While a spate of April 1st price hikes may sound like a bad joke, millions of us will have to grapple with it in a few weeks. A number of companies have confirmed plans to increase contract agent prices for mobile data, broadband, satellite television and more. Virgin Media has already raised prices for television and broadband customers. The average increase for Virgin customers was £ 3.63 per month (an additional £ 43.56 per year), but the unfortunate ones were charged an additional £ 4.50 per month (£ 54 per year) on their direct debit.
Next, BT and EE customers will put their bills into effect on March 31, 2021. BT, which owns EE and Plusnet, uses the consumer price index (CPI) to adjust the amount customers pay each month. Each year BT takes the CPI inflation rate and then adds another 3.9 percent. Overall, that’s a 4.5 percent increase over what you’re already paying for every month.
For example, if your BT broadband bill costs around 40 euros per month, you need to save an additional 1.80 euros on each bill. That’s about 22 pounds more over the course of a year.
According to BT, this type of elevation is fairly typical. BT told Express.co.uk that the average increase for customers would most likely be less than £ 2 a month – £ 24 a year – but it will be an undesirable change for anyone affected by the hike. In addition to broadband and telephone customers who are seeing higher bills, some BT Sport subscribers will also be affected by the 4.5 percent increase. The latter affects everyone who watches this BT Sport content within the framework of a contractually agreed TV contract.
Plusnet has yet to confirm a price hike, but does acknowledge that monthly fees could be reviewed later in the year.
On April 1, three customers will face a 4.5 percent increase – just like those who use BT Broadband or have a SIM contract with EE. Three customers who have extended their contracts or signed a new one from October 29, 2020, are affected by the increased costs. This includes anyone with a monthly payment plan, including those with tablets, smartphones, home broadband, and mobile internet.
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If you’re a three-customer contract and you extended or renewed your contract between May 29, 2015 and October 28, 2020, your monthly bills won’t increase until May 1, 2021. Better still, you will only see one increase Your current costs by 1.4 percent. This is because three customers signed different terms and conditions during that period, so only bills can rise in line with January’s retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation, which is now confirmed at 1.4 percent for this year.
Anyone who concluded a three deal before May 29, 2015 will not see any increase.
Vodafone customers will also be confronted with different price increases depending on the time of the conclusion of the contract or the last extension. Those who have signed a new contract or renewed it as of December 9, 2020, will increase their monthly bills from April 1, 2021. And as with customers of Three, BT and EE, it will be 4.5 percent. This most likely means customers will need around £ 2 extra each month or around £ 25 extra per year.
Vodafone has confirmed that monthly contracts, contracts only for SIM cards, smartphones and tablets, and those who pay for an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch with a monthly contract will be affected by the recent surge. To calculate the increase, Vodafone relies on the CPI inflation measure of + 3.9 percent announced in January.
Vodafone customers who signed up for a broadband home offer from February 24, 2021, will not have their monthly bills increase until April 1, 2022. As above, the CPI published early next year is shown plus the same additional 3.9 percent amount.
O2 customers can also expect their direct debit to increase on April 1, 2021. Unlike the ones mentioned above, these increases will be 1.4 percent higher. The price increase will affect everyone who signed their O2 contract after January 23, 2014 … that is, most of the current customers. If you’re still rocking a contract before January 2014 and haven’t made an extension or change, your price will stay the same.
O2 says it is writing to anyone who will be affected by the price hike to let them know in advance. As with all price increases listed so far, customers cannot cancel without penalty, unless they have already exceeded the contractually agreed minimum term, as these increases are all specified in black and white in the contracts.
Finally, Sky TV, broadband and landline customers will be hit by price increases of up to £ 72 per year. This price hike will affect existing home TV and broadband customers from April 1, while residential customers will benefit from their current prices for an additional month through May 1, 2021 Sky has committed to announcing the price hike in an email or post to be confirmed between Wednesday 17th February and Saturday 27th March 2021.
According to Sky, most customers will see an increase of around £ 3 per month, which is roughly £ 36 per year. Only eight percent of the customer base is charged a maximum of £ 6 additional per month or £ 72 per year. Depending on the store you signed up with on Sky, or whether a special offer or discount has been applied to your account, this may affect the price increase. You have to wait for your personalized letter to land in the mail to find out what you will be paying each month from April 1, 2021. It is worth waiting for Sky to confirm that your bill is changing before contacting the customer service team.
Sky is increasing its entry-level TV package, now known as Sky Signature, from £ 25 to £ 26 per month, with multi-screen support also increasing by the same amount. The high definition add-on that lets you watch and download content in 1080p or Ultra HD (if you have the right kit) goes from £ 6 to £ 7 extra per month.
