Brits urged to make 1 move to save £203 on broadband as bills jump in April | Personal Finance | Finance
The steepest increases could see consumers pay an average of £18.60 per month (Image: Getty)
Brits have been urged to make one move that could save them hundreds of pounds per year on broadband, as bills are set to jump again in April. Millions of customers could face bill increases of up to four times the current rate of inflation after providers hike prices. It comes as the industry marks one year since the launch of Ofcom’s “pounds and pence” pricing rules.
Some mobile and broadband customers could expect hikes of up to 13.4% as a result of providers’ new price rise figures, according to new analysis from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service. From January 17, 2026, a shift in how bills are increased will affect customers on newer contracts. The comparison and switching service warned users that mid-contract increases will compound over time, so it is vital to switch to the best deal once a contract ends to avoid paying more than necessary.
Read more: BT and EE hit out-of-contract customers with new price rise
Read more: Ditch Sky and Virgin to ‘save £700 on broadband bills’
The most important thing consumers can do is keep track of their contract end date (Image: Getty)
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The most important thing consumers can do is keep track of their contract end date.”
He explained that by moving to a new deal, customers can dodge increases compounding on top of high out-of-contract rates, resulting in broadband customers saving an average of £203 a year.
Mr Doku added: “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.”
Providers have previously attributed price hikes to unpredictable inflation, with an additional percentage applied, which will still affect many customers on older contracts.
Now, under new Ofcom rules, providers must state the exact pounds and pence increase a customer will face annually at the point of signing a contract, so the customer understands exactly what they are agreeing to in advance.
While this change has improved transparency, in many cases the rises are now significantly higher proportionally. The steepest increases proportionally are appearing across mobile phone bills, where consumers currently pay an average of £18.60 per month.
From April, these customers could face a 13.4% rise as new fixed monthly increases push bills up by £2.50 for many networks.
Although some providers have set out these increases in advance, networks like O2 have implemented increases that exceed the levels originally specified in customer contracts.
Broadband customers will face similar challenges with several of the UK’s largest providers now applying a fixed £4 monthly price increase for new customers. When applied to the current average broadband bill of £35.90, this results in an 11.1% rise – more than three times the current 3.2% rate of inflation.
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Customers have already expressed discontent: a quarter of surveyed broadband customers (24%) say a £4 monthly increase would be unmanageable, and other consumers say they would only tolerate a £2.70 increase before switching provider.
Similarly, one in five (19%) mobile users said they would struggle with a £2.50 monthly rise in their bill. A third of Brits (32%) also said they currently spend more mental energy worrying about utility bills than they did two years ago.
While bigger brands, including BT, EE, Virgin Media, and Vodafone, are standardising on price hikes that can add up to £48 and £30 a year, respectively, an increasing number of ‘price-freeze’ providers, such as YouFibre in broadband and Lebara in mobiles, are challenging the trend.
Broadband price increase amounts for new/re-contracting customers
BT, EE, Plusnet, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Hyperoptic are all charging a £4 fixed monthly increase for new or re-contracting customers.
According to Uswitch, this equates to an 11.14% increase on an average bill, or a £48 annual increase. Three and Vodafone have a slightly cheaper offer with a 9.75% increase on a typical bill, resulting in a fixed monthly increase of £3.50 or an annual increase of £42.
Cuckoo, 4th Utility, Direct Save Telecom and Pop Telecom all offer an 8.36% average bill increase, with a fixed monthly increase of £3, or £36 annually. Onestream offers a £2.75 monthly increase while Community Fibre offer a £2 monthly increase. Gigaclear’s monthly increases range from £2 to £3, while KCOM’s range from just £1 to £3.
Providers like Trooli, Zen, YouFibre, G Network and others have a £0 fixed price promise to all customers.
Mobile price increase amounts for new/re-contracting customers
EE’s handset plans have the highest fixed monthly increase rate at £4 a month, resulting in a £8 annual increase. O2 and Vodafone’s Pay Monthly plans offer a £2.50 monthly increase, while EE’s Sim-only plan offers a £2.30 fixed monthly increase.
Three’s plans range from a £1.80 to £2.50 fixed monthly increase while Sky Mobile and iD Mobile offer a £1.50 fixed monthly increase.
Clubcard Price deal customers at Tesco Mobile and giffgaff customers can receive a £0 fixed price promise on various plans.
