NOW Broadband | Our expert review

What is NOW Broadband?

NOW is an award-winning broadband provider that supplies a brilliant product that is fast, reliable and affordable.

They may not have the most package offerings or the fastest speeds, but what they do bring table makes them one of the very best providers out there.

Let us explain to you what makes NOW Broadband so good.

Why choose NOW Broadband?

There are a number of reasons why you should heavily consider NOW Broadband when looking at providers. Here are a couple of main reasons

• Easy switching – NOW Broadband has a dedicated team that makes it easy for you to switch to them from either BT, TalkTalk, EE or Plusnet.
• Unlimited broadband – All packages are uncapped, no catch, so you don’t have to fear reaching a limit or incurring extra charges each month.
• No contract – Cancel anytime without any penalties.
• Package deals – Some deals combine broadband with one of the NOW TV memberships.

What is ‘no contract’ with NOW Broadband?

You may be wondering, ‘How can there be a no-contract option?’

It isn’t the most standard option, with most providers not offering it, but with NOW Broadband, you can choose no contract, which means you are on a rolling monthly contract with no obligation to stay for any amount of time.

That means that whenever you want to change, you can do so (with one month's notice) without worrying about having to pay a cancellation fee or any other sort of penalty.

This is optional as well. You don’t have to choose the no-contract option as there is a 12-month Saver Contract option to choose from too. 

Is NOW Broadband full fibre?

NOW Broadband does not offer any full-fibre options. They offer ADSL and superfast broadband only.

Superfast does use FTTC technology, which means a fibre optic cable is run from the telephone exchange to a streetside cabinet. What stops it from being FTTP and thus full-fibre is that a copper line is then run from the cabinet to the households.

Copper lines don’t carry the data as well as fibre lines, thus resulting in lower maximum broadband speeds. ADSL uses copper cables throughout, so they are even lower.

But that’s not to say they aren’t reliable, as what you do get with all NOW Broadband’s packages is a smooth and fast connection.

How much is NOW Broadband?

NOW Broadband’s packages start from £20 a month for the lowest value package, with the highest value package being just £4 more at £24 a month.

There are other costs involved, such as a £10 NOW Hub delivery charge. If you choose the no-contract option, you will also have to pay a £60 one-off setup fee.

These prices are valid for the first 12 months. After which, the monthly prices for each will increase.

If you do choose the Saver Contract option, bear in mind that it is a contract, so you would have to pay any termination fees if you wanted to cancel your contract mid-term.

NOW Broadband packages

On Broadband Finder, we have nine packages to choose from - three are broadband-only, and the other six are combo packages with broadband and TV.

They all offer great value for money, in keeping with NOW’s values, so you know you’re getting a good deal with us.

*Fab Fibre & Super Fibre + Entertainment Member – Entertainment Membership offer of £6.99 a month for the first six months, after which will auto-renew monthly at £9.99. Minimum six-month term.

Price for both after six months (price will increase again after a further six months) = £33.99.

Does NOW Broadband include a phone line?

Line rental is included with your broadband and you can choose three options for how you want to pay for it:

• Pay as you use – £0 a month
• Evening & weekend calls – £4 a month
• Anytime calls – £8 a month

What add-ons can I get with NOW Broadband?

There aren’t many more add-ons aside from what we have already detailed, but those ones that have been said are pretty good.

A phone line is quite important to have and the pricing on offer matches the broadband in being great value.

Adding NOW TV memberships is great as well, as NOW has a lot to offer for content. Entertainment, Cinema and Sky Sports are the three mentioned already but you can also get a Hayu membership and a Boost upgrade too.

Entertainment

Adding the Entertainment membership will give you the latest dramas, exclusive Sky originals, the best of HBO and more. Channels such as Sky Atlantic, Max and Comedy as well as Comedy Central, Gold, Peacock and Alibi are all included, ready to be streamed.

Cinema

Get Sky Cinema featuring over 1000 movies, from Sky Originals to the latest blockbusters. You can download the movies and watch them on the go, or stream anywhere on your phone, tablet or laptop.

Sky Sports

Get the entire Sky Sports range with all 11 channels included. Formula 1, NFL, PGA Tour Golf and much more can exclusively be found on Sky Sports. 

You can choose whether you want to pay monthly with no contract or pay a one-off payment with access to Sky Sports for 24 hours.

Hayu

Stream over 9000 episodes from some of the best US reality shows, including Real Housewives, Below Deck and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, all for just an extra £4.99 a month.

Boost

Upgrade your action with the Boost membership, which offers Full HD*, ad-free streaming and Surround Sound, all on up to three devices at once.

*Boost features available on selected content and devices only.

NOW Broadband: Technical specs & installation

The NOW Broadband Hub Two is the standard router offering for all customers. It isn’t the most advanced router on the market but it does its job very well, with two gigabit ethernet ports for wired connections and five antennae to help send the WiFi signal around the home.

There is a £9.99 delivery fee for the router but thankfully there is no activation fee. Do remember, though, that if you go for the no-contract offer, you will also need to pau that hefty upfront charge.

NOW Broadband does require a telephone line to function, which is why line rental is included with your package.

An engineer may be needed to set up your broadband and/or phone line if you haven’t got them already installed. If there is an active phone line and socket already, then NOW Broadband can usually switch your phone line remotely.

If you do require an engineer visit, NOW will sort that out for you by contacting an Openreach engineer to sort everything out.

Most of the time, calling out an engineer is free to do. However, charges may occur for some reasons, such as not being in at the time of the appointment.

What is the NOW Broadband contact number?

NOW Broadband have a great number of helpful step-by-step guides and FAQs on their website that cover almost any issue a customer may have, saving you the time from having to contact them by email or phone.

However, sometimes you may need to phone up, and in that case, NOW Broadband’s call centre is available for members between 8am-8pm seven days a week. 

You can call them for free on 0800 759 1213 or you can chat with NOW’s chatbot for less pressing issues and queries. 

NOW Broadband best bits

• Unlimited broadband data
• No-contract options
• NOW TV add-ons
• Phone line included
• Helpful customer service

NOW Broadband: What we think

All in all, NOW Broadband definitely deserve the title of Best Value Broadband Provider. They may not have a lot of options to choose from and the speeds aren’t ideal for bigger/heavy usage households, but for those who don’t need much, it’s hard to beat NOW Broadband.

Their package deals are also rather desirable, coupling their TV memberships together to present a fair-priced package with all the content you could want.