John Lewis broadband deals

Who provides John Lewis broadband?

Plusnet provides the connection for John Lewis broadband. That said, John Lewis adds some incentives to draw customers to its own version of Plusnet’s packages, and customer service is also covered by John Lewis. 

John Lewis broadband pricing 

Remarkably, John Lewis charges the same for its broadband no matter where you are within its network. So, whether you are subscribing to its ADSL broadband in London or in rural Yorkshire, you will be paying the same price. For people who are located in countryside areas and who often find themselves charged more to get connected, this may prove to be a huge incentive. 

John Lewis broadband deals

John Lewis offers ADSL and fibre optic broadband which, as of March 2020, have a total of three options. This makes for a much more simplified buying process which, along with its set prices, may sway strongly in its favour among prospective customers. 

All broadband deals come with unlimited usage, no activation fees and a free router.

John Lewis Unlimited broadband and phone

Average speed: 10Mbps

Offering similar speeds to any major competitor, John Lewis’s ADSL standard broadband option is ideal for customers who can’t receive fibre optic or who simply don’t require fibre optic speeds for their causal browsing habits.

John Lewis Fibre broadband and phone

Average speed: 36Mbps

Ideal for small households such as couples or young families, these speeds can support streaming and gaming if there is only one device performing these activities at a time.

John Lewis Fibre Extra broadband and phone

Average speed: 66Mbps

This package features John Lewis’s fastest speeds, though overall it does fall below the higher broadband speeds offered by major competitors. That said, most homes should find this to be sufficient.

All John Lewis broadband deals come as 12-month contracts.  

John Lewis broadband and phone deals

All three of the above deals come with evening and weekend calls included. This can be upgraded to Anytime calls to UK landlines, or Anytime and International which covers UK landlines and 300 call minutes per month to most global destinations.

Anytime customers enjoy a 25% discount on calls to these countries, and for International call customers, 25% discounts are applied to minutes that exceed the initial 300. 

Further to this, there is a mobile bolt-on to include UK mobile numbers, exclusive to customers of the Anytime and International package.

Voicemail, caller display and 1471 number recall are also included free of charge.

John Lewis broadband router

The John Lewis router is included in every package and is simple to set up. So long as you have an Openreach socket (i.e. a socket that isn’t Virgin Media, Hyperoptic or any other exclusive full fibre provider) you should be able to simply plug it in and set up easily. 

John Lewis vs. Plusnet prices

With John Lewis essentially rebranding Plusnet services, it’s natural to wonder if there is a price difference. As John Lewis broadband isn’t location dependent, you may find there is a difference in price, though depending on your location (for Plusnet quotes) and what offers are running, the differences will likely be minor. It’s always worth searching for a broadband deal using your postcode to see what deals you can achieve, knowing that John Lewis can act as something of a safety net if you end up with much higher quotes. 

John Lewis Broadband cancellation fees

As with most providers, John Lewis places a cancellation fee on early exits. You will need to give 10 days’ notice if you are changing provider and 14 days’ notice if you are leaving John Lewis broadband for any other reason. Fees range from under £4 to just over £12 multiplied by the months remaining on your contract, depending on what type of broadband you are subscribed to. 

Moving house with John Lewis broadband

There is the option to keep your broadband when you move house. If you enter into a new 12-month contract from the date John Lewis internet is supplied at your new home, this service is free of charge, otherwise you will have to pay a fee. If there is no existing phone line at your new property, you will have to pay for one to be fitted. 

What if my new address is outside John Lewis Broadband’s network?

John Lewis will charge a termination fee if you are unable to stay on your broadband plan, but you will not be charged for the remaining months of your contract. If you move out of a fibre optic area, you can still opt for a John Lewis standard broadband plan and will be sent a new router for this. 

John Lewis broadband limitations

While John Lewis broadband is unlimited, it does use traffic management to help give fair use to all customers during very busy periods. There are several pros and cons to this practice, so it’s up to your personal opinion as to whether this makes the supplier suitable for you. 

If you are unhappy with your speeds and they are consistently under your promised minimum speed, you have the right to cancel your contract without a termination fee.

John Lewis internet security

John Lewis offers a BullGuard package as an optional add-on. This security program includes antivirus, firewall, spam filter, online backup and antispyware, the cost of this is included in your plan but download is optional. 

John Lewis email

A John Lewis email address and access to your digital inbox on any internet connection worldwide is included in your broadband deal, something that is sometimes charged as extra or not offered at all by other providers. 

Other John Lewis broadband services

For a small monthly fee, you can also have a static IP address, ideal for people who work remotely. 

Optional call extras include larger voicemail memory, anonymous call reject, call waiting, call divert, ring back and call barring.

Sometimes John Lewis will run deals that reward new customers with gift cards and other gifts, so it may be worth waiting for one of these to roll around if you are interested in joining. 

John Lewis payments

Despite its presence on the high street, John Lewis internet is billed digitally and paid by direct debit. There is no option for paper bills or alternative payment methods, unlike providers with high street locations such as the Post Office.

John Lewis customer service

John Lewis has been strongly associated with good customer service and its broadband offering tries to match this. Unlike many major providers, the John Lewis phone lines are open 24/7 for technical support and from 9am-6pm every day for customer service. The number is free to call from landline and mobiles. You can also contact the team by post or via your customer online portal. For a relatively small supplier, such extensive hours are a marked improvement on other, bigger names. 

Should I get John Lewis broadband?

John Lewis broadband’s plans are easy to understand and simple to choose from – with only three options to pick. Speeds are sufficient for most users and comparable to many competitors and its set pricing may prove very beneficial indeed to rural customers. That said, the lack of extras such as TV, payment by other methods and the lack of ultrafast or the highest superfast options may be a turn-off for some.