Virgin Media Broadband review: Is it any good?

Virgin Media offers more speed than most homes need

Virgin Media’s biggest selling point is arguably its speed. Packages run from cheap, cheerful and very functional all the way up to packages like Gig1 and Gig2 (1.13Gbps and 2Gbps respectively), which are far more than most homes actually need, but when they're cheap enough can be worth it.

That’s not a criticism – it’s good to have one or two over-the-top speed options. The trick is choosing the speed that actually fits your home, rather than assuming the biggest number is automatically the best deal. Picking the right speed is normally quite tricky, but here on fibredog we have a tool right here that will tell you exactly which Virgin Media package is the best fit for your home.

There's something for everyone, but the top tiers do most of the showing off

Virgin Media gives you a decent spread of packages, from M125 (132Mbps) up to Gig2 (2Gbps), so there’s plenty of room to move up if at any point down the road you need more speed. The biggest jumps do happen near the top, and it's a touch crowded down the bottom. Virgin Media also tends to reserve its most tempting free extras for Gig1 and Gig2, making them more appealing even when you don't need all that speed.

They make Gig1 or Gig2 look more attractive than they really are, especially if what you actually need is better Wi-Fi rather than a faster speed coming in.

Upload speeds are Virgin Media’s Achilles heel

Virgin Media’s download speeds are very good, but its upload speeds are much less impressive. It's normal for providers to offer uploads that are far slower than their downloads, but that ratio is worse with Virgin than it is with most other providers. True, for normal browsing, streaming, gaming and video calls, it won’t matter. But if you upload large files, send project folders, back up lots of data to the cloud or rely on fast uploads in some other way for work, Virgin Media starts to look less appealing. 

Gig2 is the exception because it can offer symmetrical speeds for an extra monthly fee, but for most packages, upload speed is one of the clearest areas where Virgin Media could definitely do a lot better.

Virgin Media is fine for gaming, but it isn’t built for it

For most people, gaming on Virgin Media will be a good experience, especially if you plug your console or PC in with Ethernet and you're on Virgin's latest XGS-PON network. The issue is that Virgin Media doesn’t offer any dedicated gaming controls on its routers. 

There’s no gamer mode, no game traffic prioritisation, no anti-bufferbloat controls, no latency dashboard and no proper per-device gaming presets. So while the connection itself can absolutely do the job, Virgin Media isn’t giving gamers the kind of tools some people might expect, and that certain other providers are.

Working from home will be fine on Virgin for most job types

Virgin Media is a good fit for most people working from home. If your day is mostly email, documents, web apps, video calls and normal cloud tools, you’re not going to need anything crazy. But for jobs that require very heavy uploading, you're going to need to be patient with your Virgin connection.

When sending huge files, uploading video, moving CAD drawings around or depending on cloud storage all day, Virgin Media’s slower-than-average upload speeds become more relevant. For everyone else, stability and Wi-Fi coverage will usually matter more than buying the fastest package available.

Upgrading is simple, downgrading is messy

Virgin Media makes it much easier to move to a faster package than a slower one. If you want to upgrade, you can do it online with a couple of clicks and your new speed will kick in immediately. Downgrading is where you need to be more careful.

Your contract status, discounts, monthly price, package availability and minimum term can all be affected and you may end up having to pay fees for the privilege, completely nuking any notion of saving money in doing so. The important thing is to check exactly what’s changing before you agree, because a package change can affect more than just the speed.

Virgin Media makes joining easy once you know what you want

Virgin Media’s sign-up process is straightforward, especially if you order online and already know which package suits your home. The main thing to check first is availability, because Virgin runs on its own network and does not cover every UK address. If your home is covered, you can order online, use live chat if you need help, or phone if you prefer talking it through.

Online is usually the cleanest route because you can see the packages, speeds, extras, discounts and current offers in one place. Live chat is useful if you want to ask questions while keeping the online prices in front of you. There is no callback ordering route, so phone ordering means phoning Virgin directly rather than asking it to ring you back.

A soft credit check is part of the joining process

Virgin Media runs a soft credit check before confirming your order. For most people, this will not be a major obstacle, and it is not the same as applying for a mortgage or loan. However, it still matters, because poor credit history can affect whether Virgin accepts your order on normal terms.

Failing the check does not automatically close the door. Virgin Media can still ask for a security deposit or upfront payment instead, but that can make joining less attractive. If your credit history is messy, a no-credit-check provider such as Plusnet or NOW Broadband may be simpler. Virgin’s Essential Broadband social tariff is also worth checking if you receive qualifying benefits.

