Summary:

Belgian households waste €200-500/year on telecom because they don't compare. Fiber's everywhere now, data's cheaper, but you're probably still on your 2022 plan. 5 mins on Compare&Go could save you hundreds. When did you last check?

Why Comparing Internet and Mobile Plans in Belgium Actually Matters (And Saves You Real Money)

Nobody really enjoys thinking about their internet bill. It's one of those things you set up when you move into a place, and then it just... exists. The money goes out of your account every month, the wifi works (usually), and that's that.

Except here's what happens when you don't think about it: you keep paying for a plan that made sense three years ago but doesn't anymore. The promotional rate you got when you signed up expired. Fiber became available in your area but you're still on the old coaxial connection. Mobile data prices dropped across Belgium but your contract stayed the same.

We've looked at hundreds of Belgian households and their telecom bills. The pattern is always the same. People are paying for plans that don't match how they actually use the internet, and they're paying more than they need to because they haven't compared what else is out there.

The Belgian telecom market changed while you weren't looking

Remember when fiber internet was only available in Brussels and a few other cities? That was 2020. By 2026, most Belgian towns have fiber access from at least one provider. Speeds went up. Prices for mobile data came down,you can get 20GB plans now for what 5GB used to cost.

New providers entered the market too. Scarlet, Edpnet, Mobile Vikings, and others started competing hard on price. The big players like Proximus and Telenet had to respond. All of this creates opportunities for people who pay attention. But if you signed up with a provider in 2022 and haven't looked since, you're probably missing out.

What actually happens when you compare

Let's get specific. A typical Belgian household pays somewhere between €100 and €120 per month for internet, mobile, and TV combined. That's about €1,300 a year. When people finally sit down and compare what's available, they usually find one of three things:

They can get the exact same service for €20-30 less per month. Same speed, same data, different provider or different plan from their current provider. Over a year, that's €240 to €360 saved without changing anything about how they use the internet.

They can upgrade to something better for the same price they're paying now. Faster internet, more mobile data, better TV package. The market improved but their plan didn't.

They're paying for stuff they don't use. Unlimited mobile data when they're on wifi 90% of the time. Premium TV channels nobody watches. High-speed internet when they just check email and stream occasionally.

Any of these three scenarios means you're leaving money on the table. And it's not a tiny amount, families save €300, €400, sometimes €500 a year just by switching to a plan that fits them better.

Why this matters more than people think

€300 a year doesn't sound life-changing when you say it out loud. But think about it differently. That's a weekend trip somewhere. That's a decent chunk of your grocery budget for a month. That's covering your Netflix, Spotify, and whatever other subscriptions you're paying for.

And here's the kicker: once you switch, that savings happens every single year going forward. If you're 30 years old and you switch to a plan that saves you €25 a month, that's €10,000 over the next 33 years until you retire. All because you spent fifteen minutes comparing options once.

People don't think of their internet bill this way because it's automatic. The money just disappears from your account every month and you don't really notice. But it adds up. Boy, does it add up.

What stops people from comparing (and why those reasons don't hold up)

We've asked a lot of Belgians why they haven't compared their telecom plans recently. The answers are pretty consistent.

"I don't have time." This one's interesting because comparing plans on Compare&Go takes about as long as scrolling Instagram for a few minutes. You pick what you need, internet, mobile, both, filter by speed or data or price, and look at what's available. Five minutes, maybe ten if you're being thorough.

"Switching providers is a pain." It used to be. Ten years ago, switching meant phone calls, waiting for technicians, possible service interruptions. Now? Most providers handle the whole thing. You sign up online, they coordinate with your old provider, they send you the equipment or schedule a quick install. You're involved for maybe twenty minutes total.

"I'm locked into a contract." Okay, but when does it end? And what's the cancellation fee versus what you'd save by switching? Sometimes paying €50 to get out of a contract early saves you €200 over the next year. Do the math.

"My current provider is fine." Sure, but is "fine" the standard you want for something you're paying €100+ a month for? There's probably a "great" option out there that costs less.

When you should definitely compare

Some situations basically demand that you look at what else is available:

You've been with the same provider for more than two years. Technology changes. Pricing changes. Competitor offerings change. What was a good deal in 2023 probably isn't anymore.

Your promotional rate just ended. A lot of internet and mobile plans offer a discount for the first 12 or 24 months. When that expires and your bill suddenly jumps up, that's your signal to compare and switch to a new promotional rate somewhere else.

You're moving. New address means new options. Some providers have fiber where others don't. Some have better coverage. Don't just transfer your old plan to your new place without checking what else is available there.

Your internet is slow or your connection drops a lot. If you're having problems, there's a decent chance a different provider has better infrastructure in your area. And it might even cost less.

You're working from home now. Upload speed matters way more when you're on video calls all day. Reliability matters more when a dropped connection means you can't do your job. Your old plan might not cut it anymore.

What makes Compare&Go different from just googling providers

You could absolutely go to Proximus's website, then Telenet's, then VOO's, then Orange's, and manually write down all the plans and prices and try to compare them yourself. People do this. It takes forever and it's annoying.

Or you could use Compare&Go and see everything in one place. Every major provider in Belgium. All the plans. Real prices, not just the promotional rate that expires after six months. Filter by what matters to you,speed, data, price, contract type.

We're not paid by providers to rank certain plans higher. We don't hide options. It's just all the information you need to make a decision, organized in a way that doesn't make your head hurt.

The real cost of doing nothing

Here's a thought experiment. Let's say right now, today, there's a plan available that would save you €25 a month compared to what you're currently paying. Maybe it's from a provider you haven't heard of, or maybe it's actually from your current provider but on a newer plan they don't advertise to existing customers.

If you don't compare and you don't switch, you'll pay an extra €300 this year. Next year, another €300. The year after that, another €300. Over five years, that's €1,500 you didn't need to spend.

That's not a made-up number to scare you. Based on actual plans available in Belgium right now, most households genuinely can save €20 to €40 per month by switching. The only reason they don't is inertia. They haven't looked, so they don't know.

Start comparing (it takes less time than reading this article did)

The Belgian telecom market is competitive, which works in your favor if you actually look at your options. Providers are fighting for customers. That means deals, promotions, and genuinely competitive pricing.

But those deals don't find you automatically. You have to look. Five minutes on Compare&Go. Filter by what you need. See what's available. If there's something better and cheaper than what you have now,and there probably is,switch to it.

You'll save money every month. You might get better service. And you'll stop being one of those people who pays too much for internet because they haven't bothered to check what else is out there.

Compare your options. See what you find. It'll probably be worth it.