Virgin Media price increase 2024 — what can customers do?

Virgin Media increased its prices for millions of broadband, TV and home phone customers by 8.8% in April 2024. It's the highest mid-contract price increase out of all the major UK broadband providers this year.

And for the first time, Virgin Media customers weren't able to leave their contract early for free as a result of the price hike.

While it has increased its prices annually at a variable rate for a considerable time, 2024 is the first year Virgin Media introduced a set inflation-linked price increase for customers in the middle of their contract.

The rate was the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure announced in February 2024 (4.9%), plus the provider's own additional 3.9%. The total 8.8% increase applied to customers' bills from April 2024 onwards.

Here's everything you need to know about Virgin Media's price increase.

Virgin Media 2024 price increase

Virgin Media's new pricing terms say that it'll raise prices for almost all customers on the 1st April every year. So even if you're in the middle of your contract, you should have seen your prices go up from this date in 2024.

Before this year, Virgin Media customers were given a 30-day window to cancel their contract if their prices went up during their minimum term. But the provider changed its policy in Autumn 2023 to tie it to the RPI inflation rate.

This now means that after this RPI price rise, if you want to leave your contract early, you'll have to pay early exit fees.

However, if your contract with Virgin Media has ended, then you're free to switch to another provider any time, without charge. Compare a wide range of broadband providers, speeds and prices with Uswitch.

How much is Virgin Media's price increase?

Virgin Media's annual price hike for 2024 is 8.8%. Here's a table to show how much more you could be paying with this price rise.

Which Virgin Media customers are affected?

The price hike applied to almost all customers using Virgin Media broadband, TV or home phone packages.

This includes customers who were with Virgin Media before its pricing policy change in Autumn 2023. At the time, the provider sent notifications to its customers about its new terms, and gave them 30 days to cancel their contract early without charge if they wished to.

So if you remained with Virgin Media after that window, you would have effectively agreed to the new terms that lock you into the 2024 price increase.

However, the following groups are usually exempt from this price increase:

If you don't fall into one of the above categories, you are one of the millions of Virgin Media customers that have to pay the 8.8% increase.

Can Virgin customers cancel their contract for free?

Unfortunately, Virgin Media customers in the middle of their contract can't leave their contract for free as a result of this price increase.

The provider now includes an annual price rise in its new T&Cs, which were sent to existing customers in Autumn 2023, and has applied to all new customers who joined after this period. This means you would have 'agreed' to this annual increase, and will have to pay early exit fees if you want to leave immediately.

However, if your minimum contract term with Virgin Media has finished, you will be able to leave for free straight away. You should be able to find a much less expensive broadband deal as a new customer with a different provider.

Should I stay with Virgin Media?

If you're at the end of your contract with Virgin, you will likely be on a much more expensive monthly rate. But it also means you're free to leave the provider and sign up for a cheaper deal elsewhere.

However, it's worth keeping two things in mind:

• Many other providers have mid-contract price increases built into their T&Cs, so you might be stuck with one anyway if you switch to one of those providers. Find out which providers increase their prices each year.

• If you're with Virgin Media because of its internet speed, you might not be able to find another provider that offers the same speed in your area. This is because it operates on its own network, so unless you can also get full fibre broadband where you live, it might be the fastest you can currently get.

Why is Virgin Media increasing prices?

Virgin Media's price rises are usually put in place to combat its own increasing prices as a business. There are two main things that cause Virgin's costs to go up:

On Virgin Media's 2024 RPI-linked price increase, Uswitch Director of Regulation, Richard Neudegg, said:

“Using future inflation as the basis for a price increase means it’s impossible for consumers to know the scale of their bill change when they sign up for a deal. Ofcom is currently weighing up a new ban on inflation-linked and percentage-based price hikes which, while welcome, will come too late for this round of price hikes.

“If you’re out of contract or coming to the end of your existing mobile or broadband deal, changing providers to a lower cost option could help you offset the April price increases. 

“There are also several providers which do not raise prices mid-contract, such as Hyperoptic and Trooli for broadband, and SMARTY and Lebara for mobiles. So it’s well worth looking elsewhere if you want to avoid unpredictable hikes.”

Virgin Media issued its own statement on its new price rise policy in 2023:

“We know that price rises are never welcome, particularly right now, but like many other businesses we are experiencing significantly increased costs while investing to keep pace with growing demand, as broadband usage rose more than 10% last year and speeds increased by 40%. We’re committed to supporting customers in this tough climate and are freezing prices for vulnerable customers including those taking our social broadband tariffs.

“The introduction of inflation-linked price changes, which comes into effect in 2024 when RPI is projected to be at around 1.5%, will give customers clarity and certainty about what to expect from their bills while fuelling the investment required both now and in future. We will be clearly communicating these changes directly to our customers over the coming weeks.”

Virgin Media's end of contract price rise

The April price hike isn’t the only price increase you’ll have to beware of with your broadband. You'll likely also be moved onto much more expensive ‘out of contract’ prices when your term ends too.

These out of contract price increases can sometimes reach up to 45% on top of the annual price hike rates you would have accumulated too. That's a huge increase in your monthly outgoings once your contract ends.

The good news is, at this stage you’re also completely free to cancel your contract and switch to a new provider at any time.

If your contract with Virgin Media is ending in the next 40 days or so, you should have received an end of contract notification in the post or via email detailing your new charges.

And if you're already out of your initial contract term, you could already be overpaying for your Virgin service by a very large margin. In this case, you should definitely consider switching or re-contracting with Virgin.

Virgin Media end of contract notification

Any Virgin Media customer whose contract comes to an end will be moved onto increased out of contract pricing. However, if your contract is ending soon, you will receive a notification from Virgin reminding you of your end date and details of new plans you could switch to for a cheaper price.

Keep in mind that your contract ending also means you can shop and compare elsewhere for a broadband deal that better suits you, if you so wish.

The price increase you’re likely to experience if you stay out of contract with Virgin Media is extremely high. So it should reassure you to know that it also means you can re-contract or switch to a new deal any time to avoid the price hike.

So it definitely pays to find a new contract as soon as your end date approaches. Make sure to watch out for your end of contract notification from Virgin Media and compare broadband deals to make sure you’re getting the best service for you and your money.

How to contact Virgin Media

If you’d like to contact Virgin Media — whether that’s to negotiate an improved deal, double check whether you’re affected or just to find out more information — you can get in touch with its customer services team in a number of ways.

• Phone: Speak to Virgin Media’s customer services by calling 0345 454 1111 for free. Opening hours are Mon-Fri 7am-11pm / Sat-Sun 8am-8pm.

• Website: Sign in to your Virgin Media account on its website.

• Live chat: Get in touch with a customer representative at Virgin Media through its Live Chat feature.

• Twitter: Make your inquiry via Twitter by tweeting @virginmedia