Posted 12 December 2023
Networks To Increase Mid Contract Prices Come April 2024
Update 1
New info added after today's Inflation announcement
Now the inflation figure has just been announced, we now know for certain that at least some of the networks will be rising by 7.9% come March 31st
So we know for certain EE / BT, iD Mobile and Vodafone will be increasing by 7.9%
What we know for now
Last years figures
So, What are your options?
For broadband - Most of the time due to these price increases, You are able to negotiate or barter a better deal with your supplier, Call them, tell them you're unhappy about the changes, and say you would like to leave, They will then either agree dependant on how long left on your term, or how much percentage over the increases take yor monthly payment, and give you 30 days, or they may negotiate there and then. You may get a call back from "retentions" (basically the people who have most of the power) And offer you a better deal.
For mobile contracts
It's slightly different, there is currently no way of leaving without penalty, unless your deal is coming to an end.
Please always factor in potential price increases into any phone / broadband contract you take out, 30 days SIMO deal are good as no mid contract increases, but most will increases prices come April anyway to counteract that
Below are the projected increases based on research by Which!
April 2024 price rise on a 12 month unlimited data Sim-only contract
April 2023 and 2024 price rise on a 24 month unlimited data Sim-only contract
April 2023 and 2024 price rise on a 24 month 8GB or more data Sim-only contract
What Is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care. It is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the predetermined basket of goods and averaging them. Changes in the CPI are used to assess price changes associated with the cost of living
The CPI is one of the most frequently used statistics for identifying periods of inflation or deflation . It may be compared with the producer price index (PPI), which instead of considering prices paid by consumers looks at what businesses pay for inputs.
Please Also see here - Ofcom plans to force phone and TV firms to set out contract prices Credit
Some Direct links for categories
Pay Monthly
Mobile contracts
Broadband services
So we know for certain EE / BT, iD Mobile and Vodafone will be increasing by 7.9%
- iD Pay Monthly & Sim (excluding Sim Only) - Monthly price will increase every April by the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation + 3.9%
- Vodafone Pay Monthly & Sim - Monthly price + out of bundle charges will increase every April by the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation + 3.9%
- BT phone and broadband customers whose contracts started on or after 1 September 2020 will see rises of inflation plus 3.9 per cent from March 31, Customers who signed up before 1 September 2020 will see price rises of the level of inflation.
- EE broadband and mobile customers will pay price rises of inflation plus 3.9 per cent from 31 March. The terms are similar to those of BT, which bought EE in 2016.
- Virgin Media O2 is made up of two parts - Virgin Media, which handles broadband, and O2, for mobile phones. Customers of either firm could see price rises this year, but will not know until February. That is because Virgin Media O2's price increases are tied to January 2024's retail price index (RPI) inflation figure, which is published in February.
- TalkTalk broadband customers will see rises of CPI plus 3.7 per cent from April
- Sky price rises are up to the firm and are not based on inflation levels
What we know for now
Last years figures
So, What are your options?
For broadband - Most of the time due to these price increases, You are able to negotiate or barter a better deal with your supplier, Call them, tell them you're unhappy about the changes, and say you would like to leave, They will then either agree dependant on how long left on your term, or how much percentage over the increases take yor monthly payment, and give you 30 days, or they may negotiate there and then. You may get a call back from "retentions" (basically the people who have most of the power) And offer you a better deal.
For mobile contracts
It's slightly different, there is currently no way of leaving without penalty, unless your deal is coming to an end.
Please always factor in potential price increases into any phone / broadband contract you take out, 30 days SIMO deal are good as no mid contract increases, but most will increases prices come April anyway to counteract that
Below are the projected increases based on research by Which!
April 2024 price rise on a 12 month unlimited data Sim-only contract
April 2023 and 2024 price rise on a 24 month unlimited data Sim-only contract
April 2023 and 2024 price rise on a 24 month 8GB or more data Sim-only contract
What Is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care. It is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the predetermined basket of goods and averaging them. Changes in the CPI are used to assess price changes associated with the cost of living
The CPI is one of the most frequently used statistics for identifying periods of inflation or deflation . It may be compared with the producer price index (PPI), which instead of considering prices paid by consumers looks at what businesses pay for inputs.
Please Also see here - Ofcom plans to force phone and TV firms to set out contract prices Credit
Some Direct links for categories
Pay Monthly
Mobile contracts
Broadband services
Community Updates
41 Comments
sorted byNo, Talkmobile will not be raising prices on monthly price plans in 2024. Out of plan charges (e,g roaming, international) excluded. For talk mobile
Hopefully in place for next year.
Its a racket alright.
BBC News - BT changes mobile and broadband price rise policy
bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67994514
Here is the Which petition link
which.co.uk/cam…ect (edited)
(But could be worth checking your emails from "virgin media" from Jan 2022 and Jan 2023, my virgin plan increased in April of each of those years anyway?) (edited)
I started at 20 and ended up at almost 28 a month for what was a SIM ONLY plan... I was with them for like 4 years and they didn't even try to stop me from switching they were like "yea we are the best and you'll regret if you leave, bye", if I stayed with them another 1 year then I would have been paying 31-32 soon 💀💀💀 they are out of their minds over there.
Now with Smarty, 10 a month and they gave me 20 gb free extra for an entire year out of nowhere, during the holidays, all i had to do was press a button lol so now i get 120 gb data every month and honestly the 5g network is better and broader.
Only thing that isn't good about smarty is that you CANNOT reply to short numbers, so if the bank sends u a confirmation via SMS u can not reply back...
I did a spreadsheet comparing various upfront plus monthly contracts at 9% and 15% to get a rough idea prior to announcement
What I did notice is there are alot of retailers out there who will have contracts that when ordered by total cost are misleading
E.g.
Zero up front £29.99pm £719.76 might be cheapest listed but further down the list you might have
£259 up front £19.99 £738.76
The first one is significantly more once price increases are factored in. (edited)