What internet protection does Virgin Media offer?

Virgin Media offers a range of protection to boost the security of your internet connection or to keep your loved ones safe in your home. Essential Security: this comes with every Virgin Media broadband package. Its parental control features allow you to block inappropriate sites and manage screen time. It will also identify scam websites and malicious downloads Advanced Security: this costs £3 a month or £30 a year. It scans for and fixes security breaches and, sends instant alerts for anything that looks suspicious. It also has various customisable parental controls

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Virgin Media broadband deals

Our advice

Does Virgin Media have good coverage?

Virgin Media uses a proprietary cable network which isn’t available nationwide. Currently, Virgin Media is available to 53 per cent of UK homes compared to Openreach’s 97 per cent coverage. However, if Virgin Media is available in your postcode, its network is reliable; 79 per cent of customers surveyed scored its reliability as ‘excellent’.

Are Virgin Media broadband and TV deals any good?

Virgin Media’s broadband and TV bundles include superfast speeds, premium Sky channels and a Netflix subscription. In our survey, 83 per cent of customers reported being satisfied with their Virgin Media broadband service and 79 per cent rated it ‘excellent’ for reliability. However, the deals are pricey and include an activation fee. Customers surveyed didn’t score Virgin Media highly for value for money (58 per cent) or pricing transparency (56 per cent).

Explore our picks of the best Virgin Media broadband deals

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With a wide variety of phone and TV packages, Virgin Media offers some of the UK’s best broadband deals, and its broadbandruns at speeds as high as 1,130Mbps. Prices start at £12.50 per month for Essential Broadband and rise to £40.99 per month for the gigabit service.

If you’re looking for an ultra-fast connection to stream video content, or you want a low-priced option to suit a tight budget, here are Virgin Media’s best broadband deals.

Why choose Virgin Media broadband?

With average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, Virgin Media’s Gig1 plan is the fastest package offered by the ‘big four’ providers
Virgin Media offers two broadband packages for low-income households: Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus
According to our Independent Advisor survey, 83 per cent of Virgin Media customers were satisfied with their broadband

Independent Advisor survey, over 2,000 respondents in the UK, March 2024

Types of Virgin Media packages

If you can access Virgin Media broadband, there’s a good chance there will be a package to suit your household.

All prices accurate as of 25 July 2024

Broadband-only deals

Virgin Media offers packages that combine broadband with additional services, such as broadband and phone deals that include unlimited weekend calls to UK landlines. These deals start at £29.99 for M125 Fibre Broadband and weekend calls. For £49.99 a month, you can get Gig1 Fibre Broadband, weekend calls and an O2 mobile sim.

You can also add anytime calls throughout the week for an additional £10 a month and international anytime calls for £15 per month.

Broadband and home phone deals

You can also add anytime calls throughout the week for an additional £10 a month and international anytime calls for £15 per month.

Broadband and TV deals

Virgin Media offers a variety of broadband and TV deals, and most of them include a Virgin TV 360 box and weekend calls using your home phone. Some deals also feature Netflix subscriptions and scores of TV channels, including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports. For example, the Mega Volt bundle includes Gig1 Fibre Broadband, a Virgin TV 360 box, Sky Sports HD, Sky Cinema HD, Netflix, anytime home calls and an unlimited O2 mobile sim – all for £84.99 a month.

Stream from Virgin Media

An alternative to these broadband and TV deals is Stream from Virgin Media. This can be included with any broadband plan, and for a £35 activation fee, you get a box to plug into your TV. Stream allows you to tie your various TV subscriptions – such as Netflix, Disney+ and AppleTV+ – into one bill that you can pay through Virgin Media. And better yet, with every subscription you add to Stream, you’ll receive a discount of at least 10 per cent.

Virgin Media broadband speed options

Depending on the package you choose, Virgin Media offers broadband with speeds as fast as 1,130Mbps.

All prices accurate as of 25 July 2024

Essential Broadband

Virgin Media’s cheapest fibre broadband package is Essential Broadband, which costs £12.50 a month. It has download speeds of 15Mbps and is on a 30-day rolling contract. To access this package, you need to be in receipt of one of the following: Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-based Employment Support Allowance.

