7 price hikes hitting in April – and how to avoid them

MILLIONS of Brits will see a number of bills jump up this April.

From broadband to council tax, families could be forking out hundreds of pounds each year for their household bills.

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But there are ways to beat the hikes.

We explain how much you could save per year by making a number of changes – and you could potentially save thousands of pounds.

Energy bills

• Increasing by up to: £97 a year; you could save: £216

Millions of households are set to see their energy bills increase from April 1 after the Big Six suppliers confirmed price hikes.

British Gas has raised its bills up the highest by £97. 

Scottish Gas, EDF Energy, EOn, NPower and SSE are increasing prices too by £96.

The hikes are the result of Ofgem announcing it was putting its price cap up by £96.

But on average you could save £216 a year, according to Uswitch, by switching energy supplier for both gas and electricity.

You can check how much you can save by using the price comparison checker on its website.

Broadband bills

• Increasing by up to: £72 a year; you could save: £178

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Some of the largest broadband providers are putting up their prices in April.

Sky is upping bills by up to £72 per year for some customers, depending on what type of products you have.

Meanwhile, Virgin Media is hiking prices by £44 per year for some households, and BT prices are going up by £24.

But you could slash your bill by hundreds if you switch to another provider, according to Uswitch.

The average yearly saving for customers who switch broadband providers is £177.57 – but this figure could be even more depending on where you live.

When we compared prices today using one London postcode with Uswitch, we found there was a £270 price difference between the cheapest and most expensive broadband deals on speeds between 30Mb and 60Mb.

The cheapest deal was from POP Telecom, which would cost you £20.50 per month, or £246 a year (excluding the £5 set up cost)

The most expensive deal was from Vodafone, for its Pro Xtra Superfast 1 deal, which costs £43 per month, or £516 per year.

Before you switch, check if you’re still in contract and if you need to pay any exit fees.

You should also take into account how fast of a connection you need, and if you can cut back costs by going for a slightly slower speed.

Mobile phone bills

• Increasing by up to £45 a year; you could save: £300

If you’re a Three Mobile, Vodafone or EE customer, you might see your bill jump from April.

Vodafone will hike prices up by 4.5% from April for customers who signed up or renewed their mobile contract from December 9 2020.

Three Mobile will also be raising prices by 4.5% from April, and this affects customers who took out a new deal or renewed their contract after October 29 2020.

EE, owned by BT is upping prices by £24 per year for those who took out a deal between September 1 2020 or before January 11 2019.

But Uswitch says you could save over £300 if you switch to a Sim-only deal with equivalent data allowance. 

You can check out the cheapest SIM only deals using Uswitch’s mobile phone bill comparison checker.

But make sure you pick a package that is right for you, rather than just the cheapest.

You should take into consideration how many minutes, data and texts you currently use, otherwise you could end up forking out extra for expensive add-ons.

For example, if you’re a heavy internet user it’s worth finding a deal that accommodates this, or if you make lots of calls, find the best price for a package with lots of minutes.

Council tax bills

• Increasing by £100s a year; you can save £1,000s

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Households could see their council tax bills jump by up to 5% in April – adding £100 more to their bill.

The Treasury gave the green light for the tax hike in last year’s spending review, and the extra cash raised is earmarked to pay for rising police and social care costs.

But you could cut your council tax bill by thousands of pounds.

Martin Lewis has urged Brits to check their council tax band to see if they’ve been paying more than they should be.

As many as 400,000 homes are potentially in the wrong council tax band.

The MoneySavingExpert founder said one taxpayer was refunded £1,422 after discovering she was in the wrong tax band on his ITV Martin Lewis Money Show in January.

TV licence bills

• Increasing by £1.50; you can save £159

The TV licence fee is going up from £157.50 to £159 from April 1.

It’s the fifth year in a row that the licence fee, which funds the BBC, has gone up, increasing households bills.

Telly watchers legally have to pay the annual fee whether they’re watching live TV or on BBC iPlayer on any device.

It means bill payers will have to fork out £3.05 a week, up from £3.03 a week this year.

But there are ways to watch TV for free legally without having a TV licence.

For example you can watch catch-up TV and on demand previews through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

You can also watch video clips that aren’t live through YouTube.

But you can’t watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer without a TV licence.

You might also be eligible for a free TV licence if you claim pension credit.

Water bills

• Increasing by up to £13 a year, you can save £200

Water bills across England and Wales are set to reduce on average from £410 to £408 this year – saving you £2.

But some providers will be hiking prices up.

For example, Welsh households who get their water from Hafren Dyfrdwy will see their bills rise by 5% this year, meaning the average household will be forking out £13 extra.

But you could beat the hike by switching to a water meter.

According to CCW, the consumer body for water customers in England and Wales, customers saved an average of around £200 by switching to a water meter.

However, not everyone will save, but you’re more likely to if you’ve got more bedrooms than people living in your home.

Some customers have saved up to £400 a year, CCW says.

You can calculate how much you might save by using CCW’s water meter calculator.

NHS prescriptions

• Increasing by up to £2.20; you can save over £333

From April 1, NHS prescription charges will go up by up to £2.20 depending on what length your prescription is.

A 12-month prescription will go up the most by £2.20 more a year to £108.10, and a three month prescription will increase by 60p to £30.25.

Prescription items will go up to £9.35 from £9.15.

But your bank balance doesn’t have to take as much of a blow if you apply for a prescription prepayment certificate.

The most you can save is to £330.30 a year if you have four items under your prescription.

You can save £223.50 with free items a month, and £113.70 with two.

We’ve rounded up 16 tips to slash your supermarket shopping bill by hundreds of pounds a year.

And here are eight Martin Lewis money-saving tips that could save you £9,243/

How to get up to £10 free Nectar card points for free.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk