Vodafone, BT and EE customers hit by bill rises from TODAY – what to do NOW

MILLIONS of mobile phone users will see their prices rise from today as Vodafone, BT and EE hike charges.

The price hikes come on the first day of what’s been dubbed “Awful April”, in a month that will see energy bills, council tax, national insurance and more go up.

Millions of customers will see their mobile phone bills go up in a matter of daysCredit: Getty

Millions of households will see their energy bills go up by £700 from today, as well as their water bills and council tax go up.

But there’s more misery for customers of Vodafone, BT or EE as the providers are putting bills up from today too.

A number of telecoms 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.

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Vodafone

Vodafone bases its price rises on the RPI inflation rate. This is a figure published by the Office for National Statistics but is typically higher than the standard CPI measure of inflation.

These Vodafone customers will see prices rise by 8.2% from April 1:

Those with mobile, tablet or smart watch contracts who signed up before December 9, 2020
Those with home broadband contracts who signed up before February 2, 2021

So, if you had a £58 a month iPhone 11 Pro Max contract previously, from today, you’ll be paying around £4.75 more a month – an extra £57 a year.

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Customers with 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 (CPI) rate – which was 5.4% – with another 3.9% added on top.

If you had the same contract as above, you’ll now be paying an extra £5.39 a month – or £64.68 over the year.

BT

BT bases its annual price increase on the rate of CPI inflation for January plus an extra 3.9%.

CPI inflation hit 5.4% in January, which means BT customers will be paying 9.3% more for your bills once that additional 3.9% is factored in on top.

But those on BT’s Home Essentials, Basic and Phone Saver packages won’t see prices increase.

That’s because these tariffs are for customers claiming 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 also see bills rise by 9.3% from today.

The broadband provider also bases its annual price increase on CPI inflation as it stands in January, plus an extra 3.9%.

The Sun found that EE customers will see their prices go up as much as £73.68 a year.

That’s if you have an iPhone 13 monthly contract with 128GB of storage and unlimited data.

How can I save money on my internet and phone bills?

If you’re worried about your phone bill, the best first step is to speak to your provider.

You might be able to negotiate a cheaper deal, or move to a different tariff if you’re not using up all your minutes and data, for example.

Take a note of exactly how much data and how many minutes you’re using each month as you could be paying too much for a pricey tariff you don’t need.

If you can’t get a good deal with your current provider, you could consider moving elsewhere.

But watch out for exit charges before you do this – if you’re still in contract, you may have to pay a fee to get out of it early, which could wipe out any savings you might make on a cheaper tariff.

BT and Vodafone have both confirmed that you can’t leave your contract early just because of the price rise.

This is because customers are informed of the annual inflation-linked bill increase when they sign up.

If you do decide to switch, comparison websites such as Compare The Market and Moneysupermarket to help you find cheap deals.

Families on benefits such as Universal Credit may also be able to get cheaper broadband packages as a number of firms offer special discounted rates to those who need it.

BT offers a basic phone and broadband package for £15 a month to households claiming certain benefits and the deal isn’t affected by this year’s price hikes.

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.