Is Black Friday Broadband Worth It? 24-Month Costs

Last updated: Monday 9 November 2026

Is Black Friday broadband worth it? Often, yes, but the headline price is not what you pay. As listed on 9 November 2026, Virgin Media’s M350 broadband is £21.99 a month on a 24-month contract, yet once Virgin’s £4 rise each April is added, it works out at £26.32 a month over the full term, or £631.76 in total. That is still about £300 less than Virgin’s own listed price after the deal, so the saving is real if you were going to switch anyway. This SwitchSquid guide adds up the 24-month cost of this year’s Black Friday broadband deals, including April price rises, setup charges, free months and switching credit, and compares them with normal prices. If you buy through the deal boxes on this page, we may earn a commission. It does not change the price you pay.

Sources: Virgin Media’s broadband-only, gigabit and annual price change pages; Gigaclear’s full fibre packages page and November 2026 offer terms; giffgaff’s broadband page, all as listed on 9 November 2026; and Ofcom’s guide to telecoms price rises.

The real 24-month cost of Black Friday broadband deals

Black Friday 2026 is on Friday 27 November, but the main broadband offers are already on sale. Virgin Media’s site carries a “Black Friday deals are here” banner and calls them its “lowest ever prices on selected bundles”. Gigaclear, the rural full fibre network, is giving away up to six months free on new contracts. The question is not whether the prices are low. It is what they cost once everything in the contract is counted.

The table below adds up every monthly payment for 24 months, assuming your contract starts in November 2026. For Virgin Media, that includes the £4 rise in April 2027 and another £4 in April 2028, which its price change page says apply to new contracts. We have included giffgaff’s full fibre as a normal-price benchmark, because its prices are fixed with no mid-contract rises.

Prices are as listed on 9 November 2026 for new customers on 24-month contracts with no setup fee. Gigaclear’s deals run on 18-month terms, so they have their own table further down.

Two things stand out. First, Virgin’s lowest price is not on its slowest plan. M250 and M350 are both £21.99, so M350 gives you the most speed for the money, and it costs £48 less over 24 months than M125 at £23.99, despite being almost three times as fast on average. Second, a Black Friday price with yearly rises can end up close to a normal price without them. Virgin M350 works out at £26.32 a month, while giffgaff’s 200Mbps plan is a flat £25, although giffgaff is only available where its full fibre network reaches. You can read more in our giffgaff broadband review.

How to work out the real monthly cost

Comparison sites and money experts often call this the effective or equivalent monthly cost. It is the fairest way to compare a deal with free months against a deal with a low monthly price, or a deal with price rises against one without. The sum is simple:

1. Add up every monthly payment for the whole minimum term, including any free months at £0.

2. Add each April rise for the months it applies to.

3. Add any one-off charges, such as setup, activation or delivery.

4. Take off any reward card or cash credit you will definitely claim.

5. Divide the total by the number of months in the contract.

For Virgin M350 starting in November 2026, that is 5 months at £21.99, 12 months at £25.99 from April 2027, and 7 months at £29.99 from April 2028. The total is £631.76, and £631.76 divided by 24 is £26.32. If your contract starts in December instead, the second rise covers 8 months rather than 7, which adds another £8 over the term.

April price rises: the part the headline leaves out

Since 17 January 2025, Ofcom rules have banned inflation-linked and percentage price rises in new phone and broadband contracts. Any rise written into a new contract has to be shown in pounds and pence before you sign, along with the date it applies. That makes the sum above possible, because you know the figures in advance.

Virgin Media’s annual price change page says that if you join now, your monthly price will rise by a fixed £4 each April. The rise applies to the offer price you are paying and to the price after the offer. On a £21.99 deal, two rises add £104 over 24 months, which is why £21.99 becomes £26.32 a month on average.

