Three mobile to hike bills by up to £31 a year in April for millions of customers
MILLIONS of Three mobile customers will have to pay up to £31 extra every year from April.
The mobile network is hiking bills this year but the additional amount consumers will pay is dependant on when they signed up.
Customers who joined before October 29, 2020 will see bills rise by 7.8% - in line with the January retail price index rate, which is a measure of inflation.
But if you joined or upgraded after that date, your tariff will jump 4.5% as Three has introduced a fixed annual price change.
The jump comes as Brits are struggling with the soaring cost of living, with energy, food and tax bills all increasing this year.
The company gave the example that someone on a £20 per month contract will see their bills rise 90p each month.
That's a £10.80 hike per year.
For a customer who joined before the October date, a £20 contract will cost £1.56 more a month - an annual increase of £18.72.
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The network wouldn't confirm which phone contract deal was most popular with consumers.
But it advertises the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G phone as one of its most in-demand contracts on its website.
It's £38 a month for the first six months, rising to £76 each month after that.
If you took the contract out in April, it would be almost £31 a year more expensive following a 4.5% rise.
The amount you're charged will depend on the length of your contract, which phone you have and how much data you get.
Customers who want to leave before the end of their contracts will be charged a cancellation fee.
This is because the annual price change is set out in Three's terms and conditions.
A Three UK spokesperson said: "Like other mobile providers, our pay monthly plans are subject to an annual price change.
"We have taken the decision to apply an annual fixed percentage increase of 4.5% for new and upgrading customers who joined or upgraded from October 29, 2020."
Three's increase is less than most of its competitors this year, regardless of when you joined.
O2 and Virgin Mobile announced last week that bills would rise by as much as £48.
The mobile operators were raising prices by 11.7% for some customers, which is the 7.8% RPI rate plus an additional 3.9%.
Meanwhile, BT, EE and Vodafone are going to raise prices by up to £74 a year as they're hiked by 9.3%.
How can I avoid price rises?
We spoke to a bills expert who explained how you can avoid soaring prices.
You should read your contract to see if you can leave, as some firms - including Tesco and Giffgaff - don't have increases in the small print.
If you're out of your contract period make sure you shop around for a better deal, and check lots of comparison websites.
You could also haggle to negotiate a better deal with your current network.
For example, Virgin Media was planning to increase one customer's TV, broadband and phone bill by £40 a month.
But the consumer haggled it down to £32 a month - £1 cheaper than she was already paying.
Finally, check that you actually use the amount of data you're paying for.
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You could be paying for more than you need, and reducing that could bring your bills down.
On the flipside, make sure you don't regularly go over your allowance, as the extra charges will be expensive.
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