Key things to know
- 16.4% price increase for millions
Most broadband customers of BT, Plusnet, EE and Vodafone will see their monthly price go up by 6.4% this Spring.
- 2New fixed price increases
If you started a new broadband contract recently, you may be on a fixed annual price increase of £3-3.50 per month instead.
- 3Most can't cancel early
Annual price rises are made clear when you sign up for a new contract, so you'll still have to pay early exit fees to leave before your contract ends.
- 4If you're out of contract, you can switch for free
If your contract has come to an end, you'll likely be overpaying. But you can also switch to a new provider without charge.
- 5See if you can avoid mid-contract price rises
Many smaller providers promise to fix your price until your contract ends. You can also avoid them if you qualify for a broadband social tariff.
If you pay for a broadband or mobile phone bill in the UK, you might have noticed that your monthly price increases in March or April.
Inflation-linked price rise figures are revealed every January for most providers, when the CPI figure for December is announced. Some providers like Virgin Media base their price rise figure on the RPI rate announced in February,
However, if you signed up to a new broadband contract recently, you may be on a fixed price increase instead. This would have been shown to you in pounds and pence when you signed up.
Many broadband and mobile providers hike their monthly prices each year to combat the inflation rate and rising business costs. They can even do this if you're in the middle of your contract.
But is that allowed? And can you leave your provider early if so?
Read on to find out whether you can cancel or switch if your provider increases your prices. And find out if you're on a fixed annual price increase instead.
Broadband price hikes in 2025
Unfortunately, even if you're in the middle of your contract, your broadband bill will likely go up in March or April every year. This is because most broadband providers have annual price hikes set in their terms and conditions.
From 17 January 2025, Ofcom has banned providers from including inflation-linked price increases in their new contracts. As a result, most have introduced a fixed annual price increase stated in pounds and pence when you sign up.
Some customers won't be affected by mid-contract price rises because they're with a provider that fixes the price until the contract ends. But these are often smaller providers who aren't as widely available as the big brands.
People on a broadband social tariff will also be exempt from these price rises. So if you're on government financial support like Universal Credit or PIP, you will likely be eligible for a discounted, no-price-rise deal.
Is your broadband bill going up?
If your contract term has ended, you're free to find a new broadband deal right away.
Am I on a fixed price increase?
Under recent Ofcom rules, anyone who signs up for a new broadband deal from 17 January 2025 will instead be on a fixed annual price increase, which isn't tied to any inflation figures.
However, many providers started putting their new customers on this fixed increase in 2024. So if you started a new broadband contract recently, you might be subject to this price hike instead. Here are the dates some providers introduced this:
- BT/EE/Plusnet: Contract started on or after 10 April 2024
- Vodafone: Contract started on or after 2 July 2024
- TalkTalk: Contract started on or after 12 August 2024
- Three Broadband: Contract started on or after 1 September 2024
- Virgin Media: Contract started on or after 9 January 2025
If you signed up to a new deal from one of these providers after the dates specified, you should be on a fixed annual price increase in March or April 2025 instead.
Most broadband providers' fixed rate increases are £3 per month, except for Virgin Media whose increase is £3.50.
Which broadband providers have mid-contract price rises?
Find out below how much each provider increases their prices by this year, and check whether you're now on a fixed-rate price increase plan.
| Broadband provider | 2025 inflation price increase | 2025 fixed price rise | Option to cancel for free |
|---|---|---|---|
| BT | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | £3/month (from 10 April 2024) | £2 per month for TV | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Plusnet | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | £3/month (from 10 April 2024) | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| EE | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | £3/month (from 10 April 2024) | £2 per month for TV | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Virgin Media | Not announced - February RPI rate + 3.9% | £3.50/month (from 9 January 2025) | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Vodafone | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | £3/month (from 2 July 2024) | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Three | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Capped at £2/month (from 1 September 2024) | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Onestream | Not announced - February RPI rate + 3.9% | £2.75/month | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| KCOM | 6.4% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | £2/3 per month depending on contract (from 17th January) | Depends on availability - check with your provider |
| TalkTalk / Shell Energy Broadband | 6.2% (CPI rate + 3.7%) | £3/month (from 12 August 2024) | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Community Fibre | Not announced - February CPI rate + 2.9% | £2/month | No - included in contract T&Cs |
| Gigaclear | 6% (CPI + 3.5%) | Not announced - variable price rises | CPI increase: No | Variable increase: Yes within 30 days |
| Sky | No set annual price rise figure - 6.2% average in 2025 | No set annual price rise figure - 6.2% average in 2025 | Free to cancel contract or switch provider within 30 days |
| NOW Broadband | No set annual price rise figure (price rise still likely) | Not announced - variable price rises | Free to cancel contract or switch provider within 30 days |
No mid-contract price rises broadband providers
| Hyperoptic | Trooli | Cuckoo | Fiber Zone |
| Zen Internet | Utility Warehouse | Voneus | Wessex Internet |
| Brsk | Connect Fibre | Hull Fibre | Link Broadband |
| Octaplus | Open Fibre | Squirrell Internet | Infinics |
| Yayzi | BeFibre |
Compare fixed price broadband deals
Browse deals from providers with no mid-contract price increases for the full length of your contract.
