Broadband Providers Switching Credit Offers 2025
Broadband switching credit used to be a bit of a throwaway marketing line. Now it is a practical way to soften the cost of getting out of a poor broadband contract. A small but growing group of UK providers will pay a chunk of your early termination fees if you move to them, with contributions ranging from about £50 up to £400 on selected full fibre packages.
It is not as simple as “we pay everything and you leave for free”. You still have to follow each provider’s rules, pay your old provider first, and claim correctly. But when you handle it properly, switching credit can remove a big part of the exit bill and make an early move much easier to stomach.
This guide explains how broadband switching credit works, which providers offer it in 2025 (including Virgin Media’s new scheme), the key small print, and how to decide whether it is actually worth using in your case.
Broadband switching credit – providers and billing credit at a glance
| Provider | Billing credit |
|---|---|
| Virgin Media | Up to £200 |
| Sky Broadband | Up to £100–£200 |
| EE Broadband | Up to £300 |
| Vodafone Broadband | Up to £200 |
| Hyperoptic | Up to £300 |
| YouFibre | Up to £300 |
| GoFibre | Up to £200 |
| LightSpeed Broadband | Up to £350 |
| Fibrus | Up to £400 |
| KCOM | Up to £200 |
| BeFibre | Up to £300 |
| brsk | Up to £300 |
| Quickline | Up to £300 |
| BT Broadband | Up to £300 |
| Community Fibre | N/A |
| TalkTalk | N/A |
| Plusnet | N/A |
| NOW Broadband | N/A |
| Zen Internet | N/A |
| G.Network | Up to £150 cashback |
| Gigaclear | N/A |
| Trooli | N/A |
| Airband | N/A |
| Onestream | N/A |
| Utility Warehouse | N/A |
| Box Broadband | N/A |
| Jurassic Fibre | N/A |
| Swish Fibre | N/A |
| Wildanet | N/A |
| Grain Connect | N/A |
What broadband switching credit actually means
Broadband switching credit, sometimes called exit-fee credit or contract buyout, is a financial incentive where your new broadband provider pays part of the early termination fee your old provider charges when you leave mid-contract. Instead of waiting until the end of your minimum term, you move now and claim a credit that offsets some or all of that charge.
Early termination fees are usually based on the monthly price of your package and the months left on your commitment, with a small reduction for costs the old provider no longer has to cover. If you still have ten or twelve months remaining, that fee can easily land in three figures.
Switching credit does not erase that bill. You still pay the full amount to your existing provider. Once your new broadband service is live, you send your new provider a copy of your final bill showing the early termination charge. If your claim meets their rules, they credit your new account or in some cases issue a refund.
The actual transfer between networks is now simpler than it used to be. Ofcom’s One Touch Switch system, introduced in September 2024, means you only speak to your new provider. They handle the cancellation and timing, which reduces admin and avoids most double-billing problems. Switching credit then sits on top of that as an extra step after activation.
Broadband providers that pay your exit fees in 2025
Only a small group of providers run permanent switching-credit schemes, and some of those are limited to full fibre. Others run contract-buyout offers as time-limited promotions. The rest prefer to use reward cards, bill credits or lower introductory prices instead of paying exit fees directly.
All of the offers below were checked at the time of writing. They can change quickly, so it is important to double-check the current terms before you sign anything.
EE broadband switching credit – up to £300
EE is one of the clearest examples of broadband switching credit in the UK market. If you move your broadband — and, if you like, your TV package — from another provider to EE, you can claim up to £300 towards your early termination fees.
The process is straightforward. You order EE broadband, let the service go live, then email EE with a copy of your paid final bill and your EE order number. EE reviews the documents and credits your EE account by the amount of your exit fee, up to a maximum of £300. That credit reduces your future EE bills rather than being paid out as cash.
EE excludes switchers from BT and Plusnet because all three brands fall under the same group. The scheme is mainly designed for 24-month contracts. Shorter terms may qualify for a lower cap.
