set on the brand, but a 12-month option is not part of their standard range as things stand.
If a shorter commitment is what matters to you, several other providers do offer 12-month contracts, and some of them undercut BT on price as well. This guide covers what you give up and gain either way, and shows both sets of deals so you can compare them properly.
It used to be common place to see 12-month broadband contracts with most providers, these have now been replaced with 18 and 24 month deals.
What to Consider before Signing Up for a 12 Month Deal?
If you’re considering signing up for a 12-month broadband contract with BT, make sure it is the right choice for your circumstances.
- You will always get the best deal when signing up for an 18 or 24-month contract with BT.
- Once you are out of contract your bill increases, often substantially, unless you re-contract. Check the out of contract price before you sign rather than after, and diarise the end date so it does not roll on quietly.
BT broadband deals we currently list
These are the BT packages we track. All of them run for 24 months, which is now the standard term across most of the large providers.
Genuine 12-month broadband deals
If the 12-month term is the priority rather than the brand, these packages all run for 12 months. Several are full fibre and cheaper per month than the BT deals above, because smaller networks tend to compete harder on shorter contracts.
What are the pros and cons of signing up for a 12-month broadband contract?
The pros and cons of 12-month BT broadband deals:
These apply to 12-month contracts generally, whichever provider you take one from.
Pros
- Short term plans mean you are not locked into long contracts with a provider.
- 12-month contracts are still an affordable option. Additionally, they are still cheaper than paying out of contract prices.
- Being a BT customer, you can still take advantage of all of BT’s services and account features.
Cons
- You won’t be getting the best deals BT has to offer. Typically, with broadband services the longer you commit, the better the price.
- Setup fees tend to be around 50 per cent more.
- Prices will rise once you are out of contract.
Which one is right for you?
Everyone’s circumstances differ. The main advantage of a 12-month BT deal is that you are not tied to any lengthy contracts. This means that you are free to move at the end of your contact, without any penalties.
Conclusion
If you want BT specifically, a 24-month contract is what is on offer, and it will generally give you a lower monthly price than a shorter term elsewhere. If the shorter commitment matters more than the brand, you have real choices, and some of them cost less per month than BT as well as tying you in for half as long. It is also worth comparing 12-month deals from other providers, which are often cheaper than BT for the same contract length. If you are leaving BT rather than re-contracting, our page on switching provider explains how the process works.
Work out the total cost, not the monthly one
Comparing a 12-month deal with a 24-month one on monthly price alone is misleading, because the two are not the same commitment. The figure worth comparing is what you will actually pay across the whole term.
Take the monthly price, multiply it by the number of months, add any setup fee, and add the annual increase that lands partway through. A 24-month contract will normally take two of those increases where a 12-month one takes at most one. That closes some of the gap between them, and occasionally reverses it.
The other half of the sum is what happens afterwards. A 12-month deal returns you to the market a year earlier, and new customer pricing is almost always better than what you would have been paying by month 24. Whether that is worth a slightly higher monthly price depends on whether you will actually act on it.
What happens when the contract ends
Nothing automatically. You move onto out of contract pricing, which is typically well above any deal available to a new customer, and it continues indefinitely until you do something about it.
Providers have to notify you before the end of your term and tell you their best available price. That notice is easy to miss, so it is worth putting the end date in a calendar when you sign rather than relying on an email arriving at the right moment. Our guide to saving money on your broadband covers what to do at that point, including haggling.
Leaving early
If you leave before the term is up you will normally pay an early termination charge covering the remaining months, which is the real cost of a longer contract. There are exceptions worth knowing about:
- Moving home. Many providers will transfer the contract to your new address rather than charge an exit fee, provided they can serve it. Ask before you assume you are trapped.
- A price rise beyond what you were told. If a provider increases the price by more than it disclosed when you signed, you can generally leave within 30 days without penalty. Our guide to mid-contract price rises explains the rules.
- Speeds below the guaranteed minimum. If your provider signed up to Ofcom code of practice on speeds and cannot bring your connection up to the minimum it promised, you can exit without a charge.
Who to consider if the term matters most
Shorter contracts tend to come from the smaller full fibre networks and from providers running on other people’s infrastructure, because they compete on flexibility rather than scale. Some offer rolling monthly terms with no commitment at all, usually at a higher monthly price.
That flexibility is worth paying for in a rented property, if you expect to move, or if a new network is currently building in your area and you would rather not be locked in when it arrives. In a home you expect to stay in, a longer term at a lower price is usually the cheaper answer. You can compare 12-month broadband deals or check what is available at your address.