- Price hikes of over £74 million per month will hit from 31 March[1], but nine million broadband and 33 million mobile customers could beat the rises by taking action now[2]
- Over a quarter of mobile and broadband customers are unaware of their contract end date and are at risk of missing the crucial window to switch[3]
- Currently, customers who switch to Vodafone, Virgin Media, or Community Fibre won’t see a price rise until 2026
- Some providers don’t increase prices during contracts at all, such as Hyperoptic, YouFibre and SMARTY
- Uswitch expert urges broadband and mobile customers to avoid overpaying
Price hikes totalling £74 million[1] per month are set to hit broadband and mobile customers from 31 March - but it’s not too late to take action, according to Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
The April broadband increases are expected to add an average of £21.99 annually for those on inflation-linked contracts[4] and up to £42 a year for those on newer ‘pounds and pence’ plans[5] that are subject to fixed price rises set by the provider at the start of their contract.
And price rises will add an average of £15.90 a year to the bills of mobile customers on inflation-linked contracts[4] or up to £48 for those who took out a contract more recently with Ofcom’s new ‘pounds and pence’ rules[5] applied.
Who can beat the price rises?
More than nine million Brits are out of contract on their broadband package and 33 million on their mobile plan[2]. These customers are free to switch providers now and avoid unnecessary price hikes.
While customers can leave their contract at any time, those still locked in will likely need to pay a penalty for leaving early, which varies from provider to provider. Sky broadband customers are an exception and are currently being offered a 30-day window during which they can terminate their contract without being hit with an exit fee.
Checking your contract length is key: a quarter of Brits are at risk of overpaying as they aren’t aware of when their broadband and mobile contracts end[3] (25% and 27% respectively).
How to beat the price rises
For customers looking for a new broadband deal, Vodafone, Virgin Media, and Community Fibre are some of the providers freezing prices until 2026 for those who switch before the April increases.
Several broadband and mobile providers commit to no price rises at all throughout the contract duration. For broadband, smaller regional providers such as Trooli, YouFibre and Hyperoptic don’t increase prices mid-contract.
For those looking to save on their mobile phones, customers with providers such as VOXI, Lebara, and SMARTY can rest assured that these providers are committed to not increasing their prices mid-contract.
Table 1: Providers with no price increases available on Uswitch
| Providers with no price increases available on Uswitch | |
|---|---|
| Broadband | Trooli, Zen Internet, Hyperoptic, Hull Fibre, Link Broadband, Open Fibre, Infinics and Yayzi |
| Mobile | Lebara, SMARTY, Asda, VOXI, Honest Mobile, giffgaff, spusu |
Sabrina Hoque, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “For the millions of mobile and broadband customers currently out of contract, now is the time to act before the April price increases kick in.
“If you don’t know when your contract ends, you can usually find this information on your bill. It only takes a minute or two to check, and it could end up saving you a significant amount in the long run. Our data shows that switching to a new broadband deal after your initial contract has ended could save you £181 a year[6].
“The launch of One Touch Switch means it’s never been easier for broadband customers to vote with their feet and switch providers - smaller, regional broadband providers like Hyperoptic and Trooli don’t raise their prices mid-contract.
“Mobile customers can also text 'INFO' to 85075 to find out if they are still in contract and any exit fees associated with leaving early. If you can switch, several SIM-only providers such as VOXI and SMARTY commit to no price rises for the duration of the contract.
“Don’t get caught out by price rises that you might be able to avoid; check your contract today and see if you could escape the mobile and broadband bill sting this spring.”
Head to Uswitch to check out the best mobile and broadband deals
ENDS
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed two samples of 2,000 UK adults from 10th-14th January 2025, and 18th – 21st February 2025.
