John Lewis Does Broadband?
Does John Lewis really offer home broadband services?
Yes and no.
Yes, in that you can go to the John Lewis Broadband website, sign-up for broadband, and get whatever incentive or free gift is on offer.
No, in that John Lewis doesn’t own its own broadband network.
If John Lewis doesn’t own its own broadband network, how can it sell broadband?
John Lewis and the Plusnet Connection
John Lewis is a reseller of Plusnet broadband.
They make it clear on the John Lewis Broadband website that your contract will be with Plusnet. Unlike some sellers, who operate their own customer service helplines and run the broadband network as their own, John Lewis doesn’t really get involved at all, effectively acting as a referral agent to sign you up with Plusnet.
Why Not Just Go Straight to Plusnet?
There are a handful of reasons why you may benefit from going through John Lewis Broadband rather than signing up directly with Plusnet.
Plusnet Uses Geographical Pricing, John Lewis is Flat Pricing
Although Plusnet has undertaken a lot of work in recent years to improve their network, they do still offer what is called “geographical pricing”. This means that if you live in a rural area you could end up paying more for your broadband.
John Lewis Broadband, however, guarantees your price will be the one stated wherever you are. If you are signing up for broadband with Plusnet and the price is higher due to your location, consider signing up via John Lewis Broadband instead, as you will receive the “base” price and not be penalised financially for your location.
Some Call Plans are Included with John Lewis Broadband
If you take out a broadband package via John Lewis Broadband, evening and weekend calls will be included in your package as standard.
It costs £5 per month to add these to your Plusnet broadband.
The best deal in this context is to take out a 10MB package from John Lewis Broadband. It’s 1p per month more expensive than going direct (£20 to £19.99) and you will effectively save £5 per month on the most basic call plan.
Adding calls to other packages works out cheaper, too, but only by 50p per month.
If you don’t want calls, and you aren’t subject to Plusnet’s geographical pricing, then you’re better off going directly through Plusnet.
You Might Prefer the Incentive from John Lewis Broadband
Depending on what incentives are being offered at a given time, you might decide to sign up with John Lewis Broadband because you prefer what they’re offering.
At time of writing, John Lewis Broadband was offering a £35 e-gift card to new customers, although Plusnet’s £75 cashback offer is worth almost double the value.
The John Lewis Broadband sign-up incentive is only valid for customers taking the basic 10MB broadband package, whereas the Plusnet incentive is available to all new customers regardless of the package they sign up for so long as they take out an 18-month contract. John Lewis Broadband, in contrast, offers 12-month contracts only. Given the potential £5 a month saving from taking the most basic package, over the course of the contract the incentive plus the saving would be worth more than the cashback from Plusnet anyway.
You Might Only Want to Sign Up for 12 Months
Plusnet’s best pricing is offered when customers take out 18-month contracts. While Plusnet does offer 12-month contracts if you go direct to them, John Lewis Broadband offers these as standard, at the same price as Plusnet offers 18-month contracts.
Therefore, if you want the best price at 12 months, John Lewis may be the better option.
Brand Loyalty or Familiarity with John Lewis
If you are a John Lewis shopper and just happen to be on the lookout for a new broadband provider, if you see John Lewis Broadband being advertised in store or in an online communication to you, you might sign up out of brand loyalty towards John Lewis.
After all, John Lewis will be getting a cut of your monthly fee from Plusnet to compensate the new business they’ve added!
Now that we’ve looked at the relationship between John Lewis Broadband and Plusnet, let’s look at what you can expect if you take out one of their packages.
What Internet Speeds Do John Lewis Broadband Offer?
John Lewis Broadband offers 10MB, 35MB, and 66MB broadband packages as you can see below:
For a comparison of all the broadband providers, click here.
John Lewis Broadband Download Speeds
Due to a ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority that came into effect in May 2018, internet service providers (ISP’s) in the United Kingdom are now required to advertise average speeds on the basis of what at least half of their customers can receive at peak times. Prior to this ruling, ISP’s could advertise higher headline speeds, so long as only 10% of customers were being provided with such a speed.
Although this ruling means the advertised speeds you see when looking for your ideal broadband package are more accurate, the speed you can receive, and use, depends on several variables. Use a broadband speed checker to get an even more accurate idea of the internet speeds you can expect to receive, from John Lewis Broadband or any other provider.
The tables below highlight the most recent data based on Ofcom’s home broadband performance research, comparing John Lewis Broadband to other popular providers against the advertised speeds they offer. This research took place in November 2018 and was published in May 2019.
Please note that John Lewis Broadband was not specifically analysed, as essentially, they’re not a broadband provider at all. For editable tables, we have changed the name Plusnet to John Lewis Broadband, while for charts and graphics we have used from the Ofcom report, please ensure you view Plusnet’s performance as a comparison.