Essential Broadband Plus

For £20 a month, Essential Broadband Plus has the same eligibility requirements as Essential Broadband, and it has download speeds of 54Mbps. You can also add Stream from Virgin Media for the discounted price of £20.

M125 Fibre Broadband

M125 Fibre Broadband is the cheapest Virgin Media plan that doesn’t have any eligibility criteria. With average advertised speeds of 132Mbps, it is available on an 18-month contract. Prices start at £26 a month for broadband without a phone line, rising to £60.99 a month for a package that includes TV, film and home phone services.

M250 Fibre Broadband

Starting at £28.99 for a broadband-only deal, M250 Virgin Broadband has an average download speed of 264Mbps. It costs £33 a month for broadband, TV and home phone usage, and £37.99 a month for broadband, TV, home phone and an O2 sim.

M350 Fibre Broadband

Virgin’s M350 Fibre Broadband offers average download speeds of 362Mbps. It costs £35.99 a month for broadband-only and £39.99 a month for the Bigger Combo broadband, phone and TV deal, If you also want to include Sky Sports HD, the price rises to £59.99.

M500 Fibre Broadband

With average download speeds of 516Mbps, Virgin Media M500 Fibre Broadband starts at £33.99 a month for broadband-only. For the Bigger Combo bundle, the cost rises to £45.99 a month, and for the Mega Volt bundle, it’s £84.99 a month.

Gig1 Fibre Broadband

If you’re looking for ultrafast broadband, then Virgin Media’s Gig1 plan might be the one for you. Offering average download speeds of 1,130Mbps, its broadband-only plan costs £340.99 a month. It is also supported by Virgin’s WiFi Guarantee – which means that if you don’t get download speeds of at least 30Mbps in every room, you’ll receive £100 bill credit.

Are customers happy with their Virgin Media download speeds?

According to our Independent Advisor survey, 14.14 per cent of Virgin Media customers said they ‘always’ received their advertised download speeds. Meanwhile, just 12.12 per cent stated they ‘rarely’ reached Virgin’s advertised speed.

Virgin Media installation and setup

Signing up for Virgin Media broadband is a relatively simple process. Simply follow this step-by-step guide.

Make sure Virgin Media is available in your postcode: use our postcode checker to find out if Virgin Media offers broadband in your area
Sign up for your Virgin Media broadband package: sign up for your chosen deal and wait for Virgin Media to provide an installation date; the company claims this will be done within 48 hours. If your broadband requires professional installation by an engineer, you can pick the installation date and time slot when placing your order
Contact your current provider: cancel your current broadband contract. Depending on your provider, you may be liable for cancellation fees unless you have reached the end of your contract
Plug in the wifi hub: depending on the broadband deal you select, you may require an engineer to install your wifi hub, which can take between 30 minutes and two hours. If this is not the case, use the QuickStart instructions provided by Virgin Media to self-install your wifi hub

Virgin Media setup fees

Currently, only the Essential Broadband Plus with Stream has setup costs or installation fees. However, you’ll always be charged a £35 activation fee when you purchase Virgin broadband.

You may also incur the following charges:

£5 if you need to have a self-install kit delivered
£30 if you need a technician to install broadband at your home
£20 to have your broadband service transferred if you move to a new home

Is Virgin Media broadband right for me?

When deciding whether to choose Virgin Media as your broadband provider, weigh the pros and cons of doing business with the company and check how its deals stack up against those of its competitors. Here are several factors to consider:

What broadband speed best suits your needs? Virgin Media offers standard, super-fast, ultra-fast and gigabit broadband speeds at different price points. The most suitable speed depends on variables such as how many devices in your households are likely to be simultaneously streaming live TV at any given time
How tight is your budget? Virgin Media broadband is slightly more expensive than some of its competitors’ offerings. So, if you need extremely fast broadband, you may find that the company’s deals are out of your price range
What level of customer service do you want? Virgin Media received a solid 83 per cent customer satisfaction score in our Independent Advisor survey, but it only received 54 per cent for customer service and 56 per cent for technical support. So if that’s a concern, you may want to look elsewhere