If you are currently on an older FTTC contract and facing a sizeable early termination charge, this scheme can clear a large part of that fee, provided you are happy to commit to a new full term with EE.
Hyperoptic switching credit – up to £300 on full fibre
Hyperoptic’s “Switch Now” promotion offers up to £300 towards your early termination fees when you take one of its 24-month full-fibre plans, typically at 150Mbps, 500Mbps or 1Gbps.
You sign up, Hyperoptic install the new full-fibre connection, and you then submit your final bill from your previous provider showing the exit fee you paid. Once Hyperoptic approves the claim, the credit is applied to your Hyperoptic account and used to reduce upcoming bills.
Hyperoptic focuses on full-fibre deployments in dense urban areas and new-build developments. If you are stuck on a slower FTTC or cable service in a building that Hyperoptic serves, this scheme can make it much easier to move mid-contract without absorbing the whole cost yourself.
Sky switching credit – up to £100 or £200
Sky offers switching credit for new customers joining on Sky Broadband and for those taking broadband together with Sky TV. If your current provider charges you to leave, Sky will credit up to £100 when you take broadband only, or up to £200 when you bundle broadband and Sky TV such as Sky Q, Sky Glass or Sky Stream.
To claim, you first place your Sky order and wait for activation. You then pay your previous provider’s exit fee, and email Sky a copy of your final, paid bill within 90 days. Once Sky confirms everything lines up, the switching credit is applied to your Sky account.
This sort of offer is most useful for households that already wanted Sky TV or planned to move their broadband to Sky, but also need help cutting the cost of leaving their old deal early.
Vodafone broadband switching credit – up to £200
Vodafone operates a structured switching-credit system linked to its full-fibre plans. If you take a 24-month Vodafone broadband contract while still in term with another provider, you can apply for switching credit once your new line is active.
The caps depend on the plan you take:
- Up to £50 on Fibre 1, Fibre 2, Full Fibre 74 and Full Fibre 80
- Up to £150 on Full Fibre 150
- Up to £200 on Full Fibre 500, Full Fibre 910, Full Fibre 1.6, Full Fibre 1.8 and Full Fibre 2.2
Vodafone sends you a link to an online claim form 14–30 days after activation. You then have 90 days to upload your final bill showing the exit fee you paid. Once approved, the switching credit appears as account credit on your Vodafone bill, usually within a few weeks.
For people moving from FTTC or cable to faster full fibre, this scheme can significantly trim the cost of leaving mid-term, especially on the faster Vodafone plans where the cap rises to £200.
Virgin Media broadband switching credit – up to £200 bill credit
Virgin Media has recently launched its own switching-credit promotion for new customers leaving another provider mid-contract. The offer is branded as “Up to £200 Switching Credit” and is available on selected broadband and broadband-with-TV packages, including some Black Friday deals with three months free.
The credit is tied directly to the early termination fees you pay to your old provider. Virgin Media matches that amount as bill credit up to a maximum of £200. So if you are billed £120 to leave your current broadband, Virgin Media will apply £120 to your new account; if your exit fee is £260, the credit is capped at £200.
The process is clear. You order Virgin Media broadband, wait for the new service to go live, then submit your claim within 60 days of activation. You need to upload or email a copy of your final bill from your previous provider, showing the early termination charges and the fact that you have paid them. That bill must be dated no more than 30 days after the date you ordered Virgin Media.
Once Virgin checks your claim, they apply the switching credit to your account, usually within about 28 days. The current version of the offer runs until 10 December 2025 and only applies in Virgin Media network areas for switching new customers.
There are important restrictions to understand. The switching credit is bill credit only; you must still pay your exit fees to the old provider yourself, and there is no cash alternative. Student broadband, 30-day rolling plans and Essential Broadband are excluded. Virgin Media will not apply the credit in the first 14 days of your service, and if you cancel during that cooling-off period or before the credit is paid, you lose the eligibility. In reality, this scheme best suits households committed to staying on a 24-month Virgin Media contract, who want help with a one-off exit bill when leaving their current provider.
