BILL HIKE
Major mobile and broadband provider with 25million customers to hike bills by as much as £36 in weeks
See how much more other firms are charging from April
A MAJOR mobile and broadband provider is hiking bills within weeks.
Some of EE's 25million customers will see prices rise by as much as £48 a year.
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From March bills will be higher because firms are allowed to increase prices mid-contract.
Some EE customers will see a set hike of £1.50 on their monthly mobile bill (£18 a year) if they are SIM-only, or £4 a month on certain plans that include handsets - £48 a year more.
Prices for some broadband customers will increase by £3 a month, which is £36 more annually, while EE TV customers will have to pay an extra £2 a month, or £24 a year more.
Others will have a percentage increase applied, meaning how much more they pay will depend on how much their bill is now.
READ MORE ON BILLS
The pounds and pence price rise will apply to those who took out a contract after April 1, 2024.
That's because new rules brought in by the regulator mean that providers should hike bills by a fixed "pounds and pence" amount to make it clearer for customers.
Contracts taken out before this date will still have percentage rises applied.
The percentage is based on a rate of 3.9% plus the inflation rate for December.
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Inflation for that month was confirmed in January as 2.5%. That means bills will rise by 6.4%.
A mobile deal currently costing £17 a month will increase by £1.09 to £18.09, or by £13.08 a year.
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On a £36 a month contract it's an increase of £2.30 a month, taking it to £38.30, or £27.60 a year.
Meanwhile broadband contracts costing £27.99 and £34.99 a month will rise by £21.48 and £26.88 a year respectively.
EE add-ons such as packages of extra minutes, text or data. will also increase by 5%.
Customers on certain tariffs will be exempt from any rises.
EE Basics, which is a social tariff, will continue to cost £12 a month.
These are cheaper deals designed for those in low incomes and benefits like Universal Credit and Pension Credit and have no exit fees.
The new rules from Ofcom on fixed amount price rises officially came in to force from January 17 this year.
But many providers got ahead of the rules and announced the amounts last year.
The change was brought in to make it clearer to customers how much more they will pay each year when taking out a contract.
In previous years rises linked to inflation meant that customers were hit by huge unexpected hikes.
EE BILL HIKES AT A GLANCE
From March 31, here's how much more EE customers will pay:
Contracts taken out after April 10, 2024
- SIM and airtime-only mobile: £1.50 a month, £18 a year
- Handset plans mobile*: £4 a month, £48 a year
- Broadband: £3 a month, £36 a year
- TV: £2 a month, £12 a year
Contracts taken out before April 10, 2024
- Your current mobile or broadband bill price + 6.4%.
Mobile and broadband add-ons
- 5% increase for some packages of minutes, messages, data, or services
Out of bundle charges
- 5% increase on certain mobile and broadband charges not part of contracts such as calls to and from abroad
*Customers who took out new handset plan contracts between April 10 and September 9, 2024 will pay £1.50 more a month, or £18 a year
To see how much your bill will rise by check your bill, log in to your account, or go to: ee.co.uk/help/billing-payments/guide-to-bill/about-annual-prices-changes
When inflation hit a 41-year high in October 2022 some customers saw their bills rise by up to a staggering 17.4%.
As inflation has fallen back it means that rises are not as high.
But exclusive analysis by The Sun found that the pounds and pence rises in some cases work out to increases of as much as 15% - more than the 6.4% rise for inflation-linked older bills this year.
EE customers are being notified of the increase now ahead of the new prices coming in from March 31.
What other mobile and broadband bills are rising?
It's not just EE hiking prices in April as a handful of providers are telling customers of increases.
Here's what we know so far...
BT
BT, which also owns EE and Plusnet, said that from March 2025, the price of mobile contracts will rise by £1.50 a month (SIM-only) or £4 (handset plans).
Broadband tariffs will go up by £3 a month and £2 for TV.
But, the provider has assured vulnerable customers on BT Home Essentials contracts that they will be exempt from any price rises.
The pounds and pence rise will apply to contracts taken out from April 10, 2024.
For those who took out a deal before this, a 6.4% rise will apply (3.9% and January's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
Plusnet will also increase its broadband price by £3 per month from the end of March for contracts taken out after July 11, 2024.
For contracts started prior to this date, a 6.4% hike will apply.
Vodafone
Vodafone mobile phone customers will see their bills rise by £1.80 a month while Home Broadband customers will see prices hiked by £3.
These pounds and pence rises will apply to contracts taken out after July 2, 2024.
For bills prior to this date an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply. This rate is due to be announced on February 19.
The new prices will apply from April 1.
Vodafone has said that price increases will not be applied to customers who are identified as financially vulnerable or those on social tariffs.
For Vodafone broadband customers bills will rise by £3 on contracts taken out after July 22, 2024.
For those taken out prior to then, an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply. This rate is due to be announced on February 19.
Three
Three has said broadband increases will be capped at £2 and mobile prices between £1 and £1.50 depending on the data allowance.
The pounds and pence rises will apply for contracts taken out after September 8, 2024.
For those before rises are set at 6.4% (3.9% and January's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
02
Customers of 02 mobile will pay £1.80 more on contracts started after January 9, 2025.
How to avoid the mobile hike
HERE'S what action you can take to try to avoid mobile price rises:
If you're in contract - haggle your price down
If you're still in contract you unfortunately won't be allowed to leave your contract penalty free as a result of the increase.
Mobile users can typically only cancel their contract if an increase is what regulator Ofcom deems is "of material detriment" to them, and an inflation linked increase is unlikely to fit this bill.
So your best option will be to haggle your price down. Use a mobile comparison site, such as to see if you could save by switching elsewhere.
Then take this to your provider 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 and want to stay - also haggle
Again, compare prices elsewhere and then come armed with the facts when you're talking to a customer services 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.
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.
For those taken out before, an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply. This rate is due to be announced on February 19.
Virgin Media
Customers of Virgin Media will pay £3.50 more on contracts started after January 9, 2025.
For those taken out before, an inflation linked price rise of 3.9% plus January's inflation figure will apply. This rate is due to be announced on February 19.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile said someone on a £14.99 a month a deal would see their monthly contract price increase by 90p in April.
While, customers on a £30 a month deal will see their basic monthly price increase by £1.80.
That's for contracts taken out after December 17, 2024. On those before this date, prices will rise 6.4% (3.9% and January's inflation rate, which was 2.5%).
Sky
Sky said this week broadband and TV bills will rise by 6.2% from April 1.
While the new Ofcom rules require providers to specify future price rises in pounds and pence upfront, it only applies if they are linked to inflation.
Sky's are not, so it can go ahead with a percentage increase.
For example, if you currently pay £39 per month for Sky TV, Netflix, and Full Fibre 150 broadband, your bill will increase by £2.42, bringing the total to £41.42 a month.
The same rises will apply to NOW Broadband, which is owned by Sky.
If you're on a broadband and mobile social tariff, you won't see an increase to your bills because Sky and Now has frozen its tariffs.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Out of contract Sky Mobile customers will see bills rise by £1.50 a month.
Those in contract won't see a rise.
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