TalkTalk broadband price increases 2023 - what can you do?

TalkTalk hiked its broadband prices by over 14% for millions of customers from the 1st April 2023. Depending on the amount you pay for your TalkTalk service per month, that could mean an increase of £3-6 per month or £36-72 per year.

As is the case with several other providers this year, prices are increasing by a much higher amount than normal due to the very high CPI rate of inflation at the beginning of 2023 (10.5%). TalkTalk includes in its terms & conditions that it will increase its prices by the CPI rate, plus its own additional rate of 3.7%. That means the price rise this year was a huge 14.2%.

Find out whether you were affected by TalkTalk’s price rises, and what you can do if your bills increased in April. Also, learn more about an even larger price increase you could be due if your contract is coming to an end.

How much is the TalkTalk price increase?

The latest TalkTalk price increase will mean customers who are currently using a TalkTalk broadband service saw their monthly bills jump by at least £3 a month from their April 2023 bill and onwards. But you could see your bills go up by as much as £6 per month if you’re on a more expensive plan.

Here’s a rough idea of the relative price increases for each of TalkTalk’s broadband deals:

If you’re subscribed to a home phone service or TalkTalk TV add-on, the price of that service won't increase this year. These price hikes will only affect broadband bills.

Am I affected by TalkTalk's price increase?

TalkTalk prices will increase for almost all of its customers each year in line with the UK rate of inflation, plus an additional 3.7%.

This is similar to the approach taken by a number of broadband providers. Plusnet, EE, BT and Vodafone announced their annual prices will now reflect an extra 3.9% on top of inflation.

As these are annual set price hikes, they are written into TalkTalk's terms and conditions. This means that you unfortunately would have agreed to this policy when you signed up to the provider. And it also means you also won't be able to use the jump in fees as a reason to cancel your contract without paying a penalty fee.

A small number of customers aren't affected by TalkTalk's price increase. But these are mainly vulnerable customers, or customers who switched to TalkTalk in March 2023 within 30 days of the price increase date.

Learn more about mid-contract broadband price increases with our guide.

What can TalkTalk customers do?

As these annual price increases are included in your contract terms and conditions, you won’t be able to switch to another provider for free unless your contract has already finished.

Note: when switching broadband, these new included annual price hikes will need to be made clear to you when you’re purchasing the product, and not simply buried in your new contract's T&Cs. So keep a keen eye out for any annual price hikes when you’re changing providers.

If you’re already out of contract with TalkTalk, it's important compare broadband, phone and TV deals from other providers. There may be better services or cheaper monthly rates that you could take advantage of with just 30 days’ notice.

To learn more about how you can start the switching process, read our guide on how to switch broadband providers.

How were customers notified of the TalkTalk price increase?

The 14.2% rate for 2023 was confirmed when the monthly CPI rate of inflation was announced in January 2023. Since it’s an annual hike that’s included in TalkTalk’s T&Cs, customers aren't often specifically notified by the provider about this hike in their bills.

In addition to its T&Cs, this TalkTalk page details how the annual price increase is calculated.

End of contract price increase

However, TalkTalk and all other broadband providers are required to notify you when your current fixed-term contract is coming to an end. You should receive a notification around 30 days before your fixed plan ends, after which your monthly bill could increase significantly higher than even its annual pricing update.

The good news is, though, once you receive this notification you are eligible to re-contract or switch to a better deal for you straight away, and with no exit fees.

Your new contract price must be detailed in your end of contract notification, along with information about other similar products TalkTalk offers. But it’s always worth comparing broadband deals from other providers to see if you could get a better value plan for your needs.

Contacting TalkTalk

If you still have questions or concerns about the additional charges or anything else to do with your TalkTalk contract, there are a number of ways to get in touch with TalkTalk directly:

• Phone: TalkTalk’s customer care line can be reached at 034 5172 0088.

• Live chat: If you’re unable to resolve your query online at talktalk.co.uk/help, you can contact the TalkTalk support team using its online chat, which is open seven days a week.

• TalkTalk Community is a forum for TalkTalk customers to ask questions and seek out advice from both professionals and other customers.

• Twitter: The @TalkTalk Twitter account is active most days until 10pm.