Question 1

Is Cheqr free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There's no subscription, no account required to browse, and no charge for setting price alerts. If we ever add a paid tier, everything you use today will stay free.

Question 2

How does Cheqr make money?

Accepted Answer

When you click through to a broadband or mobile provider and take out a deal, some providers pay us a referral commission. Crucially, this never affects the ranking — deals are sorted by real total cost regardless of whether we earn from them. For fuel we don't earn anything; we show prices because it helps you.

Question 3

Why don't you require a sign-up?

Accepted Answer

Because you shouldn't have to hand over an email address to see a price. You only give us an email if you actively want a price alert, and you can unsubscribe from those alerts at any time with one click.

Question 4

Where do your prices come from?

Accepted Answer

Fuel prices come from the CMA's open price-transparency data feed that UK fuel retailers publish. Broadband and mobile deals come from our provider integrations, updated multiple times a day. If a price on a provider's own site differs from ours, always trust the provider's site.

Question 5

How up to date are the fuel prices?

Accepted Answer

UK fuel retailers are required to publish price changes within 30 minutes under the CMA's transparency scheme. Our feed refreshes multiple times an hour, so what you see is usually within an hour of the pump.

Question 6

Do you cover every UK petrol station?

Accepted Answer

We cover every retailer that participates in the CMA scheme, which includes all the supermarkets, all the major branded forecourts (BP, Shell, Esso, Texaco, Jet, Gulf, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco) and most independents. A handful of very small independent forecourts don't publish and won't appear.

Question 7

Why is diesel more expensive than petrol at the moment?

Accepted Answer

Global diesel demand and refining capacity, plus the tax mix, mean diesel typically trades at a small premium over petrol in the UK. The gap widens when heating-oil demand spikes in winter or when refining capacity tightens.

Question 8

Can I set an alert for when my local station drops?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Choose a station, set your target price, and we'll email you the moment it hits. No account, one-click unsubscribe.

Question 9

Why is your headline price different from other comparison sites?

Accepted Answer

We rank by the true total cost across the full contract — including the mid-contract price rise that Ofcom now requires providers to disclose in pounds and pence. A £22/month deal that jumps to £27 after 12 months is a £588 contract, not a £528 one. Most sites still sort by month-one price.

Question 10

What's the difference between FTTC, FTTP and cable?

Accepted Answer

FTTC is fibre to the street cabinet then copper to your house (up to ~80 Mbps). FTTP is fibre all the way to your door (up to 2 Gbps+, symmetric). Cable (Virgin Media) is fibre plus coax (up to ~1.1 Gbps, slower upload). Full fibre is generally the best choice if it's available.

Question 11

Am I eligible for a social tariff?

Accepted Answer

If anyone in your household receives Universal Credit, Pension Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Income Support, you almost certainly are. Social tariffs typically cost £12–£20/month for full-fibre and don't count as a contract switch. Ask your current provider directly — they rarely advertise them.

Question 12

How do I check what speeds I can actually get at my address?

Accepted Answer

Enter your postcode on Cheqr and we filter deals to what's genuinely available at your line, so you never see a deal you can't actually order. Openreach and Virgin also run free postcode checkers you can use directly.

Question 13

Is a SIM-only deal really cheaper than a phone on contract?

Accepted Answer

Almost always yes, if you can pay for the handset upfront or on 0% credit. A typical 24-month phone contract costs £150–£400 more than buying the phone outright plus a SIM-only deal — that gap is finance charges, whether the advert calls it that or not.

Question 14

Which UK network has the best coverage?

Accepted Answer

It varies by postcode. EE and Vodafone tend to have the widest footprint nationally; O2 and Three are strong in different areas. Always check Ofcom's independent coverage checker for your home, work and commute before you pick a network — the networks' own maps tend to be optimistic.

Question 15

Do I actually need 5G?

Accepted Answer

Only if you regularly download large files or use cloud gaming on cellular, or if you live somewhere with congested 4G. For messaging, social, streaming and browsing, good 4G is genuinely enough. Don't pay extra for 5G unless your area actually has it.

Question 16

What's an eSIM and should I get one?

Accepted Answer

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone — no physical card. It lets you switch networks in minutes, hold multiple numbers on one device, and buy short-term data plans abroad. If your phone supports it (most iPhones from XS and Pixels from 3 do), it's usually the better choice.

Straight answers.

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