1) 140 people, or 7% will experience a pound and pence broadband increase of £3 per month. This equates to 1,996,711 households, multiplied by £3 is £5,990,133. 105 people or 5% will experience a pound and pence mobile increase between £1 and £1,80 per month. 2,845,303 will experience this type of increase totalling £4,246,291. The total increase is £10,236,424
Total UK broadband and mobile inflation-linked bill increase per month = total broadband increase + total mobile increase = 64,188,337.24
Total broadband increase per month = (average monthly bill from Uswitch data (£29.60) x (CPI figure + 3.69%)) x number of broadband customers on contracts with CPI-based price rise increase (15,321,800). The number of broadband customers on contracts with CPI-based price rise increases is calculated based on Jan 2025 consumer research of 2,000 UK adults. 1,079 respondents on providers who have applied CPI-based price increases said they took a contract out before pounds and pence rules were applied. 1,079 / 2000 = 54% of Brits multiplied by no. Brits (54,196,443) = 29,238,91 – Divide by 1.9 the average number of adults per household = 15,338,937. 3.69% refers to the average ‘extra cost’ of 12 broadband providers (including Sky, Virgin Media, BT, Plusnet, Vodafone and TalkTalk)
Total mobile increase per month - (average monthly bill from Uswitch data (£20.70) x (CPI figure + 3.9%) x number of mobile customers on contracts with CPI-based price rise increases (27,260,811). The number of mobile customers on contracts with CPI-based price rise increases is calculated based on Jan 2025 consumer research of 2,000 UK adults. 1,006 respondents on providers who have applied CPI-based price increases said they took a contract out before pounds and pence rules were applied. 1,079 / 2000 = 50% multiplied by no. Brits (54,196,443) = 27,260,811. 3.69% refers to the average ‘extra cost’ of mobile providers.
Total = 64,188,337.24 + 10,236,424 = £74,424,761.24
2) According to Pricing trends for communications services in the UK 2024, 34% of broadband and 37% of mobile customers are currently out of contract. Telecommunications Market Data Update Q3 2024 - Ofcom tell us there were 29.1 million fixed broadband lines at the end of Q3 2024, and the number of active mobile subscriptions (excluding M2M) was 89.5 million at the end of Q3 2024. This means 9.4 million are out of contract on their broadband and 33 million on their mobiles.
3) Respondents were asked: “When will your contract for each of the following services end? If you are unsure please give your best estimate.” 25% of broadband respondents selected “I don’t know”, and 27% of mobile respondents selected “I don’t know”.
4) Based on average annual broadband increase following CPI announcement in January 2025 of £21.99, and average annual mobile increase of £15.90.
5) The maximum amount people will pay on broadband on pounds and pence is based on Virgin Media’s increase of £3.50 per month. £3.50 x 12 = £42. The maximum amount people will pay on mobile on pounds and pence is based on BT / EE’s £4 per month increase for handsets. £4 x 12 = £48.
6) Switching to a new broadband deal after your initial contract has ended could save you £181 (£180.83) a year. This calculation is based on the average 12-month out of contract cost calculated in January 2025 between Sky Superfast Broadband, Sky Full Fibre, Virgin Media M125 Ultrafast Broadband, Vodafone Fibre 2 and Vodafone Full Fibre 500 , (£546.96), compared to the average yearly cost of the most popular five new deals (Sky Superfast at £357.00 per year, Sky Ultrafast Plus Broadband at £429.00, Virgin Media Ultrafast at £324.00, Vodafone Full Fibre 500 at £393.00 and Vodafone Fibre 2 at £333.00). Calculations include mid-contract price rises. Correct as of 1st January 2025. Switching from an ending 24-month handset contract to a SIM only contract (and keeping your existing handset) could save you £351 (£350.95) per year, or £29.25 per month. This calculation is based on the price of the top selling 24 month handset package in January 2023 (Apple iPhone 14 with 100GB data) against the cheapest equivalent SIM only deal on the Uswitch site as of January 2025 (TalkMobile 100GB data £9.95 per month on average ). Correct as of 30th January 2025.