John Lewis Broadband 10MB Comparison
| ISP | Advertised average speed | Performance range over a 24-hour period | Performance range at peak times (8pm – 10pm, weekdays) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT | 10MB | 9.7MB – 12.1MB | 9.7MB – 12.1MB |
| John Lewis Broadband | 10MB | 10.7MB – 13MB | 10.6MB – 12.9MB |
| Sky | 11MB | 10.8MB – 12.8MB | 10.7MB – 12.7MB |
| TalkTalk | 11MB | 8.9MB – 11.1MB | 8.8MB – 11.0MB |
John Lewis Broadband offers the highest peak average speeds in both categories, even outperforming the speeds advertised on its website.
John Lewis Broadband 36MB Comparison
| ISP | Advertised average speed | Performance range over a 24-hour period | Performance range at peak times (8pm – 10pm, weekdays) |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Lewis Broadband | 36MB | 31.4MB – 33.1MB | 31.0MB – 32.8MB |
| EE | 36MB | 32.5MB – 34.8MB | 32.2MB – 34.5MB |
| Sky | 36MB | 32.3MB – 34.2MB | 32.0MB – 34.0MB |
| BT | 36MB | 26.6MB – 29.2MB | 26.5MB – 29.0MB |
| TalkTalk | 38MB | 31.6MB – 33.6MB | 31.4MB – 33.4MB |
| BT | 50MB | 45.6MB – 47.2MB | 45.2MB – 46.9MB |
| Virgin Media | 54MB | 54.0MB – 54.5MB | 53.5MB – 54.3MB |
John Lewis Broadband sits in the mid-range of providers at this speed and are much better than BT. Please note that we have included Sky in this analysis as they were part of the Ofcom survey. Since the research was completed, Sky has discontinued the 36MB broadband service it offers, but Now broadband continues to offer it using Sky’s infrastructure.
John Lewis Broadband 66MB Comparison
| ISP | Advertised average speed | Performance range over a 24-hour period | Performance range at peak times (8pm – 10pm, weekdays) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky | 59MB | 56.3MB – 61.0MB | 55.9MB – 60.7MB |
| John Lewis Broadband | 66MB | 58.0MB – 61.4MB | 57.6MB – 61.0MB |
| BT | 67MB | 62.4MB – 64.6MB | 62.1MB – 64.3MB |
| TalkTalk | 67MB | 61.0MB – 64.5MB | 60.5MB – 64.1MB |
| EE | 67MB | 60.0MB – 64.9MB | 59.4MB – 64.5MB |
As at the 36MB speed, John Lewis Broadband is considered a mid-range provider. Notably at this speed only Sky, who advertise a considerably lower average speed, hit what they say they will deliver on average.
John Lewis Download Performance Summary
John Lewis Broadband stands up favourably against other UK ISP’s, especially for their basic 10MB internet, which also comes with weekend and evening calls included for even better value for consumers.
John Lewis Broadband does not stand out at higher speeds, failing to hit its own advertised average speeds with both the 36MB and 66MB broadband products.
John Lewis Broadband Upload Speeds
Ofcom’s research also looked at average upload speeds. Upload speeds are only actively advertised by a handful of internet providers, and while they usually won’t matter to you unless you’re planning to upload a lot of media content, they are often a good indicator of the overall quality of a broadband service.
The tables below are from the same Ofcom research mentioned earlier, published in May 2019. Remember that for this analysis we’re looking at the Plusnet performance.
As with download speeds, Plusnet (John Lewis Broadband) is the best performer for the 10MB broadband package when it comes to uploads.
Plusnet (John Lewis Broadband) sits in the middle of the pack for uploads with its 35MB package, much as it does for download speeds.
At 66MB, Plusnet (John Lewis Broadband) again sits in the middle of the pack.
John Lewis Broadband Speeds
John Lewis Broadband is comfortably the best provider for basic broadband packages, and with evening and weekend calls worth £5 per month included as standard is a great deal if you’re looking for a basic, 10MB broadband package.
For both downloads and uploads, John Lewis Broadband stands out for the basic packages while falling back into the pack at higher speeds.
John Lewis Broadband Offers and Deals
John Lewis Broadband is currently offering the following deals for new customers. We have included the equivalent package if you went direct to Plusnet as a point of comparison.
Please note that for a like for like representation you may want to consider that John Lewis offers 12 month packages and although Plusnet does too, it is not its best priced. Plusnet’s best pricing, with no upfront payments or activation fees, is available when taking out 18 month packages direct. We have included John Lewis’s best deals as well as Plusnet’s best deals below:
John Lewis Broadband Packages Comparison
The tables below compare John Lewis Broadband to other leading UK ISP’s. As John Lewis Broadband only offers 12-month contracts, we have included Plusnet’s 12 month and 18-month deals into the comparisons so you have a full picture of prices and what the best broadband deal might be for you.
