Virgin Media flash sale offering half-price broadband for nine months

Virgin's flash sale means you can get 30Mb broadband, TV and free weekend calls for just £13 a month - that's half-price! But you only have a couple of days to take advantage.

May has been a pretty amazing month for broadband bundles, with juicy deals coming fast and thick.

For example, a fortnight ago, we revealed four bargain broadband offers from Plusnet, Sky, Virgin Media and Tesco. However, Virgin Media has now gone even further, launching what should prove to be a compelling deal for new customers.

Half-price broadband for nine months

In a 'flash sale' that lasts only until 28th May, Virgin has slashed the cost of broadband, halving the price of its popular broadband bundles for a full nine months. Until next Tuesday, Virgin Media's Essential, Premiere and VIP Collections are on sale at half-price, plus free installation.

Here are the details of the delicious deal for Virgin's Essential Collection, its most popular package:

Virgin Media Essential Collection (broadband, TV and landline bundle)

• Half-price for nine months, plus free installation
• Only £13 a month for the first nine months, then £26 a month (plus monthly line rental of £14.99)
• Free installation (saving £49.95)
• Up to 30Mb broadband with unlimited downloads
• 500GB TiVo box with over 90 channels, including six in High Definition
• 2,200 hours of On-Demand TV
• Includes Virgin TV Anywhere and free Virgin Media Super Hub (wireless router)
• Free weekend calls to UK landlines, Virgin Mobile and 0870 numbers (for calls lasting up to an hour; hang up and redial to avoid charges)
• Offer open only to new customers signing an 18-month contract (sign up online)
• Must end on Tuesday 28th May

The size of the saving

As you can see, there are some substantial savings to be had by signing up during this one-week sale. You save £13 a month for nine months (£117) and get free installation, saving another £49.95. In total, this deal saves you £166.95 over the standard deal for Virgin's leading broadband bundle.

Of course, by signing an 18-month contract, you are tied to Virgin for a year and a half. Here's how much this entertainment package will cost you over that period:

Over the term of the contract this Virgin Media Essential Collection package will cost a total of £620.82, which averages £34.49 a month. This may sound like a lot, but don't forget that it also includes landline rental, which is nearly £15 a month.

In effect, you're getting super-fast broadband delivered via fibre-optic cable, digital television with on-demand TV and a TiVo DVR (digital video recorder), plus free weekend calls to UK numbers for just £20 a month.

Frankly, that sounds like a bargain to me. Indeed, as an existing Virgin Media customer, I pay more than this for a lesser deal. That's why I'm going to press Virgin to offer me this deal, too. Otherwise I will join the thousands of savvy savers a week switching broadband suppliers in order to get more fun for less cash!

Although the Virgin Media Essential, Premiere and VIP Collections are all half-price for nine months in this week's sale, the Starter Collection is half-price only for six months. This offers broadband, TV and landline from just £9 a month plus monthly line rental -- and is well worth considering as an entry-level package for switchers.

Hassle-free switching

To make switching broadband providers smooth and straightforward, please follow these four rules:

1. Before switching ISPs (Internet Service Providers), always check your current supplier's disconnection and exit charges before cancelling your contract.
2. If you're in the 'lock in' period of a fixed-term contract, then steep penalties may make switching too expensive until this fixed-term expires.
3. Always check with new providers whether they charge any migration or set-up fees for moving your broadband.
4. To make switching smoother, ask your existing ISP for your MAC (Migration Authorisation Code). This request often spurs current providers to come up with better deals for existing customers, making this a win-win tactic!

Compare the latest broadband deals at broadbandchoices.co.uk

> Fancy winning £50? We’ve got five £50 prizes for anyone who answers one of our Lovemoney surveys.

More on broadband:

Tesco cuts cost of unlimited broadband to £2 a month

The best broadband freebies and incentives

The UK's worst broadband provider

The best broadband dongle

The cost of not switching broadband