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Virgin Media has launched its latest giveaway — and it promises to be a tough choice for broadband and TV customers. For a very limited time, new and returning customers can claim a generous £200 discount on their broadband and TV bills, or a free Xbox Series S console worth £249.
Following an announcement from Sky earlier this month, Virgin Media is now one of the only broadband providers that still offers 18-month contracts as standard — so you can renegotiate a new deal or switch to another supplier to unlock bigger savings (or free gifts) six months earlier than the competition.
Those starting a fresh contract with Virgin Media — or returning after switching to another broadband supplier, will be able to choose between the £200 discount or free game consoles at checkout. If you pick the £200 bill credit, Virgin Media will automatically use this fund to reduce the cost of your monthly bills ― depending on the package you’ve picked, you likely won’t need to pay a single bill for a few months.
This is a great option for those who want to reduce their monthly outgoings, don’t have an interest in gaming themselves or know someone who would like an Xbox Series S as a gift.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from picking the Xbox, then selling it unopened close to its original RRP of £249 and using that money to discount your bills even further.
Whatever you decide, you’ll need to be quick.
Virgin Media is keeping its latest giveaway around for long ― with the deal set to expire at 11.59pm on Sunday March 3, 2024. That means you’ve got only a few days to make a decision
To make its latest offers even more tempting, Virgin Media has temporarily waived its £35 set-up fee — so switching from your current supplier to this rival fibre broadband brand won’t cost anything. Virgin Media says the one-off £35 payment is used to cover the cost of any engineer visits or helpline support for the duration of your contract.
Following its merger with O2, all Virgin Media customers now enjoy access to O2 Priority. This loyalty scheme unlocks early access to tickets for some of the biggest gigs and tours. You’ll also enjoy discounted cinema tickets and free coffees from high street chains.
For those who don’t know, the Xbox Series S is part of the latest generation of games consoles, alongside the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Microsoft scaled back some of its capabilities to offer a more affordable way to access the latest games, so you won’t be able to play in 4K Ultra HD resolution like the Series X and PS5. But the Series S is still capable of 120 frames-per-second, Dolby Vision, HDR (High Dynamic Range), and 5.1 surround sound.
It’s also compatible with the biggest streaming apps, including Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, and Sky Go. It has a smaller 512GB hard drive, so you might need to invest in an external storage solution to install everything you want onto the disc-less console.
But don’t forget that Microsoft offers its Netflix-like Xbox Game Pass service on all of its consoles, letting you stream titles from the cloud or download to play offline.
For a monthly subscription fee of £12.99, you’ll get access to every title from a Microsoft-owned studio, which following approval from the Competition and Markets Authority last year now includes Call of Duty creator Activision Blizzard. Save data is synced online, so you can pick-up and continue on a range of other devices, including some Samsung TVs, iPad, Android and iOS phones.
Virgin Media’s £200 discount or Xbox giveaway isn’t available with every plan that it offers, so you’ll need to pick between a few select plans. The eligible bundles are as follows:
Bigger Movie Combo Bundle
As the name suggests, this package is designed for film fans. You’ll get Virgin Media’s fibre broadband with average download speeds of 132Mbps ― that’s roughly twice as fast as the average UK home broadband connection (69Mbps) as well as a TV 360 box with 200+ channels, including all Sky Cinema channels and 11 dedicated kids’ channels. You’ll also be able to make calls to UK landlines and mobile numbers at no extra cost over the weekend
Bigger Sports HD Combo Bundle
Just as the above package caters to movie buffs, Virgin Media has put together this broadband and telly package for sports lovers. You’ll get a slightly faster broadband connection, with average download speeds topping 264Mbps. Weekend calls are also included. But this time around, your Virgin TV 360 box will offer 195+ channels with all Sky Sports in HD. You’ll also be able to tune-in to the newly launched Sky Sports Tennis channel.
Biggest Combo
Virgin Media’s Biggest Combo does what it says on the tin. You’ll enjoy both Sky Sports and Sky Cinema channels on your Virgin TV 360 set-top box as well as some 210 other live channels. If that wasn’t enough to keep you entertained, there’s a complete Netflix subscription thrown-in too. As above, weekend calls to UK numbers won’t cost anything and you’ll enjoy download speeds of 132Mbps ― plenty to stream everything on Netflix without a hint of buffering.
Mega Volt Bundle
With this bundle, you’ll enjoy Virgin Media’s second-fastest broadband speeds, topping out at an impressive 1,130Mbps. That’ll let you download entire boxsets of TV shows in High Definition in minutes. Calls to UK numbers are available at no cost anytime of the week, and you’ll also get a SIM on the O2 network with 10GB of 5G mobile data to use with your existing phone, or to gift to a family member. When it comes to entertainment, your Virgin TV 360 box will be loaded with 230 channels, including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema in HD.
All of these bundles have an 18-month minimum contract term.