Welcome discounts, cashback and gifts on Dutch internet deals: what's normal?

Almost every Dutch internet deal starts with a promotion. 86.3% of subscriptions (1,174 of 1,360) have a welcome discount: on average €30.18 a month below the standard price (median €29.00) for an average of 9.3 months, worth €279.95 in total. 72.9% (992) offer cashback or a one-off discount, on average €72.66 (median €60.00). 27.1% (368) come with a gift; only 24 of those state a value, on average €199.00, so treat that figure as indicative (Kiesbeter Internet Price Index, 29 September 2026, n = 1,360). After the discount you pay the standard price: for internet without TV a median €52.50 a month.

Welcome discounts are the norm, cashback is common and gifts are the exception. Many plans combine a welcome discount with cashback.

Source: Kiesbeter Internet Price Index, 29 September 2026, n = 1,360 subscriptions, with and without TV.

Because promotions are everywhere, a low advertised monthly price tells you little. What matters is what you pay once the discount ends and how long you're tied in.

On average €30.18 a month for 9.3 months, adding up to €279.95. The median discount is €29.00 a month. Only 186 subscriptions (13.7%) charge the standard price from month one.

Source: Kiesbeter Internet Price Index, 29 September 2026, n = 1,360 subscriptions, of which 1,174 with a welcome discount.

Contracts often run 12 or 24 months, so for a large part of the term you pay the full price. Note the date the discount ends and the date your minimum term ends. Dutch detail: welcome discount vs standard price (in Dutch).

On average €72.66, with a median of €60.00, on the plans that offer it. Spread over the first year that is about €6.06 a month on average (median €5.00). Over a 24-month contract, the average cashback takes only about €3 a month off the price.

Source: Kiesbeter Internet Price Index, 29 September 2026, n = 1,360 subscriptions, of which 992 with cashback.

Cashback is paid in two ways: deducted from your bill automatically, or claimed by you with a form within a deadline. With the second kind, people often miss out by forgetting the deadline or a required invoice. Put the claim date in your calendar the day you order. Current cashback deals: internet with cashback.

For the 24 gifts where the provider states an amount, €199.00 on average (median also €199.00). For the other 344 gifts no amount is given. That is a small group, so read the average as an indication, not a market average. Gifts include TVs, game consoles, soundbars, streaming subscriptions and gift cards.

A stated value is usually the recommended retail price, and a gift is only worth something if you actually want it. A worked example (not an index figure): a €199 gift on a 24-month contract is €8.29 a month. If the plan with the gift costs more than €8.29 a month extra compared with a similar plan without one, you're paying for the gift yourself. Some providers charge part of the gift's value if you cancel within the minimum term; read the promotion terms. Current offers: internet with a gift.

1. Compare the average per month over the whole contract, which already includes welcome discounts and cashback. Our internet comparison can show prices per month, for the first year or for the full term.
2. Count a gift only at the value it has for you, not its retail price.
3. Check how cashback is paid and diarise the claim deadline.
4. Diarise two dates: end of discount and end of the minimum term. After the minimum term you can cancel with at most one month's notice; see how to cancel a Dutch contract.

Contract jargon such as actieprijs, welkomstkorting and opzegtermijn is explained in Dutch telecom contracts explained.

The figures come from the Kiesbeter Internet Price Index, which we recalculate every night from the subscriptions in our comparison. For this article these definitions apply:

• Welcome discount: a subscription has one when its first monthly rate is lower than the standard price. Discount per month = standard price minus the first rate. Duration = all months with a rate below the standard price. Total = for each discount period the difference times the number of months, added up; that is why the average total is not exactly €30.18 × 9.3.
• Cashback: the one-off discount the provider states for the subscription, above €0, whether paid out on request or deducted from the bill. Averages cover only the 992 plans with cashback. The per-month figures are the amount divided by 12. The index's year-one monthly price is already after cashback.
• Gift: taken from the provider's promotion texts. The value counts only where the provider states an amount (24 of 368). Gift values are not deducted from the year-one monthly price.
• Base: all 1,360 subscriptions, with and without TV. The standard price in the table covers only the 434 plans without TV.
• Which subscriptions: every available internet package in Kiesbeter's comparison on 29 September 2026: 1,360 subscriptions from 10 providers. That covers internet only (optionally with a landline), internet + TV, and internet + TV + calling. SIM-only and TV-only plans are not included.
• Monthly price in year one: the total cost of the first 12 months as stated by the provider, including one-off costs such as connection fees and after deducting cashback, divided by 12. We do not recalculate those totals ourselves.
• Median and average: the median is the middle price: half of the subscriptions are cheaper, half are more expensive. Outliers affect it less than the average. Groups with fewer than 5 subscriptions get no median or average.
• Unweighted: every offer counts once, however many customers it has. The figures describe what new customers are offered, not what Dutch households pay on average on their current bills.
• Limitations: only providers in Kiesbeter's comparison; the national range of offers, not what is available at your address; promotional prices often change from month to month. Variants of the same plan on different networks count separately.