Virgin Media’s contract buyout makes switching mid-contract less painful

Switching to or from Virgin Media is easier than it used to be, because One Touch Switch now covers broadband moves between different networks. That matters because Virgin Media does not use Openreach like most major broadband providers, so switching used to involve more manual faff than a standard provider-to-provider move.

The standout switching feature is Virgin Media’s broadband contract buyout. If you leave your old provider early and pay exit fees, Virgin can cover those fees over the course of your Virgin contract, up to £250. You still need to pay the old provider first and show proof, so it is not instant cash, but it can take some of the sting out of leaving a contract early.

Moving home is simple only if Virgin can serve the new address

If you already have Virgin Media and move home, the key question is whether your new address can get the same service. If it can, Virgin can move your broadband across and your existing minimum term carries on. If you change package, speed or service type, a new contract can apply, so it is worth checking the details before assuming it is just a straight transfer.

If Virgin Media cannot provide service at your new address, you can cancel without an early disconnection fee. That is helpful, but you need to give the right notice and provide valid evidence of your new address within the required deadline. Without that proof, Virgin can still charge an early disconnection fee first and sort it out afterwards.

Cancelling is not unusually hard, but leaving mid-contract is expensive

Virgin Media gives you a standard 30-day notice period, and you can cancel online, by phone, through live chat or by post. That is better than providers that force everything through a phone queue, although Virgin will still ask why you are leaving and may try to retain you. It is not instant one-click cancellation, but it is not unusually difficult by broadband standards.

The expensive bit is leaving during your minimum term. Early disconnection fees can apply for the remaining months of your contract, including expected future price rises. You’ll also need to return Virgin’s kit, including the router, power supply and any TV boxes or WiFi Max Pods. Virgin provides return packaging and a label, and collection is available, but non-return fees apply if the equipment is not sent back.

Virgin Media installs on its own network, so the survey matters

Virgin Media installation is usually simple, but it depends more heavily on your property than an Openreach-based switch. Your home needs to be inside Virgin’s network area, technically serviceable and suitable for the cable route, wall box and internal socket position. If you already have a Virgin line, setup can be fairly painless. If not, an engineer visit or extra work may be needed.

You’ll agree an installation, delivery or activation date when signing up, and someone aged 18 or over must be home if an engineer visit is required. Missed visits can cut both ways: Virgin can charge you if you miss the appointment, but automatic compensation can apply if Virgin misses an appointment or delays activation.

Customer experience is Virgin Media’s weak spot

Virgin Media gives you plenty of ways to get help, but the customer experience data still holds it back. Ofcom results show below-average satisfaction in some areas across the past several years, while Trustpilot is chock-full of very negative reviews from customers who feel passed around, ignored or forced to repeat themselves ad infinitum.

The picture isn't all bad, though – especially looking at trajectory. Call waits have improved enormously, and recent Ofcom satisfaction figures are better than they used to be. But this is still the part of Virgin Media’s service that feels the least convincing. The tools and contact routes are good – the consistency of the human support behind them... not so much.

Virgin Media gives you lots of ways to get in touch

Virgin Media does very well on contact options. You can get support by phone, live chat, WhatsApp, other social media, through the app, via your online account and more. There are fault checkers, accessibility routes and the community forum when it's up and running. Compared with many broadband providers, that's extremely good.

The catch is Virgin Media often pushes you towards self-service first. Which is fine when you need something simple, such as checking a bill, testing your connection or tracking a known fault. But it's less helpful when you need a person to take ownership of a more awkward problem. The lack of email support is both a symptom and a cause of that, because email creates an unbroken chain of custody for your problem.

Virgin Media’s routers are solid, not cutting edge

Virgin Media’s Hub 5 and Hub 5x are both decent, everyday routers. They use Wi-Fi 6, support dual-band Wi-Fi, offer beamforming, handle a decent number of connected devices, and there are optional WiFi Pods available via the WiFi Max add-on if you need extra reach around your home.

The main thing to understand is that the router you get depends on Virgin Media’s network at your address. Cable areas get the Hub 5, while Virgin XGS-PON areas get the Hub 5x. Neither is a premium, future-proof showpiece, but both of them are perfectly adequate for most homes.

Whole-home Wi-Fi depends on your package

Virgin Media’s whole-home Wi-Fi system (WiFi Max) is good, but not a standard feature of all of its packages. WiFi Max is included with Gig1, Gig2 and Volt packages, but if you're on something slower you're going to need to pay extra.