BT broadband switching credit – invite-only deals up to £300
BT does not publish a formal switching-credit scheme on its main site. However, several comparison and news outlets report that BT occasionally offers switching support up to £300 when trying to win customers from Virgin Media and a handful of other providers, usually as part of a phone sales discussion rather than through an on-site promotion.
Because this is not a standing offer, it is less predictable than EE’s or Vodafone’s schemes. If you are currently with Virgin Media and considering a move to BT while still in contract, it is worth explicitly asking the BT sales agent whether they can contribute towards your exit fees and what evidence they would require.
Contract-buyout schemes from full-fibre providers
Beyond the national brands, a group of regional full-fibre networks use contract-buyout deals to tempt customers away from older copper and cable services. These offers can be very generous but only apply in areas where those networks have deployed infrastructure.
BeFibre – up to £300
BeFibre offers a contract-buyout scheme that repays exit fees up to £300, with the cap linked to the plan you pick. Typical guidance includes:
- Up to £75 on Be200
- Up to £100 on Be500
- Up to £200 on Be1000
- Up to £300 on Be2300
You sign up to BeFibre, wait until your new full-fibre service is active, then upload your final bill through the BeFibre portal. Once the claim is approved, BeFibre pays the buyout amount as cash or account credit, which you can then use as you see fit.
brsk – up to £300
brsk’s “In-Contract Buyout” offer applies to selected 24-month BetterNet full-fibre plans. After activation, you can claim up to £300 in account credit to cover the early termination fees you paid to your previous provider.
You must email brsk a copy of your final bill within 30 days of activation. If the claim is accepted, brsk spreads the credit across your upcoming bills until it is used up.
Fibrus – up to £400
Fibrus, operating across Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, runs one of the highest contract-buyout caps available. Its scheme can cover up to £400 of early termination fees when you switch to a qualifying Fibrus full-fibre plan.
The claim process is similar: order Fibrus, let the new service go live, then submit your final bill via Fibrus’s buyout form. If the claim passes, Fibrus credits your account, cutting your monthly payments until the credit is fully used.
Quickline – up to £300
Rural provider Quickline offers to cover early termination fees up to £300 on selected full-fibre packages. The switching credit is usually paid via a prepaid Mastercard once Quickline has verified your final bill and confirmed that you meet the terms.
This can be particularly helpful for rural customers who want to move from long FTTC contracts to new full-fibre connections without absorbing the full exit fee themselves.
KCOM – up to £200
In Hull and surrounding Lightstream areas, KCOM’s current offers show a contract-buyout option that gives up to £200 in account credit towards broadband and line-rental exit fees.
Again, you must move to KCOM, pay your old provider’s exit fee, then submit your final bill. The credit is capped at the amount you actually paid and is applied to reduce future KCOM bills.
G.Network and other regional schemes
City-focused networks such as G.Network in London occasionally run contract-buyout promotions, often paying up to £150 cashback when customers switch to specific packages.
Other alternative networks including LightSpeed, YouFibre and a number of smaller full-fibre brands appear regularly in deal tables with buyout caps between £150 and £350. These offers are usually time-limited and plan-specific, so you need to check the exact terms on the provider site or comparison page you are using.
Providers that do not normally offer switching credit
Several well-known providers still do not operate permanent switching-credit schemes. TalkTalk, Plusnet, NOW Broadband, Zen Internet and Community Fibre typically do not pay early termination fees directly.
That does not mean they have no incentives. Instead of exit-fee cover, they tend to use bill credits, reward cards, free setup or discounted introductory pricing. Virgin Media also used that approach for years, but now adds switching credit on top of those tools for selected offers.
The simple rule is this: never assume your exit fees will be covered unless the provider clearly states switching credit or a contract buyout for the exact package you plan to take.
How do switching-credit offers work
Although each provider has its own rules, most schemes follow the same basic pattern.
