Tune in to better TV deals to save €737 as Trump’s trade war erupts
- Bill Tyson
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 16
As Donald Trump declares a trade war on us, it makes sense to batten down the financial hatches and get your household bills in order. This week we show you how to save up to €737 on your TV/broadband bills
It’s always a good idea to switch your TV/broadband provider if you’re contract has run out.
But NOW is a particularly good time!
Firstly, our economic future is very much uncertain as Trump targets Europe with 25% trade tariffs – and Ireland is very much in the firing line.
Potential savings have also rarely been higher – at up to €737 – in a very competitive market.
And prices are about to go UP.
Hikes are in the pipeline from Sky, Eir, Vodafone – with Virgin seen as likely to follow suit, although this has not been confirmed.
At first glance, the TV/broadband market looks very competitive with three players offering €50-a-month deals – and Vodafone at €60.
But they all have their pros and cons – and there is ‘devil in the detail.’
Virgin
Virgin’s big selling point is standard broadband speed of up to 500Mb – five times what other providers claim – on its cheapest TV/broadband package.
And it’s about to get better as a new network of fibre cables gets connected to more homes offering incredible speeds of ten times higher at up to 5GB – albeit for a higher price.
“Their new network will bring their superfast broadband and digital TV services to over 254,000 enabled premises,” says Eoin Clarke of Switcher.ie
“ Comparison websites (like Switcher) can help you check what's available in your eircode and compare prices and features.
Pros: no mid contract hikes, fast broadband, €65 bonus
Cons: Price doubles after year one.
Eir
With 63 channels, it’s hard to see how Eir can make inroads in the now very competitive TV/broadband market.
However, it has some perks such as Prime Video and a landline plus decent broadband only deals – especially when combined with mobile or landline services.
Pros: €50 bill credit. Apple TV box. Free Prime Video. Free home phone included. Cheap mobile phone/TV/broadband deals available.
Cons: Mid-contract price hikes, fewer TV channels. Poor reputation for service.
Sky
Sky are the second most popular platform with 103 channels.
However, they are the dearest provider of TV/broadband after the 12-month contract expires when your monthly bill rockets to €106 per month.
Pros: 150 channels, including Sky Atlantic.
Cons: Price.
Vodafone
Vodafone doesn’t immediately stand out in our pricing tables.
However, if you dig a little deeper into its range of options – such as its ‘Red’ family packages that include top class mobile phone coverage at €5 a month - it has a lot more going for it. (See panel)
Pros:
Good packages if you include mobile phones, which give you access to the best mobile phone network.
A lower price after year one if you don’t immediately switch. Your monthly fee only goes up from €60 to €65, whereas Virgin and Sky bills more than double.
Cons: Mid-contract price increases
See our case study about taxi driver Paul to see how a while family gets top class broadband and phone coverage for €120 a month.
Panels x 2
Broadband only
Virgin are cheapest at the moment for broadband only thanks to their €65 welcome bonus for new customers, which brings down their first-year cost to €355.
But watch out! After a year is up, that rockets to €840.
Eir and Sky also use the same trick to rack up bills for the unwary from year two.
Vodafone, however, only hits customers with a €5 price hike from year two. This would make it much cheaper for non-switchers (which let’s face it includes most people despite what we constantly urge on these pages!).
Vodafone also matches Virgin’s broadband speed claim of ‘up to’ 500 Mb services.
Prices correct at 1/3/25
Case study: Paul
Dublin taxi driver Paul Carter is very happy with his Vodafone mobile phone/broadband deal.
Paul pays just €120 a month for top class and unlimited broadband and mobile phone services for his whole family.
“Vodafone has by far the best coverage of all mobile operators for both voice and internet,” he says.
“And their broadband coverage in the house is as good as we need. We have had Virgin media broadband in the house and (1Gb) Vodafone broadband is just as good, if not better. And we have over 10 devices working off the Wi-Fi.”
Paul is a busy taxi driver who relies on data coverage to link him to customers and steer him on the best routes to locations in the capital.
Many providers have cheap mobile deals from around a tenner a month but he found them unsatisfactory due to poor internet data coverage that costs him money.
“I was with GoMo for around a tenner a month. I went through them all (cheap deals) and I got sick of it (unreliable mobile phone coverage).”
“Once I went to Blanchardstown on a job and lost coverage. I couldn’t get back on and I missed about half a dozen jobs,” he says.
As he spoke to me during our interview in his taxi, Paul pointed to a device in his car that was beeping every few minutes.
“Those are all new jobs - they’re coming in all the time. If I lose one €30 job in the whole month then I'm down money,” he said.
He’s happy to pay €40 a month for his high quality mobile phone coverage after a €20 discount – and he believes he then saves money by including his whole family, include two phone deals at a fiver-a-month.
He also got a special deal on an Apple 15 Max Plus as part of the package.
“Between all of us, it’s working out at €120 a month. For me, this is the best deal,” he adds.
Prices correct at 1/3/25
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