That makes this section a bit of a mixed bag. The system itself is good, and the limit of three Pods isn't really limiting at all unless you live in the Palace of Versailles. But it would be better if Virgin Media included WiFi Max as standard for any home that can prove they need it. Some providers offer their mesh systems in this way and are all the better for it. If you're not sure if you'll need WiFi Max, you can actually check (using your existing broadband connection) with this here tool.

Wi-Fi range is good enough for most homes

Virgin Media’s router range is better than average, but not exceptional. The Hub 5 and Hub 5x both have seven antennas, beamforming and automatic channel selection, and there's nothing between them when it comes to Wi-Fi range.

As always, your home itself matters more than the router spec sheet. Thick walls, awkward layouts and neighbour interference can all reduce Wi-Fi range, no matter which router you have. For larger homes or dead spots, you may need Virgin Media’s WiFi Max Pods rather than relying on the router alone.

Wired connectivity is one of Virgin Media’s strengths

Virgin Media does pretty well when it comes to wired connectivity. Both the Hub 5 and Hub 5x give you four Ethernet ports, including one faster port for the device where a wired connection matters most. That's useful for games consoles, desktop PCs, and any other device where large downloads are going to be commonplace.

There's one difference between the two routers here. The Hub 5 has one 2.5Gbps port, while the Hub 5x has one 10Gbps port. It's not going to make a huge practical difference, though, since Virgin doesn't offer speeds over 1.13Gbps on the Hub 5 with the 2.5Gbps port, and nothing over 2Gbps on the 5x.

Router controls are decent, but with a few limits

Virgin Media gives you a sensible enough set of router controls. You get app management, a browser admin page, parental controls, guest Wi-Fi, automated QoS, smart channel selection, security features, automatic updates, WPS and a reset button. For most households, that covers the basics well.

The app is good for simple jobs but doesn't touch the deeper settings. You can check faults, see if there is an issue with your hub and get routed towards support, but more detailed router changes still need the browser admin page. There's also no Wi-Fi on/off button (which might be a good thing considering how many people might accidentally turn off their Wi-Fi), and device prioritisation beyond the automated version of QoS isn't available, making it slightly less useful than some other routers when it comes to working from home.

Using your own router is a better experience on the Hub 5

Virgin Media lets you use your own router, which is useful if you want better Wi-Fi coverage, to add your own mesh system, more control, better parental settings or a more capable setup for lots of smart devices. For many larger homes, the ability to use your own router system can be quite critical, and Virgin's got you covered.

The Hub 5 is the cleaner option, though, because it has modem mode, which lets your own router take over the home Wi-Fi network properly. The Hub 5x doesn't have modem mode, so while you can still connect your own router, it continues to broadcast its own Wi-Fi network on top of the one you actually want to use, potentially leading to more interference and therefore slower Wi-Fi speeds.

Virgin Media gives you the basics, but then charges you for the nice-to-haves

Virgin Media includes a decent set of everyday features as standard. You get app management, parental controls, guest networking, router security features and automatic firmware updates. Virgin Media is a premium provider, so you're never going to get just the bare bones no matter which package you pick.

The catch is, some of the more useful extras are only free on higher-tier packages, or as paid add-ons for everything else. WiFi Max is the obvious example. It's included with Gig1, Gig2 and Volt packages, but anyone on a slower package will need to pay extra.

Annual price rises are clear, but still annoying

Virgin Media is clear about its annual price rises. It shows the pounds-and-pence increase before you sign up (just as Ofcom demands), which makes the rise easier to understand than the old percentage-based approach. In that sense, Virgin Media is doing what Ofcom now expects.

The actual rise is broadly in line with the average. We cannot for the life of us understand why Virgin, and other national providers, don't simply skip ahead of the next most obvious Ofcom ruling and implement fixed pricing across the entire contract term. Not only would they score a lot better here, but they'd have a fantastic unique selling point.

Extras are keenly priced, but check whether you actually need them

Virgin Media does quite well on upgrades and extras. There's no paid premium router upgrade being pushed at you, which is good because you're not being nudged into renting a better router just to make everything work optimally.

The main extra to watch for is WiFi Max. It can be worth paying for if your home has dead spots, but it's included on Gig1 and Gig2. Landlines and Advanced Security can also add cost, but neither is essential for most homes.

End-of-contract pricing is every provider's greatest sin, including Virgin Media

Virgin Media’s worst policy when it comes to value for money is what happens when your minimum term ends. And we want to be clear here, we are not singling out Virgin Media because this is something that is universally awful.

Like many other providers, Virgin sells broadband at a 'discounted' introductory price, then moves you onto a much higher monthly price if you do nothing when your contract comes to an end.

It's frustrating, because the end-of-contract price is often double, or nearly double the new-customer 'discounted' rate. Virgin Media does tell you when your contract is ending, but the system still relies on you noticing the email, comparing prices, haggling and/or switching before the rollover price bites. It's ludicrous that the only way to get some sort of continuity pricing at the end of your contract is to begin the process of switching to another provider.

Service guarantees are better than the bare minimum

Virgin Media gives you the standard contractual protections you would expect, plus it signs up to Ofcom’s voluntary speed code. That means you get a realistic minimum speed promise, and the right to leave penalty-free if Virgin Media can't fix a speed problem within the required time.

WiFi Max gives you a separate in-home Wi-Fi guarantee, but it's not included on every package. There's also no standard broadband backup service. Even so, Virgin Media’s guarantee setup is good overall, especially on speed protections.

The included router is decent value, but not premium

Virgin Media’s supplied routers are good enough for most homes. Both the Hub 5 and Hub 5x offer Wi-Fi 6, dual-band Wi-Fi, beamforming, seven antennas and a reasonable number of Ethernet ports. They're solid – good enough that most homes will never have to worry about what they're up to or what they can and can't do.

But they're not quite premium hardware. You don't get Wi-Fi 7 or a 6GHz band. They're kind of designed for 'most' homes, but unusually large or populated homes may struggle with them. And it matters more on the fastest packages, where the speeds can be much higher than the router’s real-world Wi-Fi performance is capable of delivering.

Virgin Media’s contracts are solid, but not very flexible

Virgin Media switched from an 18-month minimum term to a 24-month one across all its broadband packages. That means you're locked in for longer now than you would have been a couple of years ago. We do not approve, though this has swiftly become the standard contract length across the industry, so we're certainly not singling them out.

There's also a rolling monthly contract option, but it's expensive enough that it's not a realistic alternative in all but a few very specific edge cases. The best value is in signing up or re-contracting, while doing nothing at the end of your contract leaves you drifting onto a much higher monthly price.

Price rise terms that go beyond the April increase

Virgin Media’s April price rise is clear enough, because the pounds and pence are shown before you sign up. That's better than the old inflation-linked approach, because it means you can see the planned annual rise before entering the contract.

The problem is that April isn't the whole story. Virgin Media’s contracts allow other charges to change outside the advertised annual rise, including the price of add-ons, what they can charge you when you change your package, admin charges, missed payment charges, equipment non-return fees and certain other costs passed on from elsewhere such as unexpected laws or regulations. It's fairly standard stuff but it does make the headline annual-rise promise less useful than it appears.

Early exit fees are expensive

Virgin Media’s early exit fees are painful if you leave during your minimum term. The charge is based on the remaining value of your contract, and future price rises can count too, so leaving early isn't going to be cheap. Usually quite the opposite, in fact.

There are fee-free escape routes, but they're very specific. You can leave during your cooling-off period, after certain contract changes their end, if Virgin Media can't fix a minimum-speed issue, or if you move somewhere you can't get Virgin. Outside those cases, though, the longer you have left, the more expensive leaving becomes.

The speed guarantee is somewhat useful, but very limited

Virgin Media does give you a minimum speed guarantee, and it can eventually give you the right to leave without paying an early disconnection fee. That would be a useful protection if it that minimum were higher.

But with only 50% of the advertised speed promised, there's a tonne of room for your broadband to behave badly before the guarantee can help you. You also need to report the issue and give Virgin Media enough time to fix it.

Equipment returns are fairly painless

Virgin Media is very clear that its equipment remains its property. Routers, TV boxes, WiFi Pods and other supplied kit don't become yours at any point, and Virgin Media will ask for them back when your service ends or when they upgrade their line-up.

The return process is pretty good. Virgin Media sends free return packaging, provides a label and normally uses Yodel Store drop-off, with collection also available in some situations. The important bit is to return the kit in reasonable condition and in a reasonable time frame, and keep proof that you sent it back, because non-returned or damaged equipment can lead to charges. You won't forget to do it either, since Virgin will bombard you with emails and texts to remind you it needs sending back.

The hidden catches are mostly standard, but still matter

Virgin Media’s contract contains plenty of the usual sinister small print. There are charges for paper billing, non-Direct Debit payments, late payments, failed payments, service changes, missed appointments and some technician visits. There are also rules around residential use, misuse, traffic management and keeping your account details up to date.

Most of this isn't unusual for a major provider, but it still matters because it can add cost or friction if you aren't paying attention. The safest approach is boring but effective: Use Direct Debit, avoid paper billing, keep appointment access clear, ask before changing anything, and keep proof of anything important.