Has your broadband bill gone up?
If your contract term has ended, you're free to find a new broadband deal right away.
If you pay for a broadband or mobile phone bill in the UK, you might have noticed that your monthly price increased from April 2024. And if you haven’t, it’s worth checking with your provider if it raised your prices this year.
Based on the inflation figures announced in 2024, monthly prices for millions of broadband customers are increased by up to 8.8%.
Many broadband and mobile providers hike their prices each year to combat the inflation rate and rising business costs. They can even do this if you’ve agreed to a fixed monthly rate for your contract period.
But is that allowed, even when you're halfway through your contract? And can you leave your provider early if so? Plus, how will Ofcom's new rule that bans inflation-linked price rises from 2025 affect you?
Read on to find out whether you can cancel or switch if your provider increases your prices.
Broadband price hikes in 2024
Unfortunately, even if you're in the middle of your contract, your broadband bill likely went up in April 2024. This is because most broadband providers have annual price hikes set in their terms and conditions.
Some customers won't be affected by these price rises because they're with a provider that fixes their cost for the whole contract. 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.
What are mid-contract price rises?
Mid-contract price rises are when a provider hikes the cost of your monthly broadband bill during your contract term.
They usually occur once per year, and historically they've been tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rate published at the beginning of each year.
To combat rising business costs, many providers also add their own set amount of about 3% to their price rises, which they claim is to ensure they can afford those rising costs each year.
This usually means a price increase of about 4-5% each year, regardless of the price you initially purchased your deal at. But since the inflation rate is still recovering from a 30-year high in 2023, price hikes are still higher than normal.
And as a result, many providers raised prices by up to 7.9% in April 2024. But Virgin Media in particular increased prices by 8.8%.
However, this is likely set to change for 2025's price increases. Ofcom has banned broadband providers from linking their annual price hikes to inflation, so new customers may start to see a fixed yearly increase when they're signing up instead.
Which broadband providers increase your prices mid-contract?
Find out below how much each provider increases their prices by this year, and which ones have already announced a fixed price increase from 2025 onwards.
| Broadband provider | 2024 price increase | Option to cancel | 2025 fixed price rise? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media | 8.8% (February RPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Not announced |
| Onestream | 8.8% (February RPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Not announced |
| BT | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£3 per month |
| Plusnet | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£3 per month |
| EE | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£3 per month |
| Vodafone | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£3 per month |
| Three | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: Capped at +£2 per month |
| KCOM | 7.9% (CPI rate + 3.9%) | Depends on availability - check with your provider | Not announced |
| TalkTalk | 7.7 % (CPI rate + 3.7%) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£3 per month |
| Shell Energy Broadband | 7% (CPI rate + 3%) | Some customers can cancel - check letter from provider | Not announced |
| Community Fibre | CPI rate + 2.9% (figure announced in February) | Unable to cancel for free - included in contract T&Cs | Yes: +£2 per month |
| Gigaclear | CPI rate + 3.5% | Free to cancel contract or switch provider within 30 days | Not announced |
| Sky | 6.7% average (price rise not attached to CPI/RPI) | Free to cancel contract or switch provider within 30 days | Not announced |
| NOW Broadband | No set annual price rise figure (price rise still likely) | Free to cancel contract or switch provider within 30 days | Yes: +£3 per month |
Providers with no mid-contract price rises
| Hyperoptic | Trooli | Cuckoo | Direct Save Telecom* |
| Zen Internet | Utility Warehouse | Voneus | Wessex Internet |
| Brsk | Connect Fibre | Hull Fibre | Link Broadband |
| Octaplus | Open Fibre | Squirrell Internet | Infinics |
| Yayzi | Fiber Zone |
* Direct Save Telecom mid-contract price rise was paused for 2024
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.
You can also learn more about your mobile contract's 2024 price increases too with our in-depth guide.
How much did my broadband bill go up by in 2024?
The CPI inflation rate announced in January 2024 was 4%, meaning most broadband prices increased by up to 7.9% this year, after you add the additional 3-4% yearly increase that many providers have in their T&Cs.
Taking the 7.9% increase rate that providers like BT, Plusnet, Vodafone and EE incurred, this would increase your costs by the following amounts:
| Current monthly cost | Increase amount (7.9%) | Annual extra cost |
|---|---|---|
| £20 | £1.58 | £18.96 |
| £30 | £2.37 | £28.44 |
| £40 | £3.16 | £37.92 |
| £50 | £3.95 | £47.40 |
| £75 | £5.93 | £71.16 |
If you're with Virgin Media, your price increase was likely even higher - at 8.8%. This is because it ties its price hike to a more expensive type of inflation - the Retail Prices Index (RPI). Here's how that could affect your Virgin bill:
| 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 |
Once again, Ofcom will soon be banning this way of calculating price rises. So for all broadband customers signing up to a new deal from January 2025 (and some new customers of certain providers from now), their annual price rise will instead be a fixed rate in pounds and pence.
When do my broadband prices go up?
These annual broadband price increases happen around April each year.
Broadband providers tend to make their price rises effective around the Spring, but they usually announce them a few weeks beforehand. So you should have heard from your provider about any potential price increase in February or March 2024.
