In April 2024, Virgin Media increased its prices for millions of broadband, TV and home phone customers by 8.8%. It was the highest mid-contract price increase out of all the major UK broadband providers this year.
And for the first time, Virgin Media customers weren't able to leave their contract early for free as a result of the price hike.
While it has increased its prices annually at a variable rate for a considerable time, 2024 is the first year Virgin Media introduced a set inflation-linked price increase for customers in the middle of their contract.
The rate was the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure announced in February 2024 (4.9%), plus the provider's own additional 3.9%. The total 8.8% increase applied to customers' bills from April 2024 onwards.
Virgin Media has also announced that, from the 8th January, everyone who takes out a new broadband contract with the provider will be subject to a new, flat rate annual price increase of £3.50 per month.
Here's everything you need to know about Virgin Media's price increase.
Virgin Media's 'pounds and pence' price increase from 2025
In line with new regulations from Ofcom, Virgin Media has announced a fixed-rate price increase of £3.50 per month for many of its customers each year.
This will initially apply to customers who start a new Virgin Media contract from the 8th January 2025 onwards. So those who are currently mid-contract will likely still be subject to its previous RPI price increase in April.
For anyone taking out a new Virgin Media contract from next year, you will know in advance how much your monthly price is going up by. However, the £3.50 increase may end up being higher than what the UK's current RPI figures indicate for early next year.
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Virgin Media 2024 price increase
Virgin Media's new pricing terms say that it'll raise prices for almost all customers on the 1st April every year. So even if you're in the middle of your contract, you should have seen your prices go up from this date in 2024.
Before this year, Virgin Media customers were given a 30-day window to cancel their contract if their prices went up during their minimum term. But the provider changed its policy in Autumn 2023 to tie it to the RPI inflation rate.
This now means that after this RPI price rise, if you want to leave your contract early, you'll have to pay early exit fees.
However, if your contract with Virgin Media has ended, then you're free to switch to another provider any time, without charge. Compare a wide range of broadband providers, speeds and prices with Uswitch.
This policy will also have to change for customers taking out a new Virgin Media contract from January 2025. Like other providers, Virgin Media may bring this date forward, but it is yet to announce when it plans to do so.
How much is Virgin Media's price increase?
Virgin Media's annual price hike for 2024 was 8.8%. Here's a table to show how much more you could be paying with this price rise.
| Current monthly cost | Increase amount (8.8%) | Annual extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| £25 | £2.20 | £26.40 |
| £35 | £3.08 | £36.96 |
| £45 | £3.96 | £47.52 |
| £55 | £4.84 | £58.08 |
| £75 | £6.60 | £79.20 |
Which Virgin Media customers are affected?
The price hike applied to almost all customers using Virgin Media broadband, TV or home phone packages.
This includes customers who were with Virgin Media before its pricing policy change in Autumn 2023. At the time, the provider sent notifications to its customers about its new terms, and gave them 30 days to cancel their contract early without charge if they wished to.
So if you remained with Virgin Media after that window, you would have effectively agreed to the new terms that lock you into the 2024 price increase.
However, the following groups are usually exempt from this price increase:
- 1
Those on a Virgin Media Essential social tariff, which is available to people receiving financial support like Universal Credit
- 2
Talk Protected landline customers
- 3
All other customers who are considered 'vulnerable'
If you don't fall into one of the above categories, you are one of the millions of Virgin Media customers that have to pay the 8.8% increase.
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Can Virgin customers cancel their contract for free?
Unfortunately, Virgin Media customers in the middle of their contract can't leave their contract for free as a result of this price increase.
The provider now includes an annual price rise in its new T&Cs, which were sent to existing customers in Autumn 2023, and has applied to all new customers who joined after this period. This means you would have 'agreed' to this annual increase, and will have to pay early exit fees if you want to leave immediately.
However, if your minimum contract term with Virgin Media has finished, you will be able to leave for free straight away. You should be able to find a much less expensive broadband deal as a new customer with a different provider.
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Should I stay with Virgin Media?
If you're at the end of your contract with Virgin, you will likely be on a much more expensive monthly rate. But it also means you're free to leave the provider and sign up for a cheaper deal elsewhere.
However, it's worth keeping two things in mind:
Many other providers have mid-contract price increases built into their T&Cs, so you might be stuck with one anyway if you switch to one of those providers. Find out which providers increase their prices each year.