Not every provider writes in a fixed rise. Gigaclear’s package terms say prices may change during the contract, without listing a fixed amount, and Gigaclear did put prices up from April 2026. Under Ofcom’s rules, when a contract does not set out a rise and the provider raises the price anyway, it must give you at least 30 days’ notice and let you leave without a penalty. giffgaff says the prices on its broadband page are the prices you pay to the end of your plan.

Months-free deals: Gigaclear over 18 and 24 months

Free months make a deal look far cheaper than it is per month, so it helps to spread them across the whole term. Gigaclear’s Black Friday offers run on an 18-month minimum term that includes the free months. After month 18, Gigaclear’s November 2026 terms say the price goes to its list price for existing customers, which it gives as £51 a month for 300Mbps, £63 for 600Mbps and £88 for 900Mbps.

Prices are as listed on Gigaclear’s packages page and offer terms on 9 November 2026, with £0 activation and free standard installation. The 24-month column assumes no price change during the term and six months at the list price afterwards.

Over its own term, Galileo 900 is the cheapest gigabit-class deal in this guide, at £19.33 a month for 900Mbps with matching upload speeds. The catch arrives at month 19. If you let it roll on at £88 a month, the 24-month average jumps to £36.50, which is more than Virgin’s Gig1. A months-free deal is good value only if you diary the end date and either haggle or switch. Gigaclear is a rural network, so check your address first. Our guide to Black Friday rural full fibre deals compares it with other rural providers.

Black Friday price versus the normal price

Virgin Media lists the price each plan moves to after the 24-month contract, before April rises. That is a fair stand-in for its normal price, because it is what you would pay if you stayed on without a new deal. The April rises apply to both prices, so the gap between them stays the same.

All prices as listed by Virgin Media on 9 November 2026 for 24-month broadband-only contracts. If you are already out of contract with Virgin, or with another provider at a similar price, moving to one of these deals saves roughly £300 over two years. If you are already on a cheap deal, the saving may be close to nothing.

For a gigabit plan, Gig1 is the Virgin pick. Over 24 months it costs £751.76, or £31.32 a month, with average downloads of 1,136Mbps. Virgin says Gig1 and M500 include Netflix Standard with Ads, and Gig1 includes its WiFi Guarantee, which Virgin otherwise charges £8 a month for.

Setup fees, engineer visits and extras

One-off charges can wipe out a small saving, so check the basket before you pay. On the deals in this guide:

• Virgin Media: no setup fee on broadband-only packages. If your home can use a QuickStart self-install pack but you ask for an engineer, Virgin charges £30.

• Gigaclear: £0 activation and free standard installation, with an engineer setting up your router. If your property needs non-standard installation, Gigaclear quotes a charge first.

• giffgaff: no setup fees, according to its broadband page.

Extras matter too. Virgin charges £6 a month to boost upload speeds to match downloads on its full fibre deals, which would add £144 over 24 months. Its WiFi Guarantee is £8 a month on cheaper plans. If you need either, add it to the total before comparing.

Switching credit and reward cards

Virgin Media offers up to £300 in bill credit if you are leaving another provider early. It is not cash and does not lower the monthly price. It covers the early termination fees you actually paid, up to £300, and you must claim within 60 days of your service starting, with a final bill from your old provider. If you are out of contract, it is worth nothing to you.

Some providers add reward cards or vouchers around Black Friday. None of the deals in this guide comes with one. If you compare a deal that does, take the card off the total only if you are sure you will claim it, and remember it usually arrives weeks after you switch.

Gigaclear has a different approach for people still in contract. Its in-contract offer, which you order by phone, makes your Gigaclear broadband free for the rest of your current contract, if you have up to 12 months left, so you avoid paying twice.

Who Black Friday broadband is worth it for

Good for:

• Anyone out of contract or close to the end of a contract, who would otherwise keep paying the full price.

• Virgin Media areas where M350 at £21.99 beats your current price, even after April rises.

• Rural homes that can get Gigaclear and are happy to renegotiate or switch at month 18.