These price rises also take effect if you're out of contract. But if your initial contract term has ended, you're able to switch to a cheaper deal right away.
There are lots of offers out there for a very reasonable price - just make sure to avoid packages that are too slow for your household's needs.
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Browse our best broadband deals and see if you could switch to a cheaper package.
Can I leave my contract if my prices go up?
This depends on the terms and conditions you agreed to when you signed up with your current provider.
Usually, a fixed contract for a service means you’ve agreed to pay a specific monthly price for a set time. This works both ways — your provider agrees to charge you that same amount each month, and you agree to pay that amount on an agreed date.
However, when you sign up for a broadband contract, you need to accept the terms and conditions (T&Cs) the provider has in place to use its services.
You don’t have to accept these terms, but you won’t be able to sign up for a provider that includes these charges if you don't. In this case, you’ll have to find a provider that doesn’t include a yearly price rise, but they are few and far between.
Essentially, if you continue to sign up to a provider that mentions price increases in its T&Cs, you will have officially agreed to pay that increased amount when charged. And if you want to leave your contract early as a result, you will have to pay early exit fees to do so.
This might seem unfair, given that these terms are often hidden away among a lot of text that most people never read. But if you’re concerned about this before joining a new provider, it's important to specifically search for any mention of price rises in the T&Cs.
However, if you're approaching the end of your contract soon, you may not have to wait too long before you can switch away from your current deal anyway.
So be sure to look out for a message from your provider about what your options are when your fixed term ends.
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Social tariffs aren't affected by April price hikes
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.
This would let you immediately reduce your monthly cost, and these tariffs aren't affected by annual price hikes.
Social tariffs for Universal Credit customers
Find out if you're eligible for a low-income broadband social tariff, and how much you could save per month.
Broadband provider price hikes in 2024
Most major broadband providers increased prices in 2024. Here's some more information on how the price increase usually works for each of them.
Virgin Media
Virgin Media's price rise figure is 8.8% in 2024 - the highest among all UK broadband providers. As of this year, the provider has added a set yearly price increase based on the Retail Price Index to its terms and conditions.
Find out what you can do if your Virgin Media price is increasing.
Sky
Sky's 2024 price increase was an average of 6.7% for most of its customers, starting from April.
Since Sky doesn't actually include annual, inflation-based price rises in its T&Cs, affected customers are usually allowed to leave their contract penalty-free. But you can only do so within 30 days of being notified of a price increase by the provider.
Get more information on Sky's price increase policy with our guide.
BT
BT hiked its prices by 7.9% in Spring 2024, due to the CPI inflation rate of 4%. BT adds an extra 3.9% to the rate of inflation each year to account for extra business expenses, such as the rollout of full fibre broadband.
Learn more about BT’s 2024 price hike and what you can do if you’re affected.
Plusnet
Plusnet raised its prices for almost all customers by 7.9% this year, in line with its sister company, BT.
As with BT, its customers will have to pay early exit fees if they want to cancel their contract early as a result of the steep increase.
Learn more about Plusnet's 2024 price rise with our guide.
TalkTalk
TalkTalk hiked its prices by 7.7% in April 2024. It's a slightly smaller increase than the likes of BT and Plusnet, because its additional yearly rate is 3.7%, compared to their 3.9%.
Find out more about TalkTalk's 2024 price hike in our guide.
Vodafone
Like BT, EE and Plusnet, Vodafone increased its broadband prices by 7.9% in April 2024.
However, in 2025, Vodafone will stop annual inflation-based price rises and introduce a £3 mid-contract price rise for everyone on the 1st of April, regardless of their broadband package.
This will benefit customers on more expensive contracts, but for customers on cheaper contracts this will likely add more than an inflation-based price rise. So it is something to think about when signing up for a new Vodafone broadband contract this year.
You're also not allowed to cancel your contract for free as a result of these increases, given that they're stated in their terms and conditions when you sign up.
Take a look at our guide for more information on Vodafone's 2024 broadband price increase.
EE
Like its sister brands BT and Plusnet, EE raised its prices for almost all of its customers by 7.9%.
Similarly to these providers, customers cannot leave their contract early without paying an early exit fee. So you may have to wait until your minimum term ends before you can switch away from this increased price.
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Ofcom's new price rise ruling
Broadband regulator Ofcom recently said it is ban inflation-linked price hikes for new customers from January 2025.
Instead, many providers will be adding a fixed annual price rise policy to their T&Cs, where the amount each year will be detailed before you sign up in pounds and pence. This will make it easier to understand how much you will be paying each month by the time your contract finishes.
However, many providers have chosen to implement a flat £3 per month increase each year, which is actually a bigger price increase for those on cheaper broadband deals than any increase would have been under the current inflation rate.
Our research revealed that 85% of broadband and mobile customers think mid-contract price rises are unfair. And roughly the same amount said that you should be able to leave your contract if your price goes up during your minimum term.
Unfortunately, this isn't the case for most. So while 71% of Brits would switch to a provider that doesn't hike prices halfway through, many are still unable to do so.
It's still unclear how this ruling will look, or what it'll mean for inflation price hikes going forward. But it's a welcome step for customers hoping to keep control of their bills.
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 it's important to keep in mind that many providers 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.
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