How to avoid the EE price hike as it announces 2.2% bill rise
MILLIONS of EE customers will see mobile bills hiked by 2.2 per cent from March 30 - but there are ways to get around the increase.
The rise means pay monthly users will pay an extra 58p a month on average - although this could be as high as an extra £2.29 each month for those on pricier contracts.
Then take this to EE and argue that cheaper prices elsewhere, alongside a price hike, mean you're not happy with the service provided.
If you're out of contract - also haggle if you want to stay
It's always easier to haggle over your mobile bill if you're out of contract, as then you can threaten to leave.
The fear of losing a customer often encourages service providers to offer loyalty discounts or add on extra perks.
EE is one of consumer site MoneySavingExpert.com's top firms to haggle with. According to its latest poll of 167 people, EE customers reported a 76 per cent success rate.
Again, compare prices elsewhere and then come armed with the facts when you're talking to a customer service rep.
If it won't budge on price, see if you could get extra minutes, texts, data or freebies such as Spotify or Apple Music chucked in.
Switch to a Sim-only deal if you're out of contract
If you're out of contract, check if you can save by switching elsewhere.
Just bear in mind that EE is the first of the major providers to announce hikes, and it's likely O2, Three, and Vodafone will follow suit in the next few weeks.
So you may want to wait until all the major providers have shown their cards before you make a decision.
You can either take out a new contract or, if you now own the handset outright, consider getting a cheap rolling Sim-only tariff.
These can start from around just £5 a month.
Even better, you can now leave your mobile provider simply by sending a text message, under new rules that came in last summer.
MPs have demanded banks and insurers publish the amount loyal customers are overcharged by.
The so-called "loyalty premium" sees the average person overpaying by up to £1,440 a year, according to research from Citizens Advice.
A super-complaint on the issue was lodged by the charity in September 2018 with the Competition and Markets Authority ruling in December 2018 that suppliers should divulge the size of their penalty each year.