UK broadband customers face price hike 3x the inflation rate – here's what to expect
Millions of households will be hit by broadband price rises in March or April 2026, even if they are mid-contract. This is down to annual price hikes that most UK providers include in their contract terms.
However, according to recent analysis from Uswitch, if you started your current contract less than two years ago, your price increase could be higher than others at around 3x the inflation rate.
Here's why: broadband price hikes always used to be tied to inflation, but customers starting a new contract from 2024 or 2025 have instead been on a fixed 'pounds and pence' price increase.
This provides more clarity for customers when they sign up, outlining what they can expect to pay a year or two into their contract. However, these price increase rates are notably more expensive than what customers on the older inflation-based policy will receive.
Here's what you can expect to pay for your broadband from April 2026, depending on your provider.
2026 broadband price increases list
| Provider | Contracts starting from | Monthly price increase |
|---|---|---|
| BT | 2 October 2025 | £4 |
| 10 April 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 10 April 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| EE | 31 July 2025 | £4 |
| 10 April 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 10 April 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| Plusnet | 5 August 2025 | £4 |
| 11 July 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 11 July 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| Virgin Media | 2 October 2025 | £4 |
| 9 January 2025 | £3.50 | |
| (Before 9 January 2025) | Inflation-linked | |
| Vodafone | 12 November 2025 | £3.50 |
| 2 July 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 2 July 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| TalkTalk | 16 November 2025 | £4 |
| 12 August 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 12 August 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| Three Broadband | 9 November 2025 | £3.50 |
| 1 September 2024 | £3 | |
| (Before 1 September 2024) | Inflation-linked | |
| Sky | N/A - no set price increase figure | |
| NOW Broadband | N/A - no set price increase figure |
Can't see your provider? View our detailed price rises guide to see the price increase figures from all of the UK's regional providers, including Hyperoptic, YouFibre, Community Fibre and more.
You can also view which providers fix their prices for the entire duration of the contract.
Why are price increases even higher in 2026?
Our recent analysis revealed that millions of UK broadband customers could face an 11% price increase* this April, which is over three times the current rate of inflation.
This is based on the average monthly broadband bill (£35.90) and the price increase amount that many UK customers will receive (£4 per month), compared to the inflation rate (3.2%, as of 15 January 2026).
The reason providers often give for annual price rises is that they help to cover their rising costs, which are often driven by inflation and investments into improving and expanding their broadband network.
While these are reasonable cost drivers, the recent increases in price rise rates are evidently far above the current rate of inflation, which is used to depict the general rise in costs that customers are seeing overall.
Annual hikes of £4 a month, despite being more transparent, are out of step with what many households can afford. A quarter (24%) of broadband customers claim that a £4 monthly price increase is unmanageable, with 17% saying that they feel exploited by the current rates.
Reminder: If your contract has finished, you're likely on a more expensive out-of-contract rate. Whether you choose a provider with annual price increases or not, it's always worth switching or re-contracting your package to keep your costs down.
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If you receive Universal Credit or another form of government financial support, you may be eligible for a discounted broadband social tariff. These contracts offer good speeds for lower prices, and they don't come with annual price hikes. Find out if your provider offers them.
Mobile contract price increases
Mobile networks have also moved to a 'fixed' annual price increase under Ofcom's policy change.
But while many of fixed rates also outstrip inflation, the majority of networks have adopted a 'tiered' approach to price increases depending on the amount of monthly data you pay for.
This ensures that customers paying for cheaper mobile tariffs will typically get a smaller price increase every year. However, broadband providers have largely not adopted a similar policy, which means that those paying for cheaper packages will see a more disproportionate monthly increase than those on more expensive deals.
Learn more about how mobile and SIM only price increases work with our dedicated guide.
“Flat-rate ‘pounds and pence’ increases appear to be being used as a smokescreen for price hikes that, in many cases, are much higher as a proportion of the bill than the current rate of inflation.
“For customers on newer contracts, these fixed jumps will have been clear from the start of the contract. But the scale of the increases could catch people off guard as they compound every year.
“The most important thing consumers can do is keep track of their contract end date. Once you are out of contract, you can switch and reset the clock on your bills.
"By moving to a new deal, you can avoid these increases compounding on top of high out-of-contract rates, which can save broadband customers an average of £203 a year.
“There are still providers, such as Lebara for mobiles and YouFibre for broadband, that choose not to apply mid-contract rises at all. With these hikes hitting in spring, the time to act is now.”
*Figures taken from Uswitch research conducted in December 2025.
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