Help if you’re struggling to pay your mobile phone, TV or broadband bills

If you don’t have a landline or broadband, your mobile phone is a vital connection to other services, so it’s important to keep it if you can.

This might be your first experience of struggling to pay a bill. Remember that it’s important to keep up with your payments. This isn’t just so you don’t lose your connection, but also because it could affect your credit score if you don’t.

If you need help, contact your provider as soon as possible to explain the situation.

Many providers have support in place to help you, including:

• changing your bill date
• setting up an affordable repayment plan
• moving to a different tariff
• lowering your spending cap.

It’s best to only use your phone when you need to.

If you’re on a mobile phone contract, you might be able to move to a cheaper pay-as-you go tariff or sim-only deal. But find out first if you have to pay a fee to end your contract early.

If your income has dropped during the contract term, you might not be able to afford your mobile phone bill.

If you need help, contact your provider as soon as possible and explain your situation. They might be able to help you out, such as:

• changing your bill date
• setting up an affordable repayment plan
• moving to a different tariff
• removing data caps on fixed broadband services.

You might also be able to buy packages that include data boosts at low prices, or free landline phone calls.

If you're vulnerable, and your provider can’t make priority repairs in your home,  they should make sure you have alternatives to broadband or a landline.

Some providers offer low-cost plans to help you make mobile calls and get online if you’re getting certain benefits, including: 

• Universal Credit 
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Pension Credit  
• Employment and Support Allowance  

To find out more, at Ofcom

The above table was correct as of Feb 2023. Source: Ofcom

If you’re looking for work, you can apply through your work coach for a voucher to exchange for free broadband from connectivity provider TalkTalk. 

The voucher allows you to get six months of TalkTalk’s Fibre 35 broadband service with no contract or credit check required. Data usage limits are uncapped (within the fair data usage limits). 

After six months, you can choose to roll onto a contract with TalkTalk or cancel the service. Whatever you choose to do, there will be no cancellation costs or sign-up fees.

According to Ofcom, two million households in the UK struggle to afford their internet bill.

Data poverty means that you can't do things like apply for a job online, bank online or access essential services, due to having no internet connectivity. 

If you are unable to afford an internet connection to meet essential needs, you may be experiencing data poverty. 

The UK National Databank brings free mobile internet data to people who can’t afford it and who are often also experiencing multiple inequalities. 

To be eligible you must:

• be 18+ years old  

• and be from a low-income household 

• and qualify in one or several of the following statements:  

• have no access or insufficient access to the internet at home

• and/or no or insufficient access to the internet when away from the home  

• and/or cannot afford your existing monthly contract or top up 

You can have access to data for up to 12 months. 

Find out more at National DatabackOpens in a new window 

When shopping around for low-cost tariffs, it’s worth comparing the internet speed against the cost of the tariff. Cheaper tariffs might mean it takes longer to download documents, videos, games or films.

You can also compare these costs against the cheaper sim-only or pay-as-you-go deals which will give you more data and faster connections. Or you can use your mobile phone’s hotspot to transfer data to a computer or tablet if you need to access the internet.

If you can’t afford services such as Netflix or Spotify, you might be able to cancel them without being charged a penalty. Check the terms of your contract.

Your circumstances might mean you can get a lower price from your TV provider.

If you’ve missed a payment on your broadband, phone or TV subscription, contact your lender to explain your situation.

Have you already missed a payment, or are worried you mght miss a payment and are not able to come to an agreement with your provider? Then it’s best to get advice as soon you can, especially if you’ve got other debts as well.

Experiencing mental health problems might make it difficult for you to manage your money.

Remember, if you’re struggling financially and with your mental wellbeing, it’s worth getting in contact with your bank, building society, lender or whoever you owe money to, to discuss your options.

However, contacting someone to talk about your problems is often easier said than done when you’re struggling with your mental health.

Most organisations that you owe money to have policies to help support you if you’re vulnerable. But they can’t help you unless you are able to ask.

For some general tips on how you can manage your mental health check out Rethink’s guide. It covers everything from setting a budget to getting help if you, or someone you care about, is having a mental health crisis.