EE broadband price increase 2024: what can customers do?

UK provider EE increased its broadband prices by 7.9% for almost all customers on 31st March 2024.

This figure is linked to the 4% Consumer Price Index inflation rate announced in January 2024, and it applies to both people who are in-contract and out of contract with EE.

But crucially, if you are in-contract, you aren’t allowed to leave your contract early as a result of this price rise without paying a penalty charge. So, unless you’re on the EE Basics social tariff, you will likely have seen your April 2024 bill increase by 7.9%.

Why does EE increase prices, even for mid-contract customers? And can you do anything to avoid the price increase altogether? Find out in our guide.

How much was EE’s 2024 broadband price increase?

EE's annual mid-contract price increase was 7.9%.

Most broadband providers increase their prices in line with the inflation rate each year, plus their own amount of about 4%. This is mainly so they can keep up with rising prices in their industry.

Given the huge rise in inflation in the last year, 2023’s price increase stung a lot harder — at a time when monthly costs for other services were already very high. So even though inflation has gone down and this year's price rise is smaller, it's a second yearly price rise for many EE customers who are on one of its two-year contracts.

Here’s how a 7.9% price increase could change your monthly broadband bill:

If you'd like to know how much all broadband providers have increased prices by this year, take a look at our in-depth guide.

Which EE customers are affected?

Almost every EE customer has been affected by its 31 March 2024 price increase.

EE mentions in its terms and conditions - and in a one-pager of charges you’ll be sent when you sign up - that it will increase prices each year in-line with the CPI rate of inflation, plus 3.9%. So unfortunately, you would have accepted these terms when you took out your last contract with the provider.

The only named customers that aren’t affected by the 2024 price increase are social tariff customers using EE Basics.

What can EE customers do when their prices increase?

Unfortunately, if you’re currently in-contract with EE, you won’t be able to leave your contract early without paying an early exit fee.

This is because you would have agreed to EE’s terms & conditions when you signed up for your current service. These terms state that the provider will increase your monthly prices by the CPI rate, plus 3.9%, on 31st March each year.

So even though the increase rate was much larger than in previous years, you will unfortunately still have to pay the extra amount. And if you want to cancel your contract, you’ll need to pay out the rest of your contract in early exit fees.

How to cancel EE for free - you might be out of contract

However, this all changes if you’re out of contract. If your minimum term with EE has finished, you are well within your rights to switch to another provider straight away, without any charge.

In this case, you are likely paying more than you need to for your service already. EE would have raised your prices to an out-of-contract rate after your contract ended, which could have been an even higher increase than this one.

But there’s good news: this also means you can switch to a better broadband deal at just 30 days’ notice. So, if you want to avoid both this price rise and its out-of-contract prices, you can compare deals with Uswitch right away.

Why is EE increasing broadband prices?

EE increases its prices annually for the same reason most other providers do. These annual price rises are said to cover two things: rising business expenses and network upgrades.

The way most providers do this is by tying their price rise to the CPI rate of inflation, plus their own set amount. In EE’s case, this is an extra 3.9%.

Ofcom recently announced that it'd be reviewing how telecoms price rises currently work, and pushing for providers to detach their price rises from the inflation rate. This would help customers see, in pounds and pence, any price rises they should expect in the duration of their contract.

The regulator also wants customers to be able to leave their contract for free if their provider increases their price mid-contract. This will let you look elsewhere if your bill is increased to an amount they're not happy with. However, any ruling that comes out of this proposal will likely take effect from 2025 onwards.

In the meantime, if you want to find out which broadband provider is best for your needs, take a look at our in-depth provider reviews.

How to contact EE

If you’d like to reach out to EE as a broadband customer, there are lots of ways you can do this. You can contact them to find out more about how this year’s price increase will affect you, or even attempt to negotiate a better deal with them.

• Phone: Number: 0800 956 6000 | Opening hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-9pm  and Saturday-Sunday, 8am-8pm 

• Website: Log into your account on My EE Broadband

• Twitter: Get a response from the EE customer services team on Twitter

If you’re looking to reduce the amount you spend on your next broadband package, take a look at our range of cheap broadband deals.