One week to go: April price rises to hit up to 36 million mobile and 11 million broadband customers
Seven working days left until inflation-linked price rises kick in, costing mobile and broadband customers an estimated £92.5 million over the next 12 months[1]
But millions could take action now and skip price rises until 2025
Uswitch experts reveal which customers can still beat the price hikes
With just seven working days left to go until around 11 million broadband and 36 million mobile customers experience an inflation-linked price increase in April [2], Uswitch.com urges Brits to check their contract to see if they can avoid the upcoming price increases.
April price rises are expected to add an extra £27.19 and £24.23 annually to broadband and mobile bills respectively for those on current market deals [1], equating to an estimated total of £92.5 million over 12 months for all those affected [1]. But for customers who have stayed with the same provider, this means an aggregate 23.4% bill rise since March 2023 [3].
How to beat the price rises The majority still in contract will not be able to avoid the pending price hikes without paying a penalty exit fee - but there are still options for many:
Sky Broadband, Direct Save Telecom and Giganet all allow customers to leave penalty free if they wish within the 30-day window of the price rise announcement - although this does not apply to Sky TV customers.
Vodafone and Community Fibre are freezing prices until 2025 for those switching now ahead of the April increases.
Smaller regional alternative networks, such as Trooli, Zen Internet, Hyperoptic, Hull Fibre, Link Broadband, Open Fibre, Squirrel Internet, Infinics and Yayzi offer full fibre deals and have committed to not hiking their costs for consumers throughout their current contract agreements.
Mobile providers Giffgaff, Talkmobile, Lebara, SMARTY, iD Mobile, Lyca, Asda Mobile, VOXI, Honest Mobile and Sky Mobile are committed to not increasing their prices mid-contract
Sabrina Hoque, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “April has a notorious reputation for price hikes, and it is clear why - broadband and mobile customers have faced inflation-linked bill increases year on year.
“While everyone is affected differently, depending on when their contract ends and which provider deal they are signed up to, now is a good time to take action and review your contract to avoid any potential increases.
“Finding out when your contract ends, particularly if you haven’t moved in the past 18 or 24 months, is a great place to start as you will then know if you are free to leave without penalty.
“It’s always worth checking the small print, as some providers do allow customers to exit without penalty fees. This even applies to those who are in contract. Sky Broadband, Direct Save Telecom and Giganet are all good examples that will allow a penalty-free exit within the 30-day window of the price rise announcement.
“If you are facing a price increase, but are happy with your current provider's service, it may still be worth running a comparison. By checking what prices are available elsewhere, you can always take these costs back to your current provider to negotiate a better deal”.
For more information on mid-contract price hikes, visit Uswitch’s guide.
ENDS
Chris Thomas
PR Contractor
v-chris.thomas@rvu.co.uk
Notes to Editor
1. £27.19 for average broadband bill annual increase and £24.23 for average mobile bill annual increase are based on the average monthly bill (according to Uswitch data), multiplied by 12, after the CPI + 3.9% is added on.The calculation is weighted for those on mid-contract price rises respectively (11 million broadband customers and 26 million mobile customers). Total UK broadband and mobile bill increase per month = total broadband increase + total mobile increase = £92,538,230. Total broadband increase per month = (average monthly bill from Uswitch data (£27.19) x (CPI figure + 3.9%)) x number of broadband customers on contracts with price rise increase (based on 11 million). Total = £23,628,110. Total mobile increase per month - (average monthly bill from Uswitch data (£24.23) x (CPI figure + 3.9%) x number of mobile customers on contracts with price rise increase (based on 36 million) Total = £68,910,120 2. 11 million broadband and 36 million mobile customers are on contracts subject to mid-contract price rises according to Ofcom. 3. 23% aggregate price increase is the combined CPI + 3.9% of 2023 (14.4% increase) and 2024 (7.9% increase), when added onto the previous year's total. Exact Aggregate total is 23.4%.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.