When your next broadband bill rolls around, it's going to be much more expensive.
It doesn't matter whether you're signed-up with BT Broadband — the largest home broadband supplier nationwide, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk, Shell Energy Broadband, Plusnet, or EE ...you're going to see monthly bills increase by a minimum of 6.7% from April. For those paying the average broadband bill of £26.90 per month, the latest round of increases will take an extra £28 from your pocket every year.
However, those with higher bills to unlock the fastest full-fibre broadband speeds – something that’s now available to more Britons than ever before thanks to a new milestone in the ongoing plan to upgrade household broadband to gigabit-capable speeds – will need to pay substantially more.
If you spend £50 on broadband, you’ll start paying an extra £3.95 every month from April, totalling an extra £47.40 by the end of the year. Ouch.
Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't end there. If you’re still within the minimum contract term of your broadband deal, there’s no way to swerve these price increases – you'll just have to pay the higher bills and try to renegotiate a better deal at the end of your contract. Minimum contract terms vary between 12-, 18-, or 24-months depending on your broadband supplier.
The only exception is Sky, which has offered customers the opportunity to walk away penalty-free within 30 days of being informed about the price rise impacting their broadband package. You'll need to contact the customer care team to negotiate your end date.
Vodafone is offering to pay up to £100 in early termination penalties if you leave your current broadband contract for one of its full-fibre internet deals, so that's one way to escape the worst of the annual price rises.
BT, TalkTalk, Plusnet, EE, Vodafone, Three, and Shell Energy Broadband rely on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate their annual price rises. Virgin Media O2 uses the Retail Price Index (RPI) to figure out how much its customers’ monthly bills will increase, while Sky doesn't set its prices based on a measure of inflation but instead calculates increases based on its internal costs.
The price rises coming to your broadband bills are as follows...
It’s been a gruelling few years for broadband and paid-TV customers.
Following months of spiralling inflation figures, broadband customers who held a contract with BT, EE, TalkTalk, or Vodafone saw their monthly bills skyrocket by over 14% last year.
Virgin Media O2 was close behind with a 13.8% increase for all customers in early 2023, while Sky customers saw bills for broadband and television rise by an average of 8.1%.
Expect to see your monthly broadband bills rise in the coming weeks, thanks to higher-than-expected inflation rates as recorded by the Office of National Statistics
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Although things are a little easier this time around ― and Ofcom is looking to step-in and set new boundaries for broadband companies looking to racket-up bills each year ― most British households will still be paying much more for their broadband connection and satellite channels.
So, what can you do to cut broadband costs?
If you're outside of the minimum contract term of your broadband deal, the best thing you can do is switch to another provider. Broadband suppliers always reserve the best deals for new customers, so there's little sense in staying loyal to your current provider — especially if your monthly bills spiralling.
It doesn't matter if you held a contract with a broadband provider in the past, if you're currently signed-up with another supplier, then you'll be counted as a new customer when you return.
Switching between broadband suppliers that run on Openreach cables, including the likes of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, Plusnet, and EE, is incredibly easy.
You won’t even need to inform your current provider that you’re looking to switch. Simply sign up for the new deal and the new supplier will contact your previous provider to organise a switchover date so you’re not left without internet for more than a day.
Here are some of the latest promotions available from the biggest broadband firms:
Fortunately, this could be one of the last times that you’re forced to pay such a hefty increase on your broadband bills each year as industry regulator Ofcom is attempting to ban mid-contract price hikes linked to inflation. But the intervention arrived too late to impact theApril price rises this time around.
However, when the changes do roll-out later this year, it could offer dramatically cheaper bills for millions of broadband customers.
If you're struggling with the cost of broadband, it might be worth looking into social tariffs — specific packages designed for Universal Credit recipients that offer decent download speeds at a discounted rate.
We've collated the full list of broadband providers that offer social tariffs in the UK, so can switch and save money. If you’re not a recipient of Universal Credit but are outside of the minimum contract term with your broadband supplier (usually between 12- to 24-months from the moment you signed up for a new deal) then the best way to save money is to renegotiate a new contract or switch to another provider.
As mentioned above, switching between broadband brands that rely on cables maintained by BT-owned Openreach is hassle-free, thanks to previous interventions from the industry regulator. You don’t even need to spend any time on the phone to customer service representatives. Instead, when you sign-up for a new deal, that supplier will contact your existing broadband company to organise a switchover date so you’re not left without internet for more than a day. If something goes awry and you'll left without internet, then you'll automatically be compensated.
Unfortunately, moving between Openreach-powered connections and separate fibre networks, like the one used by Virgin Media O2, Giganet, and Hyperoptic is a little more onerous and you’ll need to organise the shut-off date yourself. However, that’s set to change with the introduction of new rules from Ofcom in the coming months.
