Virgin Media won awards in five categories in this year's Choose Broadband Awards, including:
Speed:
Reliability:
Satisfaction:
Value for money:
Customer Service:
Recommendable:
Ratings based on an independent survey of Virgin Media customers carried out by Choose.
Virgin Media offers some of the fastest broadband in the UK, with average download speeds available up to 2Gb per second.
The Virgin Media broadband network currently covers over 16 million homes, with the provider aiming to extend their reach to a further 7 million over the next few years. As Virgin Media is now actively expanding, checking coverage in your area with the postcode tool above is worthwhile.
Virgin broadband deals can be taken on their own, or bundled with either Virgin's Flex TV service or the TV 360 box.
Customers can choose from one of six broadband packages with download speeds ranging from 132Mbps with M125, to 1.13Gbps with Gig1, and even 2Gbps with Gig2 in select areas.
Virgin Media broadband prices are competitive, with deals available on free setup and reduced monthly prices.
Read more in our Virgin Media broadband review.
Virgin Media availability varies across the UK, but around 55% of homes are currently covered.
The provider is also actively rolling out to new areas, with a planned investment of £45 billion to reach a further 7 million homes by the end of 2026.
As such, availability for Virgin broadband is changing, you can check your postcode above to see what deals you can get. However, even within these areas some properties may be missed out, so to be sure, click the 'Get deal' button and check again on Virgin's website.
If Virgin Media broadband isn't yet available to your home, registering interest can alert them to customers who want to sign up. This can help lead decisions on future rollout plans.
Read more about Virgin Media availability and how to register interest.
Customers can choose from six different broadband speeds with Virgin Media, including 132Mb, 264Mb, 362Mb, 516Mb, 1130Mb, and 2000Mb in select locations.
Virgin Media's gigabit-capable plan, Gig1, is now available across their entire network of over 16 million premises, so all customers can choose this speed if they want it. Those looking at even faster speeds can now get Gig2 in select areas where Virgin Media have installed full fibre technology.
The Virgin broadband packages available are:
Average download speed | Average upload speed | |
---|---|---|
M125 | 132Mbps | 20Mbps |
M250 | 264Mbps | 25Mbps |
M350 | 362Mbps | 36Mbps |
M500 | 516Mbps | 52Mbps |
Gig1 | 1130Mbps | 104Mbps |
Gig2 | 2000Mbps | 2000Mbps / 200Mbps |
Virgin Media offer asymmetrical upload speeds, which means they will be slower than the headline download speed. This is the same even on full fibre deals from BT, Sky, and TalkTalk.
For those living in select locations where Virgin Media has installed full fibre connections, they can now choose up to 2Gbps download speeds and symmetrical uploads on all packages for an extra fee.
The advertised average speeds in the table above must be received by at least 50% of Virgin broadband customers at the peak hours of 8pm to 10pm in the evening when the network is busiest.
Virgin Media will also provide new customers with estimated speed ranges, and a minimum speed guarantee.
Estimated download speed | Minimum guaranteed speed | |
---|---|---|
M125 | 133 - 137Mbps | 66Mbps |
M250 | 267 - 273Mbps | 132Mbps |
M350 | 369 - 382Mbps | 181Mpbs |
M500 | 508 - 543Mbps | 258Mbps |
Gig1 | 1076 - 1139Mbps | 565Mbps |
Gig2 | 2020 - 2085Mbps | 1000Mbps |
If a Virgin broadband connection drops below the minimum guaranteed speed in the table above for more than 3 consecutive days, and Virgin don't resolve the issue within 30 days, customers can exit their contract penalty free.
The Virgin broadband deals displayed in the table above are for new customers, which means you must not have been a Virgin Media broadband customer for at least the last 3 months.
To qualify for these offers it's important to click through the 'Get deal' buttons and sign up for Virgin broadband through the online checkout cart.
Current offers for new customers include reduced monthly prices; reduced setup or activation fees; and occasionally bill credit offers, which amount to more money off the broadband deal.
For the best savings on Virgin broadband it's also worth considering bundling Virgin TV services, as well as reading our broadband guides which highlight and explain the packages currently offering the best value for money.
The best Virgin broadband deal will vary depending on an individual household's requirements, as well as their budget.
Here are some questions worth asking when comparing Virgin deals:
We've covered more on which Virgin broadband deal to choose in our main review of Virgin broadband, as well as who each plan is best suited to in our individual guides of each package: M125, M250, M350, M500, Gig1, and Gig2.
New customers may also find the best value for money when they bundle Virgin broadband with TV 360 in a pre-made bundle. Find out more on these offers on our Virgin TV and broadband page.
Virgin Media broadband deals come with a minimum contract period of 18 months. During this term customers are unable to cancel their contract without incurring early termination charges.
At the end of the contract period prices usually increase, although Virgin Media should send customers end of contract notifications before this happens so they know when to switch or negotiate with Virgin for a cheaper price on a new contract.
Virgin Media contracts taken out since April 2023 are also subject to annual price rises of Retail Price Index (RPI) + 3.9%. This brings them in line with partner company O2, who also apply price rises of RPI + 3.9% to any mobile part of a Virgin Volt bundle.
Because this price rise is now specified in the broadband contract, customers still within them minimum term will be unable to exit their contract early.
Lastly, it's worth remembering any router or TV box, including the stream box and remote, supplied with a Virgin broadband deal remain property of Virgin Media, and they may ask for these devices back if you choose to leave the service.
Most customers signing up for Virgin Media broadband can expect installation within 14 days of placing their order. However, this could be longer if there are any access issues.
Customers who've already had Virgin Media at their property may be eligible for a self-installation called QuickStart which takes just four days.
Those who are switching to Virgin Media from another provider must remember they are responsible for informing their existing supplier and cancelling any services they're already paying for. Providers usually require 30 days' notice to cancel. Find out more about switching.
Virgin Media broadband comes with a branded WiFi hub, and customers will be sent either the Hub 3, Hub 4, or Hub 5 depending on the package they choose.
Gig1 customers will be sent the latest WiFi 6 Hub 5 as a priority, while customers opting for other Virgin broadband deals will be sent either the Hub 3 or Hub 4 depending on availability.
Each of these routers support dual-band wireless as well as intelligent mesh, so customers can also take Virgin Media's WiFi guarantee add-on.
Virgin Media offer one of the fastest whole home wireless guarantees in the UK, promising minimum download speeds of 30Mbps in every room or a £100 bill credit.
The WiFi Max add-on costs £8 per month, or is included free with Gig1, Gig2 and all Volt broadband plans.
Customers who don't receive 30Mbps or faster speeds in every room can request WiFi Pods to boost wireless coverage in their home.
Virgin Media offers some of the fastest download speeds available in the UK, so gamers can play in real-time, stream 4K content, and download large files quickly.
However, due to Virgin Media's slightly older network technology, homes are often connected with coaxial cable rather than full fibre. This has led to slower latency rates in comparison to newer full fibre to the home connections, as we explore in our guide to gaming broadband.
In the longer term it's worth noting Virgin Media are upgrading their entire network, including all existing users, to full fibre, which should complete by 2028.
All Virgin broadband deals are totally unlimited and Virgin Media no longer operate a traffic management policy or restrictions for heavier users.
The only limitation Virgin places is that customers are only using the network for their own personal use.
While Virgin's broadband network may slow down on occasion if there is heavy traffic on the network, there is no deliberate decision to slow down particular users based on the amount of data they're transferring.
Virgin Flex is the provider's streaming TV platform, which offers premium content over a broadband connection.
Customers pay a £10 activation fee, which includes the Stream box, and can then choose to add various TV packs on a monthly rolling subscription basis.
TV content includes Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, TNT Sports, Sky Entertainment, as well as support for on-demand apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Paramount+.
Flex costs from £5 per month and includes over 150 TV channels as standard. It also offers customers 10% credit on any TV content purchased through the platform.
Virgin Media customers who become unable to pay their broadband bill during their minimum term should contact Virgin and let them know.
Virgin offer two social broadband tariffs to customers in receipt of certain means-tested benefits, which can help them stay connected when they might otherwise struggle to pay for their service.
Virgin Media Essential Broadband offers average download speeds of 15Mbps for £12.50 per month, or 50Mbps for £20 per month. Customers opting for the faster plan can also access Stream at a reduced price.
The Essential Broadband packages are free from setup fees, early termination fees, and also aren't subject to annual price rises. So, customers on these plans can more carefully budget.
See our Virgin Media Essential Broadband guide for more on eligibility and how to apply.
14 November 2024
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