Dan Howdle January 30th, 2026
Virgin Media's M250 package is now, frankly, absurdly good value. At just £16.99 a month on a 24-month contract, this is proper Full Fibre-class broadband from a premium provider for less than what most people are paying for much slower connections. At this price point, there really isn’t anything comparable from other national providers.
Virgin Media M250 Fibre Broadband
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
264Mb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£16.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
To put it bluntly, rival deals from BT, Sky, TalkTalk and others are either slower, or more expensive. M250, at £16.99, undercuts pretty much everyone, while offering an average download speed of around 264Mbps – comfortably fast enough for almost any household.
Virgin Media has taken a different approach with this M250 deal – and honestly, it’s a welcome one. Instead of the usual bill credits, they’ve simply dropped the headline monthly price to £16.99 and left it there.
That means what you see is what you pay. There’s no waiting around for credits to be applied across the first few months, and no maths required to work out what the real cost is. Your monthly bill starts low and stays low (at least until the usual annual price rises kick in each April).
For a lot of people, this is far easier to understand – and far easier to trust. You’re not relying on future credits being applied, and you’re not paying more upfront just to get money back later. It’s simply cheap broadband from day one.
It’s also a pretty clear signal of where Virgin Media is heading. They trialled this approach successfully with M125, and now M250 has taken over as their best-value deal. If you like straightforward pricing without any faff, they've absolutely nailed it.
Buy online Compare Virgin Media deals
There’s a lot of hype around gigabit and even multi-gigabit broadband, but for most homes they're just massive overkill. And expensive, and in day-to-day use like streaming and browsing, most of us simply won't notice the difference.
With an average download speed of around 264Mbps, M250 doesn’t just scrape by as 'good enough' – it’s comfortably more than most households realistically need right now, short of a house full of gamers and home workers. You can stream multiple 4K videos at once, run video calls all day, download large files quickly, and still have speed to spare.
Talk to the team and unlock special deals and offers. We're open Monday to Sunday 8am-9pm. Call us now on:
0330 221 9429To put it in real-world terms, M250 is more than enough for busy households with three or four people online at the same time, multiple concurrent streamers, a wodge of smart home devices, with phones, tablets and laptops on top. It’s also more than fast enough for gaming, with Virgin Media’s low latency helping keep things smooth in fast-paced online shooters and the like.
For more information, see our guide to getting broadband installed.
Gig1 Fibre Broadband
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
1.1Gb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£23.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
M125 Fibre Broadband
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
132Mb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£16.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
M500 Fibre Broadband
Fixed price until March 2026 bill
516Mb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£20.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
Hub 3 is no mare – it’s all Hub 5 now. And to be fair to Virgin, it’s a decent bit of kit for a free router – you plug it in, it does the job, and for most people that’s the whole brief.
The main upgrade with Hub 5 (versus Hub 3) is Wi-Fi 6 (so newer phones, tablets and laptops generally get a faster, steadier connection), plus you get a fast 2.5Gbps Ethernet port for anyone who likes plugging things in the old-fashioned way. Here's a look at the specs:
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi spec | Wi-Fi 6 |
| 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band | 3x3 11/b/g/n/ax |
| 5 GHz Wi-Fi band | 4x4 11ax |
| Dual band | Concurrent |
| Antennas | 7 |
| Network connection | DOCSIS 3.1 |
| Ethernet ports | 1x 2.5Gbps, 3x 1Gbps |
| WPS push button | Yes |
| Guest network | Yes |
Because Virgin Media runs on its own fibre network (where almost all the other providers run on Openreach), you'll need to contact your existing provider to let them know you are leaving, after you have signed up with Virgin Media. Be sure to check that you are out of your current contract period to avoid paying any early cancellation fees.
It's worth noting that from April 2023, the process became simpler. Under Ofcom regulations, switching providers now features 'One Touch Switching', meaning you’ll only need to sign up with Virgin, and they will handle the switch with your existing provider. Previously you would have had to inform both providers, old and new.
During the sign-up process with Virgin Media, you’ll be asked to book an appointment for an engineer to visit your property. The engineer will connect your home to the Virgin fibre network, which may involve running a new cable into your home and drilling a small hole in the wall. If you already have an existing Virgin Media connection in place, you may be eligible for self-installation, where Virgin will post you the router for a DIY setup.
For rented properties, it’s essential to get permission from your landlord for the installation, as drilling and external cabling may be required. Overall, the installation process is quick and smooth, with most installations completed within a couple of hours.
A major plus with this M250 deal is that all setup costs have been waived. Many broadband providers charge for installation or router delivery, but with this offer, there are no such fees. This means that not only are you getting a great price for fast broadband, but you’re also avoiding additional costs that could otherwise add up.
In contrast, some other providers typically charge up to £35 for setup or delivery fees, making Virgin's offering even more appealing. So, when you sign up for this deal, your total cost is limited to the monthly fee, with no hidden extras.
Virgin Media consistently ranks as one of the top broadband providers in the UK, known for its fast speeds, reliable service, and solid equipment. Thanks to its independent fibre network, it provides consistently high speeds, with less congestion compared to Standard Fibre.
In Ofcom’s annual report, Virgin Media regularly scores well in terms of customer satisfaction, broadband speeds, and reliability. However, it should be noted that it had a bumpy patch recently (that it now seems to have addressed), finding itself lower in the customer satisfaction stakes. With its M250 package, you’re getting the best balance of speed and affordability, especially with this limited-time offer. The router, the speeds, and the bill credit make this a standout deal in today’s competitive broadband market.
To get a thorough idea of how this deal stacks up, it's going to be a good idea to take a look at what the competition is offering. Here are two similar deals from Sky and BT:
Full Fibre 150
100Mbps speed guarantee£5 fee refunded to first bill
145Mb
Average speed
Pay as you go calls
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£25.00 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
You will be sent instructions on how to choose your Gift Card up to 120 days after your purchase. You will have 90 days to claim your Gift Card by sending it to your email or mobile phone.
Full Fibre 150
Personal speed guarantee
150Mb
Average speed
No phone line
24
Month contract
Zero upfront cost
£28.99 Per month
Effective monthly cost is calculated by adding up all the monthly costs, price rises and any discounts and dividing it by the contract length.
Claim your BT Reward Card within 3 months of placing your order by entering your details on www.bt.com/manage/bt-reward-card/. You must activate the card within 3 months of it being issued.
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