Table 2 Broadband: Can customers beat the price hikes?
| Provider name | Existing customer price rise details | How to beat the price rises |
|---|---|---|
| Community Fibre | Customers on 12/18/24m contracts who joined, were installed or renewed on or before 4 August 2024 will get a 5.9% increase applied to their whole bill (from April 2025 onwards) based on the government published CPI figure for January 2025 of 3.0% + 2.9%. All customers out of contract on 31 March 2025 will get a £2 annual increase applied to their Broadband package in April 2025. Customers on 12/18/24m contracts who joined, were installed or renewed between 5 November 2024 and 9 December 2024 will get a £2 increase applied to their broadband package in April 2025 onwards. | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.Switch to Community Fibre before March 31st 2025, to avoid mid-contract price increases |
| Onestream | £2.75 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 1 January 20257.5% increase for customers who signed up before 1 January 2025. | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching between 1 January to 31 March |
| 4th Utility | £3 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 1 May 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 1 May 2024 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 24 January |
| Sky | Average of 6.2% increase. Sky is currently notifying customers with exact price rise details relating to their plans. | Sky broadband customers can leave penalty three within 30 days of being notified about their price increases.No price increases in 2025 on selected full fibre contracts for customers switching from 12 February |
| Virgin Media | £3.50 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 9 January 20257.5% increase for customers who signed up before 9 January 2025 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 6 February |
| Vodafone | £3 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 2 July 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 2 July 2024 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 26 February |
| TalkTalk | £3 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 12 August 20246.2% increase for customers who signed up before 12 August 2024 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 28 February |
| BT/EE | £3 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 10 May 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 10 May 2024 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 1 March |
| Plusnet | £3 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 11 July 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 11 July 2024 | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 1 March |
| KCOM | £1 increase on fibre broadband packages 30Mbps and 50Mbps (capped)£2 increase on fibre broadband packages from 50Mbps (Unlimited) – 175Mbps£3 increase on all packages from 300Mbps upwards | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers that cancel. |
| Gigaclear | £2 for ‘300Mbps and below’ and £3 for ‘400Mbps and above’ | Penalty charges will likely apply to current customers still in contract that cancel.No price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 24 December 2024 |
| Hull Fibre, Hyperoptic, Trooli, Zen Broadband, Befibre, Cuckoo, Hey! Broadband, YouFibre, Utility Warehouse, | No price rises for new or existing customers | No price rises for new or existing customers |
Source: telecoms providers. Data correct as of March 1st.
Table mobiles: Can customers ‘beat the price hikes’?
| Provider name | Price rise details | How to beat the price rises |
|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | £1 - £1.80 per-month increase for customers who signed up from 2 July 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 2 July 2024 | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative dealNo price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 21 February |
| Three | £1 per month (4GB or less) , £1.25 per month (5GB-99GB) or £1.50 per month (100GB+) price rise for customers who signed up from 1st September 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 1st September 2024 | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative dealNo price increases in 2025 for customers switching from 4 March |
| EE | £1.50 for SIM only and £4 for handsets monthly increase for customers who signed up from 10th May 20246.4% increase for customers who signed up before 10th May 2024 | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative deal |
| O2 | Monthly cost will rise by £1.80 a month | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative deal |
| giffgaff | No price rises | No price increases |
| iD Mobile | £1.50 per-month increase for handset customers who signed up from 1 February 20256.8% increase for handset customers who signed up before 1 February 2025 | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative deal |
| Lebara, Lyca, SMARTY, Asda, VOXI, Honest Mobile, Giffgaff | No price rises | No price increases |
| Tesco Mobile | Clubcard customers have no price risesNon clubcard: Varies depending on plan price (around 6%) for customers who signed up from 17 December 2025.6.4% increase for customers who signed up before 1 February 2025 | Customers should review how long is left on their contracts and whether it is worth switching to a cheaper or alternative deal. |
Source: telecoms providers. Data correct as of March 1st.
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.