Virgin Media best deals and new offers

If you do choose Virgin Media broadband, there are a number of deals and offers to look out for:

New customers: watch out for flash sales for cheaper broadband packages or any offers that include free items when you sign up
Existing customers: log into your Virgin Media account to see if there are any upgrade deals or new packages available
Students: take out a 12-month broadband deal if you’re a student or opt for a 30-day rolling contract, which could be useful if you’re staying in temporary accommodation
Low-income households: check out Virgin’s Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus if your household receives one of several benefits

Is it easy to switch to Virgin Media broadband?

Signing up for Virgin Media broadband is a relatively simple process. Follow this step-by-step guide to get the job done:

Make sure Virgin Media offers service in your postcode: Type your postcode into the “check availability” tab on Virgin Media’s website to see whether its broadband service is available in your area. If it is, compare the pricing and features of the various deals to determine which one best suits your household
Sign up for your Virgin Media broadband package: Sign up for your chosen deal and wait for an installation date from Virgin Media; the company claims this will be done within 48 hours. If your broadband requires professional installation by an engineer, you can pick the installation date and time slot when placing your order
Contact your current provider: Contact your provider to cancel your current broadband contract. Keep in mind that unless you have reached the end of your contract, you may be liable for cancellation fees. This will vary depending on your provider
Plug in the wifi hub: Depending on your broadband deal, you may require an engineer to install your Wifi hub, which can take between 30 minutes and two hours. If this is not the case, self-install your wifi hub using the QuickStart instructions provided by Virgin Media

Virgin Media broadband deals FAQs

Virgin Media offers a range of protection to boost the security of your internet connection or to keep your loved ones safe in your home.

Essential Security: this comes with every Virgin Media broadband package. Its parental control features allow you to block inappropriate sites and manage screen time. It will also identify scam websites and malicious downloads
Advanced Security: this costs £3 a month or £30 a year. It scans for and fixes security breaches and, sends instant alerts for anything that looks suspicious. It also has various customisable parental controls

Rather than providing clear and easy ways to get in contact, Virgin Media tries to drive its customers towards seeking answers online. That helps explain why the company received an ease-of-contact score of just 56 per cent in our Independent Advisor survey.

If you do need to contact Virgin Media directly, you can use one of these methods:

Phone: 0345 454 1111 (8am to 9pm Monday to Friday or 8am to 6pm Saturdays and Sundays)

Virtual assistant: Virgin says responses from its virtual assistant may not be immediate, but you can turn on notifications to receive an alert when you receive a message

Gemma Ryles

Home Tech Writer

Gemma Ryles is a BJTC and PPA-accredited journalist with three years of experience writing across various publications. As a home tech expert at Independent Advisor, Gemma tests, researches and writes about broadband and home security.

Previously, Gemma reviewed and curated lists about consumer technology at Trusted Reviews, where she honed her skills in creating buying guides and features to help customers make informed decisions. She has previously worked at Yorkshire Post, BBC Yorkshire, Glitterbeam Radio and Bonus Stage.

Gemma has a BA in Journalism and in her free time can be found writing short stories, gaming and crocheting.

Amy Reeves

Editor

Amy is a seasoned writer and editor with a special interest in home design, sustainable technology and green building methods.

She has interviewed hundreds of self-builders, extenders and renovators about their journeys towards individual, well-considered homes, as well as architects and industry experts during her five years working as Assistant Editor at Homebuilding & Renovating, part of Future plc.

Amy’s work covers topics ranging from home, interior and garden design to DIY step-by-steps, planning permission and build costs, and has been published in Period Living, Real Homes, and 25 Beautiful Homes, Homes and Gardens.

Now an Editor at the Independent Advisor, Amy manages homes-related content for the site, including solar panels, combi boilers, and windows.

Her passion for saving tired and inefficient homes also extends to her own life; Amy completed a renovation of a mid-century house in 2022 and is about to embark on an energy-efficient overhaul of a 1800s cottage in Somerset.