Millions of EE customers hit with 2.7% mobile bill rise – adding up to £11.30 a year
The mobile provider has confirmed that the price rise will take force for pay monthly and Sim-only users from 31 March
MILLIONS of EE mobile customers will be hit with a bill hike of 2.7 per cent next month as the network pushes up bills mid-contract.
The mobile provider has confirmed that the price rise will take force for pay monthly and Sim-only users from March 31.
EE says the increase will add 60p a month to bills for those with its most popular plan.
But if you have a £35 a month contract, for example, you'll see prices rise by 94p a month. That's the equivalent of an £11.34 annual increase or a £22.68 hike over the length of a two-year contract.
The increase is in line with December's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation.
EE says affected customers will be notified over the coming month.
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.
It won't tell us how many customers are affected, but it's likely to be millions as the provider has 31million users in total across its mobile and broadband network.
Sadly, you can't leave your contract penalty free as a result of the increase unless you're already out of your contract's minimum term.
EE can get away with the hike as it notifies customers at the time of purchase and in their contracts that bills can rise in line with inflation each year.
Last year, EE pushed up bills by a larger 4.1 per cent.
Pay-as-you-go customers are unaffected.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Like many service providers, our Pay Monthly plans increase by RPI annually, and this year customers on our most popular plan will typically see an increase of 60p a month.
"We’re currently contacting our customers to remind them this will take effect from 30 March 2019.”
More on bills
Millions are paying up to £264 extra to phone providers for mobiles they’ve already paid off – here's how to cut your bill.
But new app Yboo helps you switch to a cheaper mobile deal - here's how.
Meanwhile, EE's owner BT, has promised no price hikes for its customers until 2020.
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