Save up to £96 a year on your broadband, TV and phone bills – here’s how

HOUSEHOLDS could save up to £96 a year by a simple switch on your broadband, TV and phone bills.

Millions are being hit with soaring bills from energy to food and fuel as a cost of living crisis continues to hit budgets.

1

Households are expected to be £1,000 worse off a year, with many struggling to make ends meet and falling behind on their bills.

Six million customers are now in debt to their energy supplier, while the number of people in council tax arrears has jumped too.

Households are looking at how to strip back their outgoings – and your broadband, mobile phone and TV bill could be one area where you could save money.

It comes as millions of Vodafone, BT and EE customers saw their bills jump by up to £73.68 a year.

While Sky and Virgin Media have hiked bills too by up to £56 a year.

But switching providers could mean you enter a new, cheaper contract that will save you money in the long-run.

We explain how a simple switch can help you beat the bill rises.

Switch providers – save up to £96

It doesn’t pay to be loyal – shopping around for the best deal could save you nearly £100 on your bills.

Which? estimates you could save £48 a year by changing providers – or £96 if TV is included, the Daily Mail reports.

To switch providers, first head to a price comparison website – like Uswitch or MoneySavingExpert – to check out the cheapest deals.

Before you switch, it might be worth seeing if your provider can match the lowest rate you’ve found.

Companies don’t want to lose customers and may come up with a last-minute offer to keep you.

If your haggling doesn’t work, threaten to leave – and if your provider still won’t budge, apply to the new provider to switch contracts.

If you are considering moving elsewhere, be sure to check out any exit fees you may have to pay, particularly if you’re still in a contract period with your provider.

Usually when you enter a contract, you’ll be obliged to keep paying the agreed amount for the services you’ve opted for, for a set amount of time.

If you try leave early, you could face paying a penalty.

Even if you are mid-contract, there are still ways you can avoid paying these fees though on your broadband package.

Ofcom’s Voluntary code means customers have means to get-out of contracts if the service isn’t up to scratch.

The Ofcom code means that if your speeds aren’t the same as what you were advertised you could opt out of the contract.

There are other ways you’ll be able to terminate your contract early without being charged, too.

A price increase alone can be cause for leave, but you have to get moving quickly.

You’ll only get 30 days to decide to switch after you’ve been told there’s a price hike – after that you could still have to pay the termination fee.

How else can I save money on my broadband and mobile phone bills?

There’s other ways to save even more money on your phone and broadband bills.

Check you’re not paying for any extra add-ons you don’t need.

For example, you could be paying up to £35 for unlimited data – but if you don’t regularly use your internet allowance, this is probably not the best value for money.

You may be eligible for a cheaper tariff as well.

Many broadband providers offer cheaper packages for households on benefits including Universal Credit.

You could save up to £144 a year by switching to one of these social tariffs.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk