No Contract and Short Contract Broadband

A 30-day rolling plan renews until you cancel it. A 12-month deal is the usual short fixed term. True 3-month and 6-month contracts are rare, so most households choose between those two.

The trade-off is straightforward. A shorter commitment usually costs more each month, or it comes with a setup fee that a longer deal waives. That extra cost is worth paying if you may move, end a tenancy, or only need a connection for a few months. It is poor value if you already know you will stay for a year.

Best short contract broadband deals

Virgin Media also offers M125, M250, M350 and M500 on a 30-day term, but it does not publish a standard rolling price. The monthly figure appears after an address check. QuickStart setup is free. An engineer costs £30 if QuickStart is available and you ask for a visit anyway.

Who short contracts suit

Renters are the clearest case. A 24-month broadband contract often outlasts the tenancy, and the early exit fee is yours to pay even if the landlord asks you to leave. Check the tenancy end date before you order, and ask whether the building already has a socket or a wayleave for a new full-fibre install.

Students have a similar calendar. A 12-month deal can cover an academic year if the accommodation is yours for the full term. A rolling plan is the safer order for a single semester, a summer let, or a house share that may break up. Some providers also run a dedicated student contract. That is separate from a standard rolling deal, and it usually needs a university email address.

Home movers can use a rolling plan or a 5G hub to cover the gap. Fixed broadband often needs an engineer, and the appointment may land after you have moved in. Order ahead where the network is already in the building. If it is not, a hub avoids the wait.

Households waiting for a full-fibre install are in the same position. A 30-day plan, or a 5G hub, keeps you online until the new line is ready. Give notice in time so the two services do not overlap for a full extra month.

Providers with monthly rolling broadband

Coverage decides this list more than the monthly price. A cheap rolling deal is useless if the network does not reach the building.

Virgin Media offers M125, M250, M350 and M500 on a 30-day rolling contract where its network is already connected. Gig1 is not on the rolling range. You cancel with 30 days’ notice and there is no early exit fee. QuickStart has no setup fee. The rolling monthly price is higher than the fixed-term price, and it is shown at the address check rather than on a national rate card.

NOW Broadband still has a no-contract option. You select it at signup and pay an activation fee upfront. The public deal cards are 24-month full-fibre plans, so the rolling price and the activation fee need to be read on the order page. NOW uses the Openreach network, which makes it one of the wider fixed-line options if the building is not on an independent network.

Hyperoptic offers 1-month, 12-month and 24-month lengths on its own full-fibre network, mostly in flats and newer blocks across its towns and cities. Upload speeds match download speeds. A rolling plan has no service termination fee. The 24-month price is lower and includes a £4 increase each April. The homepage rolling offer on 1Gb was £29, with the price varying by building.

Hey! Broadband publishes 30-day, 12-month and 24-month prices on its own full-fibre network. Rolling costs more each month and adds a £39 standard installation fee. The 12-month price removes that fee. Notice on the rolling service is 30 days.

toob offers home900 Rolling at £39 a month on a one-month term, with free standard installation, in the towns on its network. Its 12-month and 24-month prices are lower. Fixed-term bills rise by £2 each April.

Cuckoo has offered a one-month option on Openreach broadband, usually at a higher monthly price and with a setup fee. Treat that as an address-check item. The public price list is built around 12, 18 and 24-month terms, so confirm the rolling length before you rely on it.

4th Utility and Rise Fibre also offer 30-day terms on selected full-fibre networks. Rise Fibre charges an activation fee on new orders, commonly £19.99, and its monthly price usually rises each March. Availability is local, so both belong on a postcode check rather than a national shortlist.

30-day rolling or 12 months

Use a rolling plan if the end date is uncertain. A short let, a house sale that may slip, or a gap before a full-fibre install all fit that pattern. You pay for the months you use, plus any setup fee, and you leave without an early termination charge.

A 12-month deal is the better buy when the stay is already planned. An academic year, a fixed tenancy, or a home you expect to keep for 12 months will usually cost less on a short fixed term than on a rolling price.

Hey! Broadband’s Superfast 150 shows the gap clearly.

Time on the service	30-day rolling	12-month deal
3 months	£123, including the £39 setup fee	£75 if you stay, more if you leave early
6 months	£207	£150 if you stay
12 months	£375	£300

The rolling plan wins on a stay of a few months, because leaving the 12-month deal early can mean paying for unused months. By the end of a full year, the 12-month price is lower, and it has no setup fee. Run the same sum on any provider that shows both lengths. The monthly gap is often a few pounds, but a setup fee of £39 to £60 can decide a stay of three months on its own.

12-month deals as the middle option

A 12-month contract is the practical choice when a rolling plan is missing, expensive, or loaded with a setup fee. You are tied in for a year, but you avoid an 18-month or 24-month minimum term.

Hey! Broadband is the cleanest example. Superfast 150 drops the £39 installation fee on a 12-month term, and the monthly price is lower than the rolling rate. Three 5G Home Broadband is widely listed at £22 a month on 12 months, against a lower 24-month price. Rebel Internet uses the Openreach network and offers 12-month full fibre, including a 115Mb package at £36 with no setup fee. That is a national-style option where an independent network has not been built.

Community Fibre is the London case. Its short contracts are mainly 12 months, not 30 days, and a 12-month term often holds the price for the year. A 24-month Community Fibre deal can be cheaper each month, then add an April rise. If you will be in the same London home for a year, the 12-month price is usually the one to compare.

EE’s fixed broadband contracts are 12 or 24 months, not rolling. The same pattern applies at several large providers. If the postcode check only returns 18-month and 24-month deals, a 5G hub is the flexible alternative, not a phone call asking for a 30-day fibre plan that the provider does not sell.

4G and 5G home broadband

A 4G or 5G home broadband hub uses the mobile network instead of a fixed line into the property. For the standard indoor hubs, setup is usually straightforward: the router is delivered, you plug it in and connect your devices over Wi-Fi. There is no need to wait for a fixed broadband line to be activated. Three also offers an outdoor 5G option for homes where the indoor mobile signal is weaker.

Vodafone and Three both offer rolling one-month 5G home broadband, which makes them useful for temporary accommodation, renters, home movers and households waiting for a fixed-line installation. Three also has a 12-month option if you need broadband for longer but do not want a standard 24-month commitment.

The main limitation is the mobile signal. Your actual speed depends on 4G or 5G coverage at the property, the position of the hub, the building and how busy the local network is. Thick walls and placing the router on the wrong side of a property can make a noticeable difference. Check coverage at the address before ordering and test the connection where you will actually use it. Three currently includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you time to check whether reception is good enough.

For a short stay or a gap between fixed broadband services, 5G can be one of the simplest options. If you expect to remain at the property for longer, compare it with available full-fibre packages as well rather than choosing purely for the quick installation.

Setup fees, notice and leaving

“No contract” does not mean you can stop paying on the day you move. Most rolling plans need 30 days’ notice. Give notice before the move date, not after, or you will pay for a month in an empty home.

Setup fees matter more on a short stay than the monthly premium. Hey! Broadband’s £39 installation fee is £13 a month across a three-month let. A £60 activation fee is £20 a month across the same stay. A 12-month deal that waives setup can be cheaper even if you leave a little early, once the exit fee is included. Ask for that fee before you compare monthly prices.

Equipment is usually a loan. Routers and 5G hubs have to be returned. A missed return becomes a charge. Book the return when you give notice, and keep proof of postage.

Credit checks still apply on most rolling orders. A short term does not remove the check. Providers that market no-credit-check broadband are a separate, smaller group, and the monthly price is often higher. A failed check is a reason to look at a 5G hub or a social tariff, not a reason to assume every rolling plan will accept the order.

Installation lead times still apply to fixed broadband. A rolling contract does not move an engineer forward. If you need broadband this week, order a hub.

Price rises

A rolling plan usually has no scheduled in-contract rise, because there is no long minimum term. The provider can still change the price with notice. You can leave if you do not accept it, which is the practical protection.

A 12-month or 24-month deal may include a fixed rise. Hyperoptic adds £4 each April on contracts taken from January 2026. toob adds £2 each April on fixed terms. Hey! Broadband’s 12-month prices rise by £2 each April. Three and Vodafone 5G fixed terms also rise in April. Read the order summary. A low starting price on a 24-month deal can pass a rolling price once the April rises are counted, but only if you stay for the full term.

Social tariffs on short terms

Some social tariffs are already 30-day, so a long contract is not the price of a cheaper bill.

Hyperoptic Fair Fibre needs an eligible benefit and coverage in the building. Virgin Media’s Essential Broadband range is also a rolling 30-day contract, with no exit fee. Vodafone has said a 5G Broadband Essentials plan will start at £11. Eligibility rules differ by provider. Our Home Essentials guide covers the benefit rules in full.

Before you order

Check the address first. A rolling plan from Hyperoptic, Hey! Broadband, toob or Virgin Media is irrelevant if the network is not in the building.

Then match the term to the date you can actually leave. If that date is inside six months, compare the rolling total, including setup, with the early exit cost of a 12-month deal. If the date is a full year, take the 12-month price unless the rolling plan is unusually close.

Confirm four items on the order page: the setup fee, the notice period, whether the router must be returned, and the price-rise clause. Give notice against the move date, not against the day the keys go back.

FAQs