THOUSANDS of broadband customers face paying higher bills unless they take action now.
Households face higher prices of as much £162 a year as contracts are set to expire.
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Comparison and switching site Uswitch.com is warning customers to check their bills as cheap deals are due to come to an end within days.
Customers with Sky, BT, Plusnet, TalkTalk or Virgin Media, are among those who could be affected.
If you took out a deal in the January sales last year, contracts that lasted 18 months are coming to an end.
Billpayers are being urged to check paperwork now to avoid paying more.
Customers who are out of contract are likely to be paying more than they need to.
According to Ofcom, as many as 7.4 million people in the UK are paying over the odds for their broadband.
But switching could save you £162 a year on average.
You might get and end-of-contract notification via text or email, so keep an eye out.
It should show when your current contract expires, the price you’ll pay once it does and the best alternative deals on offer.
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Nick Baker, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said it can be easy to forget about contracts but is important to “stay alert”.
“The end of a contract is a good time to re-evaluate your options, especially if you’ve been with the same provider for a long time.
“It’s worth considering if the speeds and service offered are still meeting your needs.
“If your deal ends soon, you should have received a message from your provider.
“This should be a spur to consider your options – doing nothing will mean you end up overpaying.”
The deals your network tell you about are not necessarily the best available and you should check other providers too.
Comparing prices means you can get the best deal, but check you’re getting the service that suits your needs too.
How to switch broadband and find the best deals
It should be a pretty simple process.
Other than some helpful options which might be sent by providers once your contract comes to an end, you can use comparisons sites to help you look.
For example, this comparison site on Uswitch.com will search for alternative broadband packages that are available to suit your needs.
You’ll just need to pop in your postcode.
MoneySavingExpert has a broadband comparison tool and one for cheap mobile deals too.
You can also check Broadbandchoices and ComparetheMarket.
When you’re switching, you’ll need to choose your contract length and the speed, but it should all be obvious as you’re taken through the process.
You might also want to check you get signal where you are and you can do that using Ofcom’s coverage checker.
Before signing up to a new contract, you should also consider what you’re willing to pay every month – most broadband contracts last for 18 or 24 months, so you’ll need to plan ahead and make sure you can afford the price over that time period.
You’ll usually need to give a month’s notice to your current provider to cancel your deal, and you’ll need to think about when the new service should be installed and set up.
This could take roughly six weeks to be up and running.
But this can all differ depending on who you’re with, so it’s best to call up your new provider and see when you can be connected.
Also, it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a social tariff from broadband companies – it’s estimated that 4million are missing out on around £144 a year saving.
If you want more tips on how to save money on your broadband deal – you can read handy tips here on how to save up to £170 a year.
And if you want to avoid haggling with your provider to look for reductions, here’s a handy way to save you £200 on your bill.
