Zen Internet remove lifetime price guarantee

It means customers who enter into contracts with Zen Internet from 1 June 2022 will not be eligible for the promise.

However, customers who already have a Zen contract by that date will be covered by the Lifetime Price Guarantee as long as they keep the same service at the same address.

This change in policy from Zen does not affect their promise not to raise prices during a customer's contract and they remain one of the few fixed price broadband providers in the UK.

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Lifetime guarantee

The Zen Lifetime Price Guarantee or the Price for Life promise has been one of the hallmarks of Zen's broadband service.

It meant that customers signing up to a contract and staying on that same deal would see no increase to the amount they paid for their broadband, no matter how long they remained a Zen customer.

However, Zen have now confirmed that this policy will change on 1 June 2022, with no new customers able to sign up for the Lifetime Price Guarantee.

Anyone who already has a Price for Life will see that guarantee honoured, but as soon as they want to upgrade to another speed plan or move address, they will be classed as ending their Price for Life deal and will start afresh on a normal Zen Internet package.

Price promise

Zen say the decision to end the Lifetime Price Guarantee is due to the changing marketplace and the extra costs the business is bearing.

They cite the high inflation figures that have seen annual price increases from other providers reach 9.3% thanks to the way those bills are calculated in line with inflation.

To continue to invest in their business, Zen say the Price for Life offer must end for new customers.

However, the provider does still offer a Zen Contract Price Promise that says the firm will not change the monthly costs of a customer's broadband plan during their minimum term contract (unless required to do so by a regulatory body).

What this means is that Zen broadband customers will sign up to a monthly price that will remain the same during their contract, although it will likely rise after the minimum term.

Only a few providers fix their broadband prices for the entirety of a fixed contract, so Zen is still a good option in that respect.

Zen Internet

Zen are one of the smaller UK broadband providers, yet they punch above their weight in several respects.

They have been offering ultrafast full fibre broadband packages for longer than many of their competitors and they operate their business in such an ethical manner that we awarded them the Most Ethical award for 2022 in the Choose Broadband Awards.

Yet ethical and environmental initiatives undoubtedly cost money and, even though Zen are one of the pricier broadband providers around, the promise to shield customers from any price increase was ultimately deemed unsustainable.

This is disappointing in one respect because it was a unique offer that set Zen apart from their competitors. On the other hand, to run a sustainable and ethical company is Zen's USP and it seems the Price for Life promise was not helping them achieve that.

It was announced in March 2022 that Zen Internet services are going to be available across the whole CityFibre broadband network by the end of this year.

Perhaps the prospect of more than 1.3 million premises having the option to take out a Lifetime Price Guarantee was the nudge the provider needed to end their promise once and for all.