Previously, Virgin Media used to be the most widely-available ultrafast broadband provider. But with full fibre broadband availability now over 60% in the UK, you are just as likely to have access to that too. So it's always worth comparing speeds available to your address with what Virgin Media can offer.
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Why is Virgin Media increasing prices?
Virgin Media's price rises are usually put in place to combat its own increasing prices as a business. There are two main things that cause Virgin's costs to go up:
- 1
Inflation: As the cost of all resources, supplies, products and services increase, so does the provider's business expenses.
- 2
Service upgrades: Like all providers, Virgin Media is constantly working to improve its network's speed, reliability and coverage. This is an expensive thing to do, so it often raises pries to cover these costs.
On Virgin Media's 2024 RPI-linked price increase, Uswitch Director of Regulation, Richard Neudegg, said:
“Using future inflation as the basis for a price increase means it’s impossible for consumers to know the scale of their bill change when they sign up for a deal. Ofcom is currently weighing up a new ban on inflation-linked and percentage-based price hikes which, while welcome, will come too late for this round of price hikes.
“If you’re out of contract or coming to the end of your existing mobile or broadband deal, changing providers to a lower cost option could help you offset the April price increases.
“There are also several providers which do not raise prices mid-contract, such as Hyperoptic and Trooli for broadband, and SMARTY and Lebara for mobiles. So it’s well worth looking elsewhere if you want to avoid unpredictable hikes.”
With Ofcom's new ruling that bans inflation-linked price rises on new broadband contracts from January 2025, it's looking like Virgin Media customers will soon start to get more certainty about their monthly payments.
However, despite other providers already implementing this, Virgin is yet to announce its own fixed price increase figure.
Virgin Media's end of contract price rise
The April price hike isn’t the only price increase you’ll have to beware of with your broadband. You'll likely also be moved onto much more expensive ‘out of contract’ prices when your term ends too.
These out of contract price increases can sometimes reach up to 45% on top of the annual price hike rates you would have accumulated too. That's a huge increase in your monthly outgoings once your contract ends.
The good news is, at this stage you’re also completely free to cancel your contract and switch to a new provider at any time.
If your contract with Virgin Media is ending in the next 40 days or so, you should have received an end of contract notification in the post or via email detailing your new charges.
And if you're already out of your initial contract term, you could already be overpaying for your Virgin service by a very large margin. In this case, you should definitely consider switching or re-contracting with Virgin.
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Virgin Media end of contract notification
Any Virgin Media customer whose contract comes to an end will be moved onto increased out of contract pricing. However, if your contract is ending soon, you will receive a notification from Virgin reminding you of your end date and details of new plans you could switch to for a cheaper price.
Keep in mind that your contract ending also means you can shop and compare elsewhere for a broadband deal that better suits you, if you so wish.
The price increase you’re likely to experience if you stay out of contract with Virgin Media is extremely high. So it should reassure you to know that it also means you can re-contract or switch to a new deal any time to avoid the price hike.
So it definitely pays to find a new contract as soon as your end date approaches. Make sure to watch out for your end of contract notification from Virgin Media and compare broadband deals to make sure you’re getting the best service for you and your money.
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How to contact Virgin Media
If you’d like to contact Virgin Media — whether that’s to negotiate an improved deal, double check whether you’re affected or just to find out more information — you can get in touch with its customer services team in a number of ways.
Phone: Speak to Virgin Media’s customer services by calling 0345 454 1111 for free. Opening hours are Mon-Fri 7am-11pm / Sat-Sun 8am-8pm.
Website: Sign in to your Virgin Media account on its website.
Live chat: Get in touch with a customer representative at Virgin Media through its Live Chat feature.
Twitter: Make your inquiry via Twitter by tweeting @virginmedia
Virgin Media price rises FAQs
Can I negotiate my broadband prices with Virgin Media?
You might be able to negotiate a better deal with Virgin Media, but it's not a guaranteed way of avoiding a price increase.
So while some people may have succeeded in getting a better deal after discussing with the provider's customer services team, Virgin doesn't have to budge on its pricing if it doesn't want to.
Will Virgin Media increase their prices again?
Yes. From 2024 onwards, the provider has made mid-contract price increases part of its terms & conditions. This means almost all customers who sign up in the future will have to abide by an annual price rise, and will no longer get a 30-day window to cancel.
