MILLIONS of TV, broadband and mobile customers will face higher bills in the next couple of months.
Many telecoms providers increase their prices annually based on the rate of inflation plus an extra 3.9%.
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The current rate of inflation sits at 10.5%, so most bills will rise by 14.4% – however not all companies follow it exactly (see below).
Most customers will see their bills increase from April 1, though some customers will see an increase as soon as next week.
This means that if you pay your bill on the 10 of every month, you’ll pay the increase from April 10.
Customers still within their contract, or at least still their minimum term, can’t do much about the hikes, though it’s always worth haggling.
However, if you’re out of contract you don’t need to pay the extra price.
It might be worth scouting around for a cheaper deal.
We’ve got the full list of providers raising rates in April here.
Which providers are doing what?
BT, EE and Plusnet
The “majority” of BT, EE and Plusnet customers will see a rise from March 31.
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This includes broadband, landline, mobile and TV customers.
However, BT Home Essentials, EE Mobile Basics, Pay-As-You-Go, BT Basic and Home Phone Saver customers will see their prices frozen through 2023.
The rise will affect customers even if they are signed up to a contract with a fixed price.
Based on the highest package we could find on the BT mobile website, you could be paying an extra £6.66 a month, or £78.92 a year.
Virgin Media
Impacted customers will see their bills increase from either April 1 or May 1 but Virgin will confirm which date yours will change on in an email.
On average, Virgin Media cable customers will receive a price increase of an average of 13.8% – though this will be higher or lower depending on packages.
For example, Virgin’s Big Bundle package costs £29.99 a month.
This means these customers will see a £50 a year increase to their bill.
The price hike could mean customers will pay an extra £50 on bills.
Virgin confirmed that vulnerable customers will not see a price change this year which includes those on the Essential Broadband packages.
Sky
Sky mobile customers will see their bills increase by £1 a month, or an average of 9%.
“The majority” of Sky’s phone tariffs will increase, so you probably will see a rise.
The hike will come into effect from February 14 – this means that if you pay your phone bill on the 20th of every month, you’ll pay the extra amount from February 20.
Those still in contract will not be affected.
Today, the telecoms giant also announced that TV and broadband customers would pay more.
Millions of broadband and TV customers will see their bills rise by an average of £67 a year from April.
The increase will add 8.1% to bills annually, Sky said.
Broadband customers will be able to leave for free if they are unhappy with the rise, while TV customers will have to pay a fee if they are still inside the minimum term of their contract.
Broadband customers have 30 days to leave penalty-free.
Shell
Shell customers will see bills go up by 13.5% from April 1.
For example, if you’re paying £20 a month, you’d probably end up paying £21 a month once the change comes in.
The hike will impact broadband and landline customers who signed up before Jan 9 this year.
Those who signed up after should not be affected.
If you’re unhappy with the change, you won’t be able to leave penalty-free.
Three
Three also confirmed that its 14.4% price rise will impact all new and upgrading customers, also from March 31.
The increase will affect all Three customers who have taken out a contract since November 1.
Of course, it depends what you pay now but the increase could mean you’re paying more than £60 extra a year.
The average monthly increase will be around £6 – those paying £32 will most likely pay £36.80.
TalkTalk
Similarly, TalkTalk customers will see their bills go up from April 1 too.
The provider will hike prices by 14.2%.
How much extra you pay depends on what you’re paying now but you could pay an extra £5 a month.
If you’re not happy with the rise, then you could try and haggle a cheaper deal
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer with your provider.
Get in contact with your provider to see if they can match this rate – if not, you might want to switch instead.
If you’re mid-contract though and wish to leave, bear in mind that you could face an exit fee so check with your provider for any charges.
Plus, it could be harder haggling with these prices as they come most years from all providers.
For more ways to cut your phone bill, we’ve got eight tips for slashing costs.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