How much is my broadband bill going up by?
If you're on a fixed price increase plan, your price will most likely go up each year by £3 per month. Unless you're with Virgin Media, which increases monthly prices by £3.50 every April.
For inflation-based price rises, though, providers usually add their own increase rate of 3-4% to the inflation figures announced in January or February each year.
So, taking the price increase rate that providers like BT, Plusnet, Vodafone and EE use, this would increase your monthly rate by the following amounts:
| Current monthly cost | 6.4% increase (CPI 2.5% + 3.9%) | Annual extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| £20 | £1.28 | £15.36 |
| £30 | £1.92 | £23.04 |
| £40 | £2.56 | £30.72 |
| £50 | £3.20 | £38.40 |
| £75 | £4.80 | £57.60 |
Can I leave my contract if my prices go up?
This depends on whether it's a mid-contract or an end of contract price increase.
Most widely-available providers include annual price hikes in their terms & conditions (T&Cs). They'll also make this clear in a one-pager of costs that they'll show you when you're signing up. In order to use its broadband services, you need to accept the T&Cs the provider has in place.
As a result, if you want to leave your contract early after a mid-contract price increase, you can, but you will very likely have to pay early exit fees to do so.
The only exception is if your price goes up on a different date, or by a different amount, to what your provider made clear when you signed up. But this is quite rare, and your provider is obligated to notify you of this beforehand.
End of contract price rises
If your price is going up because your contract is coming to an end, or if your contract end date has already passed, you're free to find a cheaper deal right away.
This is because your agreed term has ended and you have paid your committed amount, leaving you able to find a new deal that's better suited for your household.
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Broadband social tariffs
If you're currently receiving universal credit or another form of government financial support, you will likely be eligible for a discounted social broadband tariff from your provider.
These broadband packages come with a heavily discounted monthly cost, and they aren't affected by mid-contract price hikes.
Learn more about provider price hikes
Get more information on your own broadband provider's price increases with our dedicated guides.
If you want to learn more about the level of service you get from each of the biggest UK broadband providers, take a look at our broadband provider reviews.
Uswitch broadband provider reviews
Read our expert reviews of all of the UK's biggest broadband providers.
Mid-contract price rises FAQs
Can I change my broadband package or provider mid-contract?
You can cancel your contract with your current provider and switch at any time, but many providers will charge early exit fees if you do so before your official contract term ends.
Usually, you'd be expected to pay your monthly price for each month you have left on your fixed term, so it can be quite expensive if you have several months (or more) to see through.
Also, some providers like Sky or NOW Broadband actually let you cancel your contract with them if they increase your prices mid-contract. So make sure to check with your ISP to see what their policy on price rises is.
Can I cancel my broadband due to a price increase?
This depends on which provider you're with. Most providers won't let you cancel your contract for free because they have an annual price rise in their T&Cs, which you would have agreed to when you signed up.
There are some providers that do let you cancel your contract early for free, though - namely Sky and NOW Broadband. If you receive a price increase from either of them, you will have a 30-day window to cancel your contract and switch to another provider if you so wish.
It's also worth keeping in mind your provider's out of contract price increase too. Many providers whack their prices up significantly for customers who finish their contract and stay on the same tariff, so make sure you either re-contract or switch to another provider when your contract ends — it won't cost you anything to do so.
Can I negotiate prices with my broadband provider?
You're not guaranteed to get a better deal by haggling with your provider. It may sometimes work, but it's not a surefire way of getting a cheaper monthly rate or a faster broadband speed for the same price.
You can discuss with your provider which parts of a broadband service you want or don't want in order to avoid overpaying. But expect some difficulty if you're trying to get a bespoke price for a particular service.
As with broadband, mobile networks also have annual price hikes on their handset and SIM only deals. Learn more about your mobile contract's 2025 price increases with our in-depth guide.
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Browse our selection of low-cost broadband deals if you want to save money on your next broadband service.