You start by choosing your new broadband package. Where One Touch Switch applies, your new provider handles the transfer and cancellation, so you usually do not need to phone your old provider to request codes or schedule disconnection.
Your old provider then issues a final bill that includes your early termination fee. You pay the full amount yourself. No scheme will reimburse unpaid charges.
Once your new broadband service is live and your final bill is paid, you submit a claim. Depending on the provider, that might involve an online form, an email to a dedicated address or uploading a PDF through an account portal.
You normally have between 30 and 90 days from activation to make this claim. Miss that window and you lose the right to switching credit.
The provider’s back-office team checks that the early termination fee is clearly itemised, that you have paid it, and that your new package qualifies for the scheme. If everything checks out, the credit is applied to your new account or paid via prepaid card or cashback, depending on the offer.
The whole process typically takes a few weeks end-to-end. Switching credit is best viewed as a medium-term bill reducer over the life of the new contract, not as a same-week fix for a sudden cash-flow problem.
When switching credit actually makes sense
Switching credit looks generous on banners, but the numbers matter. It makes most sense when you are stuck with poor speeds or unreliable service, your exit fees are high, and a new provider is offering a notably better connection at a comparable or lower total cost.
For example, moving from a slower FTTC package with a year left to a 500Mbps or 900Mbps full-fibre package backed by £200–£300 in switching credit can be a clear upgrade, especially if you rely on cloud apps, streaming and frequent video calls.
It is still easy to lose money if you do not do the sums:
- If the new monthly price is significantly higher than you pay now,
- if your exit fee is higher than the switching-credit cap, or
- if mid-contract price rises on the new deal add hundreds of pounds over the term,
the move might cost more overall even with switching credit in the mix.
Ofcom has pointed out that fixed annual price increases, such as BT and EE’s flat £4 per month model on some plans, can add a substantial amount over 24 months. You need to treat those rises as part of the real cost rather than a footnote.
The simplest way to decide is to compare two totals:
- The cost of staying where you are until your contract ends and then taking a sharp new-customer deal.
- The cost of switching now, plus your early termination fee, minus any switching credit, plus the full cost of the new contract including expected price rises.
Once you see the full figures side by side, it becomes obvious whether switching credit delivers a saving or just makes an expensive move appear cheaper at first glance.
Practical tips before you use broadband switching credit
If you are tempted by one of these schemes, a small checklist helps avoid problems later.
Start by confirming your current contract details. Log into your online account or call your provider to check your minimum-term end date and to get a clear exit-fee quote for leaving on a specific date.
Next, check the exact switching-credit rules for the new provider and package you are considering. Use the provider’s own pages or trusted broadband guides, not out-of-date forum posts or social media screenshots.
Make sure you understand the claim deadline and documents required. Most schemes expect a final bill that clearly shows the early termination fee and proof that the bill has been settled. If the fee is buried inside a larger balance, ask your old provider for a more detailed statement.
Pay attention to add-ons on the new contract. Some providers bundle trial security tools, router cover or TV bolt-ons that convert into paid extras if you do nothing. If you forget to remove them, those charges can gradually eat away at the value of your switching credit.
Finally, remember that switching credit only helps you leave your current provider. It does not protect you from exit fees if you leave the new provider before your new minimum term ends. If you think you may move home, change provider again or downgrade in the next year or so, a shorter contract with no buyout might be safer than locking into a long term just to get a one-off credit.
Bottom line
Broadband switching credit has changed how people move between providers. Instead of waiting quietly for contracts to expire, you can now use schemes from EE, Sky, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, BeFibre, brsk, Fibrus, Quickline, KCOM and several other full-fibre brands to switch early without carrying the full exit cost yourself.
The crucial step is to treat switching credit as one part of the decision, not the entire story. Check your exit fee, understand the claim rules, factor in mid-contract price rises and add up the total cost of staying versus switching. If the new connection genuinely improves your speeds, reliability and support at a sensible long-term cost, switching credit can be the final nudge that makes moving broadband the right next step.
