MILLIONS of Vodafone, BT and EE customers will see their bills rise in a matter of days – here’s what you need to know.
Families are being clobbered by price rises across the board from food to fuel and energy costs – and mobile phone bills will be going up next week too.
1
If you’re a Vodafone, BT or EE customer, your bill will go up in April.
Many providers base their prices on the UK’s inflation rate – and as inflation is going up, so are bills.
Here’s what you need to know about the price hikes.
Vodafone
Vodafone bases its price rises on Retail Prices Index – published by the Office for National Statistics.
The following customers will see prices rise by 8.2% from April 1:
- Customers with mobile, tablet or smart watch contracts who signed up before December 9, 2020
- Customers with home broadband contracts who signed up before February 2, 2021
It means if you signed up for this £58 per month iPhone 11 Pro Max contract, you’d be paying around £4.75 more a month – £57 more a year.
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Those who have mobile, tablet and smart watch contracts who signed up after December 8 2020 will see their bills rise by a different rate.
They will see price hikes based on December’s Consumer Price Index rate – which was 5.4% – with another 3.9% added on top.
Based on the same contract as above, that means you will be paying £5.39 extra a month – which is £64.68 over the year.
BT
BT bases its annual price increase on the rate of inflation for January – plus an extra 3.9%.
The Consumer Price Index for January hit 5.4% – which means that with the extra 3.9%, you’ll be paying 9.3% more for your bills.
But people who are on BT’s Home Essentials, Basic and Phone Saver packages won’t see an increase to prices.
Those tariffs are for customers who claim certain benefits such as Universal Credit.
BT said the average price increase will be £3.50 a month – or £42 a year.
EE
EE customers will see bills rise by 9.3% from April too.
The broadband provider also bases its annual price increase on the Consumer Price Index for January, plus an extra 3.9%.
The Sun found that it is increasing prices by as much as £73.68 a year.
That’s how much more it will cost for someone with a monthly contract for an iPhone 13, with 128GB of storage and unlimited data.
How can I save money on my internet and phone bills?
The first thing you should do is speak to your provider, as you may be able to negotiate a cheaper deal.
Price rises could prompt you to consider switching to a cheaper company, but make sure you check your contract first.
BT and Vodafone both confirmed that you can’t leave your contract early just because of the upcoming price rise.
This is because the annual hike of CPI plus 3.9% was included when you signed your agreement.
You could face additional charges if you cancel before your agreed contract is up
If you do decide to switch, comparison websites such as Compare The Market and Moneysupermarket can help you to find cheap deals.
Families on benefits such as Universal Credit are often able to get cheaper broadband packages.
Several companies provide special discounted rates for customers who are on Universal Credit or other benefits.
BT offers a basic £15 a month phone and broadband package for households that claim certain benefits – this deal isn’t affected by price increases this year.
Virgin Media also has a cheaper deal for people on Universal Credit.
The £15 a month Virgin Essentials offer is only available to existing customers – but it could be a good option if you’re already signed up and are looking to reduce your costs.
There’s an O2 Virgin Media scheme to help hard-up Brits get free mobile data.
The National Databank provides community groups across the country with data vouchers or SIM cards to hand out to those in need.
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