It has become customary for most broadband providers to require customers to sign up to their service for periods ranging from 12 months (one of the shorter terms) to 18 months and even 24 months. If you’d prefer not to be ‘sentenced’ to the same supplier for such lengthy spans of time, and would prefer the freedom to move to a better deal without penalty, you may just be helping to spearhead a growing customer revolt against contracts. And some suppliers are waking up to this emerging trend, offering new ‘no contract’ deals to customers.

The award-winning service provider PlusNet Broadband, for instance, is now offering no contract deals on its ‘Value’ and ‘Extra’ packages. You’ll be able to cancel with just 10 days notice without penalty, although you will have to pay for your router (£40 for a wireless router, £20 for wired). You can also opt for short contracts from AOL Broadband and BE Broadband.

As an alternative, you might consider opting for a mobile broadband supplier, most of which offer short-term contracts as well as ‘pay as you go’ deals. Be aware, though, that from the suppliers’ perspective, the loss of income from a long term contract will have to be recovered in the price of the shorter deals, they are a little more expensive month by month (you’re likely to end up paying the same over 9 months as you would over twelve months on a longer contract). If you’re planning on moving home shortly, a short term or no contract may be ideal, but don’t be unduly afraid of a twelve month term if you’ve already moved and are settling in, it’ll be noticeably cheaper.