Virgin Mobile to hike bills for 1.6million customers by 3.3 per cent from July
The rise applies to all pay-monthly customers who joined Virgin before February 2018.
VIRGIN Mobile customers are to see their bills leap 3.3 per cent this summer in a price rise that will affect 1.6million Brits.
The mobile giant has become the latest firm to confirm a price rise in line with the latest Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure.
It means customers paying £30 per month will see their bills go up by 99p a month or £11.88 a year from July 2 this year.
Virgin is also increasing the cost of calls to standard UK landlines and mobiles from 50 per minute to 58 per minute and the cost of picture and video messages from 40p to 50p.
The rise applies to all pay-monthly customers who joined Virgin before February 2018. Pay-as-you-go customers won't be affected by the bill hike.
A spokesperson for Virgin Media: "To continue giving our customers more innovation and fast, flexible plans, we sometimes need to review our pricing.
HOW TO CUT YOUR MOBILE BILL
FIRSTLY, decide if you’re happy with your current deal and whether you want a new deal or handset - or both.
If you’re outside the minimum term of your contract then you can leave penalty free - and you might be able to find a cheaper deal elsewhere.
Pay-as-you-go deals are better for people who don’t regularly use their phone, while monthly contracts usually work out cheaper for those who do.
The best way to find a new deal is by checking comparison websites, such as MoneySupermarket and uSwitch.com, which compare tariffs and handset prices.
It’s also worth trying Billmonitor, it matches buyers to the best pay-monthly deal based on their previous three months of bills.
It only works if you’re a customer of EE, O2, Three, Vodafone or Tesco Mobile and you’ll need to log in with your online account details.
MobilePhoneChecker has a bill monitoring feature that recommends a tariff based on your monthly usage.
If you’re happy with your provider then it might be worth using your research to haggle a better deal.
"We communicate any changes clearly to our customers and continue to invest to give them even better services."
Customers who don't want to pay the increased fee can switch to another deal to avoid it.
Mobile firms use the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, as announced by the The Office of National Statistics (ONS) each month.
DITCH AND SWITCH Can I end my phone or broadband contract early and are there fees involved? Virgin, Sky, BT rules explained
They are allowed to increase their prices mid-contract in line with inflation as long as they refer to the potential rise in their terms and conditions.
If you're outside of your minimum contract you can leave your current provider at anytime without facing a penalty.
More about how to cut your bills
In February, Three Mobile announced it is hiking bill by 4 per cent for millions of its customers.
EE also increased bills by 4.1 per cent in March. While 02 is also putting up bills by 4 per cent.
Looking for a new mobile deal? Check out our latest round-up of the best offers.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 78 24516. Don't forget to join the for the latest bargains and money-saving advice.