Consider something else if:

• You already pay less than about £26 a month for similar speeds. A fixed-price plan with no rises, such as giffgaff where it is available, may cost about the same.

• You have many months left on your contract and your exit fee is high, unless switching credit or Gigaclear’s in-contract offer covers it.

• You need fast uploads for streaming or large files. Virgin’s uploads are slower than its downloads unless you pay £6 a month extra, while Gigaclear and giffgaff match upload and download speeds.

If you are deciding whether to switch now or nearer the day, our guide to when Black Friday broadband deals start covers what each provider has launched. For more on Virgin’s range, see our Virgin Media Black Friday guide, and for every category, our Black Friday deals page.

Important conditions

• All prices are for new customers and depend on your address. Virgin says discounted pricing may be offered in selected locations.

• Virgin Media’s £4 April rises apply to the offer price and to the price after the contract.

• Gigaclear’s Explorer 300 and Galileo 900 offers are limited to the first 2,500 customers per package, and its 18-month term includes the free months.

• Leaving any of these contracts early means an early termination fee.

• You have 14 days to cancel after agreeing to a contract online or by phone.

How to switch in five steps

1. Find your contract end date and any exit fee. Your provider must tell you this, and it is usually in your online account.

2. Check which networks reach your address with a postcode check.

3. Work out the full-term cost of each option using the five steps above.

4. Order the new deal. Under One Touch Switch, the new provider arranges the move and your old contract is closed for you.

5. Put a reminder in your diary a month before the new contract finishes, so you can haggle or switch again.

Our verdict

Black Friday broadband is worth it when you count the whole contract and it still beats what you pay now. Virgin Media M350 at £21.99 a month comes to £26.32 a month over 24 months with April rises, about £300 less than Virgin’s listed price after the deal. Gig1 at £26.99 is the better buy if you want gigabit speeds. In rural areas with Gigaclear, Galileo 900 works out at £19.33 a month over 18 months, which is very strong value, as long as you act before the price moves to £88.

FAQ

Is Black Friday broadband worth it?

It is worth it if the total cost over the contract beats what you pay now. As listed on 9 November 2026, Virgin Media M350 is £21.99 a month, which works out at £26.32 a month over 24 months once its £4 April rises are added. That is about £300 less than Virgin’s listed price after the contract.

How do I work out the real monthly cost of a broadband deal?

Add every monthly payment for the minimum term, including free months at £0 and any April rises. Add setup or activation fees, take off any reward you will definitely claim, then divide by the number of months. This gives an equivalent monthly cost you can compare across deals.

Do Black Friday broadband prices go up in April?

On many deals, yes. Virgin Media says new contracts rise by £4 a month each April, including during an offer. Ofcom rules mean any rise written into a new contract must be shown in pounds and pence before you sign.

Is a deal with free months better than a lower monthly price?

Not always. Gigaclear Galileo 900 is 6 months free, then £29 a month, which averages £19.33 over its 18-month term. If you then stay on the £88 list price, the 24-month average rises to £36.50, so it pays only if you act at the end of the term.

Does Virgin Media’s £300 switching credit make broadband cheaper?

Only if you pay an early termination fee to leave your current provider. Virgin credits your bill with the fee you paid, up to £300, if you claim within 60 days with your final bill. It is not cash and does not lower the monthly price.

Should I wait for Black Friday on 27 November to switch broadband?

If you are out of contract, waiting usually costs more than it saves, because you keep paying the full price. Virgin Media’s and Gigaclear’s Black Friday offers are already on sale. If your contract finishes in December, compare the full-term cost now and order for your end date.

What happens when a Black Friday broadband contract finishes?

Your price moves to the provider’s standard price. Virgin lists £34.49 a month for M350 after 24 months, before any April rises, and Gigaclear lists £88 a month for 900Mbps after 18 months. Your provider must send an end-of-contract notice, which is the moment to haggle or switch.