John Lewis Broadband 10MB Price Comparison
| ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lewis Broadband | Unlimited | 10MB | 12 months | Free | £20 a month for 12 months, then £28.50 |
| Plusnet | Unlimited | 10MB | 12 months | £5 | £23.99 a month for 12 months |
| Plusnet | Unlimited | 10MB | 18 months | Free | £19.99 for 18 months, then £30.98 |
| BT | Broadband | 10MB | 24 months | £29.99 | £26.99 for 24 months, then £32.99 |
| Sky | Broadband Essential | 11MB | 18 months | Free | £20 for 18 months, then £25 |
| TalkTalk | Fast Broadband | 11MB | 18 months | Free | £19.95 for 18 months, then £30 |
John Lewis Broadband overall offers the best deal in the UK, giving you the flexibility of a shorter contract while also providing you evening and weekend calls.
John Lewis Broadband 36MB Price Comparison
| ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lewis Broadband | Fibre | 36MB | 12 months | Free | £27.50 a month for 12 months, then £40 |
| Plusnet | Fibre | 36MB | 12 months | £10 | £29.99 a month |
| Plusnet | Unlimited Fibre | 36MB | 18 months | Free | £22.99 for 18 months, then £39.48 |
| TalkTalk | Faster Fibre | 38MB | 18 months | Free | £22.45 for 18 months, then £36 |
| Sky | Broadband Superfast | 59MB | 18 months | £19.95 | £27 for 18 months, then £32 |
| EE | Fibre | 36MB | 18 months | Free | £24 for 18 months, then £37 |
| BT | Superfast Fibre | 50MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £28.99 for 24 months, then £36.99 |
| Virgin Media | M100 Fibre Broadband + Talk Weekends | 108MB | 12 months | Free | £33 for 12 months, then £49 |
John Lewis Broadband’s pricing is not as favourable at this speed, with most competitors offering similar pricing and some offering faster broadband at a cheaper cost. While John Lewis Broadband comes with evening and weekend calls, if you’re not going to use them, you’re best served with a provider that isn’t going to charge you for something you don’t want!
John Lewis Broadband 66MB Price Comparison
| ISP | Package | Advertised Average Speed | Contract Terms | Upfront Payment | Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lewis Broadband | Fibre Extra | 66MB | 12 months | Free | £32.50 a month for 11 months, then £45 |
| Plusnet | Fibre Extra | 66MB | 12 months | £10 | £36.99 a month |
| Plusnet | Unlimited Fibre Extra + Line only | 66MB | 18 months | Free | £26.99 for 18 months, then £40.98 |
| TalkTalk | Superfast Fibre | 67MB | 18 months | Free | £24.95 for 18 months, then £41 |
| Sky | Broadband Superfast | 59MB | 18 months | £19.95 | £27 for 18 months, then £32 |
| EE | Fibre Plus | 67MB | 18 months | Free | £28 for 18 months, then £42 |
| BT | Superfast Fibre 2 | 67MB | 24 months | £9.99 | £34.99 for 24 months, then £47.99 |
| Virgin Media | M100 Fibre Broadband + Talk Weekends | 108MB | 12 months | Free | £33 for 12 months, then £49 |
As with the 36MB tier, John Lewis Broadband is priced relatively uncompetitively in the 66MB market, particularly if you have no need to use the included evening and weekend calls!
How Does Their Broadband’s Pricing Compare?
It really depends if you’re going to use the included evening and weekend calls!
If you’re someone who spends a lot of time talking on your landline telephone at these times then John Lewis Broadband offers really good value, especially within the 10MB package.
However, if you’re looking for faster internet and aren’t a regular landline user, there is better value for you as a consumer from another provider.
John Lewis Broadband Customer Service
Remember that you’re going to be dealing with Plusnet here. John Lewis will simply act as a gateway to getting you signed up for your broadband package and from then on, you’ll be contacting Plusnet.
Plusnet has always enjoyed a reputation as being an excellent customer service provider. They experienced a brief hiccup in 2018 owing to the implementation of a new billing system which caused a spike in complaints, but overall, they have consistently performed well.
Plusnet’s customer service performance compared to the wider industry can be seen in the table below.
When you need to access Plusnet’s customer service, you have several options available to you.
- @plusnethelp on Twitter.
- The Plusnet website, where you will be directed to resolved FAQ’s, live chat, an online ticket system, or provided with a telephone number to contact for urgent enquiries or if you are thinking of cancelling your broadband services.
Summing Up John Lewis Broadband
There’s a great deal to be found in John Lewis Broadband if you’re looking for a basic broadband and calls package.
If you want anything else then the truth is you’re probably going to better served going direct to Plusnet, or for faster broadband looking at a different provider entirely.
For all the best broadband deals check our broadband comparison tool.
